Trusts & Estates Attorney - Counsel or Principal

Our client is seeking a highly sophisticated and experienced Trusts & Estates Attorney at the Counsel or Principal level to join their premier wealth planning practice in Philadelphia. This role is designed for a strategic adviser with a powerful blend of advanced estate planning expertise and deep transactional tax knowledge.

The ideal candidate will manage complex wealth management, business succession, and tax mitigation strategies for high-net-worth individuals, families, and closely held businesses. This position offers a direct path to leadership, high-visibility client management, and the opportunity to collaborate on intricate, multi-generational legal matters

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Key Responsibilities

• Sophisticated Wealth Planning: Design, draft, and implement comprehensive estate plans utilizing advanced strategies to minimize estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) taxes
• Transactional & Corporate Tax Integration: Advise clients on complex corporate and partnership tax issues arising from business sales, mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, and liquidation
• Business Succession: Structure seamless, tax-efficient business succession and transition plans for closely held corporations, partnerships, and family-limited enterprises
• Fiduciary Guidance & Administration: Counsel executors, trustees, and fiduciaries through complex estate and trust administration processes, including federal estate tax return preparation (Form 706) and audit defense
• Client Relationship Management: Serve as a primary, trusted advisor to high-net-worth clients, family offices, and entrepreneurs, translating intricate tax codes into actionable financial and personal strategies

sRequired Qualifications & Skills

• Juris Doctor (J.D.): Earned from an accredited law school with a strong academic record
• Bar Admission: Active admission to the Pennsylvania Bar is strictly required
• Experience: 7–10 years of dedicated practice in trusts, estates, and tax law, preferably within a sophisticated mid-sized or AmLaw firm environment
• Tax Expertise: A comprehensive, deep understanding of estate, gift, and GST tax planning principles, alongside strong corporate and partnership tax acumen
• Advanced Degree: An LL.M. in Taxation is strongly preferred
• Drafting Excellence: Exceptional skills in drafting complex wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts (including GRATs, QPRTs, ILITs, and IDGTs), and business governance documents
• Communication & Leadership: Superior interpersonal and communication skills, with the proven ability to lead matters independently and mentor junior associates