Richard Howard-Smith has broad tax expertise unusual among estate planning and business lawyers, a distinction appreciated by sophisticated clients.  Also increasingly unique in today's world is Richard’s attention and focus on custom work tailored to different clients and client matters with a friendly and helpful attitude.  Because of the range and depth of his experience and his solution-driven approach in estate planning and closely-held business matters, Richard is creative and flexible, while being pragmatic and sensitive to client concerns and risk level.

Richard’s Estate Planning and Administration practice matters range from the routine and ordinary to sophisticated estate planning and administration for persons of substantial wealth, and unique and complicated matters that require special expertise and skill, including those involving international clients and matters.  Among the matters he has handled are sales to defective grantor trusts, QPRTs, ILITs, charitable remainder and lead trusts, conservation easements, trust mergers, modifications and terminations of irrevocable trusts, trust decanting, contested estate administrations, asset protection entity structuring, premarital and buy-sell agreements for estate planning purposes, disclaimers and specialized custom estate and income tax motivated beneficiary designations for qualified retirement plan assets.

Richard also handles Tax-Exempt Organization matters for a wide variety of organizations, including formations (charitable and non-charitable), reformations, and charitable trusts, in addition to various restructuring transactions, such as dissolutions, mergers and divisions.

Richard’s Business Entity practice is focused on of individuals who own closely-held businesses, who appreciate his experience in tax and business law, especially organizational and transactional matters, such as sales, mergers and reorganizations.  He can assist in the choice of entity for a business, the formation of a business, buying a business, maintaining the business, estate planning and succession planning for the business, and in the sale or other reorganization of the business.