News & Insights
Charitable Remainder Trust Pitfalls
October 2015Doing a charitable remainder trust (CRT) the right way enables your clients to make significant charitable gifts, provide life income for themselves (and others) and save taxes.
Trusts & Estates Magazine
Daniel G. Johnson Provides Estate and Gift Tax Reform Testimony
September 15, 2015Daniel G. Johnson testified before the Connecticut State Tax Panel in Hartford concerning the migration of Connecticut residents in light of the current Connecticut estate and gift tax regime, as well as the recent increase in probate court fees.
Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys in Connecticut and Florida Named The Best Lawyers in America for 2016
August 17, 2015Corporate Counsel magazine has call Best Lawyers® "The most respected referral list of attorneys in practice."
Patching Up Mucked Up CRTs
Guidelines for doing it right; how defective trusts can be reformed to quality
August 2015Why are some charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) mucked up?
Trusts & Estates Magazine
Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Named 2015 Florida Super Lawyers
July 8, 2015Cummings & Lockwood is pleased to announce that seven attorneys have been selected to the 2015 Florida Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.
Scott Witthuhn Joins Cummings & Lockwood's Commercial Practice in Stamford, Connecticut
July 6, 2015Scott Witthuhn received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. from Yale University.
Cummings & Lockwood Wins Significant Probate Law Ruling from Connecticut Supreme Court Concerning Calculation of Surviving Spouse's Statutory Share
June 2015Cummings & Lockwood successfully argued before the court that the statutory share, which is the portion of an estate that goes to a surviving spouse who was not included in the deceased spouse’s will, is to be based upon the value of the estate’s assets at the time of distribution as opposed to the value at the date of death.
In Case of First Impression, Cummings & Lockwood Client Wins $4.5 Million Trial Judgment in Complex Assignment of Debt Action
May 2015The case raised complex questions of whether or not the promissory note at issue was governed by Article 3 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The defendants argued that because the note was lost by the purchaser’s predecessor-in-interest, the purchaser could not recover pursuant to Article 3-309.
Cummings & Lockwood's Trial Group Wins Multi-Million Dollar Trial of Hedge Fund Partnership Dispute
March 2015C&L recently obtained trial damages of $5,783,028.00 in a derivative lawsuit brought by two investors on behalf of a hedge fund partnership. Over the course of two weeks, the case was tried to a judge sitting on the Complex Litigation Docket for the Superior Court for the State of Connecticut.
Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts
A Private Clients Group White Paper
Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts are one estate planning tool used to reduce inheritance taxes by removing assets from an estate. A Grantor Retained Annuity Trust, often referred to as a “GRAT”, operates as follows...
Gifting
A Private Clients Group White Paper
For those who are willing and able to take the further step of reducing their taxable estates by making lifetime gifts, far greater tax savings opportunities exist through a lifetime gifting program.