Cummings & Lockwood LLC
 Courthouse Columns

News & Insights

Mary Beth Crawford Named Principal-in-Charge of Cummings & Lockwood's Bonita Springs, Florida Office

August 1, 2016

Mary Beth Crawford joined the Firm in 1999 and became a Principal in 2007.  She is a member of the Firm’s Private Clients Group where she brings 17 years of experience in estate planning, estate settlement, trust administration and charitable planning.  She is also a member of the Firm’s National Charitable Planning Group.

UBI Tax Not Applied to Receivables Left by Decedent

July 25, 2016

Originally, all business income of charities and other exempt organizations was free from taxation.  Today, the tax on UBI is imposed on the unrelated business taxable income of most exempt organizations.


Trusts & Estates Magazine Website

Cummings & Lockwood Principal, Jessie A. Gilbert, Was Elected to the Board of Trustees at Westport Country Playhouse

June 2016

Jessie Gilbert advises high net worth individuals on estate and tax issues, helping them with succession, generation-skipping, and asset protection planning

Jonathan B. Mills Re-elected to Sixth Term as Firm-wide Chairman and Managing Director

June 29, 2016

In addition to these responsibilities, he is a Principal in the Firm’s Commercial Real Estate and Corporate & Finance Groups and is based in the Stamford office.

IRS Denies IRC Section 1035 Tax Deferral in Annuity Exchange

June 28, 2016

A taxpayer inherited an interest in an annuity from his late father. The taxpayer wished to exchange his interest in the inherited annuity for an annuity sold by a different insurance company. 


Trusts & Estates Magazine Website

Cummings & Lockwood Recognized As One of the Leading Trusts and Estates Practices in Connecticut by Chambers

June 28, 2016

Cummings & Lockwood is pleased to announce that it has been recognized by Chambers and Partners in their inaugural global High Net Worth Guide -- aimed at the international private wealth market -- as having one of the leading trusts and estates practices in Connecticut, ranking at the top of band 1. 

The Fiduciary vs. Sovereign Immunity

June 13, 2016

Estates are generally viewed as a legal continuation of a deceased individual: when an individual passes away, any claims that arose before or on an individual’s death may be pursued by or against the estate of that individual. 


Trusts & Estates Magazine Website

Heather J. Rhoades Named 2016 Hartford Trusts & Estates Attorney of the Year

May 2016

This recognition awards recipients based on their particularly high level of peer recognition in their respective practice area. 

Asset Protection or Abusive Tax Planning?

May 16, 2016

Former billionaires punished for using offshore trusts as "piggy banks" to defraud the IRS. “Never let a creditor get to your asset, no matter how bad your mistake.” 


Trusts & Estates Magazine Website

IRS "Rolls Over" Where Beneficiary Designation Overlooked

May 11, 2016

Without professional assistance, it’s easy for an individual to forego updating an essential element of their estate plan: beneficiary designations.


Trusts & Estates Magazine Website

The Legacy IRA: The Charitable IRA Rollover Part II

May 8, 2016

Retirees searching for income who also want to give to charity are drawn to charitable remainder trusts and charitable gift annuities. You get lifetime payouts, and the charity gets its share when you die. 


Forbes Magazine Website

New Federal Bill Authorizes Charitable Life-Income IRA Rollovers

May 5, 2016

A life-income charitable individual retirement account rollover bill (HR5171) (The Legacy IRA Act) has just been introduced this morning by House Ways and Means Committee members. 


Trusts & Estates Magazine Website