News & Insights
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.
Termination of Charitable Remainder Trusts
"You've got to know when to hold 'em, know went to fold 'em."
October 2014Kenny Rogers could well have been singing about charitable remainder trusts (CRTs).
Trusts & Estates Magazine
Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys in Connecticut and Florida Named The Best Lawyers in America for 2015
August 14, 2014Best Lawyers® is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, which includes over 79,000 leading attorneys eligible to vote.
Client Alert - New York Estate Tax Laws
February 2014Recently Governor Cuomo submitted a budget bill which includes significant changes to the New York estate tax laws.
Revocable Trusts
A Private Clients Group White Paper
A “trust” is a legal entity created to own, manage and eventually dispose of property. A trust involves a legal relationship between three parties: the “Grantor” (often also referred to as the “Settlor”), the “Trustee” and the “Beneficiary.”
Client Alert - Estate, Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax
January 2013On January 2, 2013, the Federal Government enacted the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the “2012 Tax Act”) changing, among other things, the estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax regime once again.
Daniel P. Fitzgerald Named One Of "40 Under 40" By Fairfield County Business Journal
June 4, 2012Fairfield County Business Journal and more than a dozen business organizations and chambers of commerce organized a competition to select 40 business executives who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership qualities, an ongoing commitment to personal and professional development and outstanding professional accomplishments.