The news is full of stories about celebrity estate planning disasters, whether triggered by the death of a famous person, or questions regarding a living celebrity’s mental or physical health. Controversy surrounding the estate plan – or lack thereof – often becomes newsworthy, bringing into public view certain planning decisions that can be ripe for criticism by those in the estate planning business.
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Vanessa Kanaga currently serves as InterActive Legal’s Special Advisor on Estate Planning and Legal Strategy. She is the former CEO of InterActive Legal. Vanessa received her J.D. from Cornell Law School and holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Wichita State University, as well as an Advanced Professional Certificate from New York University School of Law. She is licensed in New York, Kansas, and Arizona, and currently lives in Arizona.
Prior to joining InterActive Legal in 2013, Vanessa practiced in New York, at Milbank LLP and Moses & Singer LLP, and in Kansas, at Hinkle Law Firm, LLC. She has experience in a range of estate planning matters, including high net worth tax planning and asset protection planning.
In 2024, Vanessa returned to the practice of law. She is an Associate Attorney at Greengard Law Firm, PLC in Phoenix, Arizona.
Teresa Bush joined InterActive Legal in 2007 and serves as Director of Education and Support Services.
Ms. Bush has been licensed to practice law since 1991, and focused her practice exclusively on issues of estate and gift tax planning, probate, charitable planning, and estate and trust administration. She began her practice in a small law firm, planning for clients of all levels of wealth. Thereafter, she practiced for a number of years in the Tax Section of Kelly, Hart and Hallman, P.C. in Fort Worth, Texas, and as an estate and gift tax consultant for the Dallas office of Ernst & Young, in both cases focusing on planning for very high net worth clients.
Ms. Bush received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, where she was a research assistant for Professor Stanley M. Johanson. She studied at Edinburgh University and the London School of Economics prior to obtaining a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Rice University in Houston. While studying abroad, she worked as an intern for a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons.
Ms. Bush taught legal research and writing as a Teaching Quizmaster in law school, and later taught estate planning extension courses for American College of Financial Services CLU candidates. She has presented several online webinars on estate planning and drafting topics, and is the author or co-author of a variety of estate planning articles.
Lori Anne Douglass, of Douglass Rademacher LLP in New York, New York, focuses her practice on estate planning and business succession planning, as well as estate administration and estate litigation. Lori handles both contested and uncontested estate matters, representing heirs, beneficiaries, disinherited family members, executors, administrators and trustees in contested probate proceedings, and advising clients in the preparation of family agreements and resolving family disputes. She is frequently interviewed for articles on estate and business planning and is a well-known lecturer at national conferences and continuing legal education seminars. Lori has written extensively in her practice areas and has been named to the New York Metro Super Lawyers list in recognition of her work in estate litigation for 2012-2018.
Daniel J. Scott is founder and principal of Scott Law, PLLC, in New York, New York. Dan spent over 12 years at some of the best law firms in the world. Determined to bring that same level of expertise and service to a broader range of clients at a fixed and more affordable cost, Dan set out to launch his own practice in 2014. His unique style and brand of providing legal services and advice is refreshing, effective and greatly appreciated (many clients call him the “un-lawyer”.) As a musician and writer, Dan uses his creativity and personal experience to find innovative solutions and assist clients in achieving their own greatest success. Dan is also devoted to educating and serving the creative community and focusing on the needs of musicians, actors, and other entertainers, and is a pioneer in the realm of artist legacy planning. Dan recently wrote about celebrity intestacy for Forbes: The Real Reason Why Artists Like Prince and Aretha Franklin Die Without a Will.
John J. Scroggin is a partner with Scroggin & Company, P.C., in Roswell, Georgia. Jeff is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and has served as a Founding Director of the Florida Tax Institute since 2012. He was Founding Editor of the NAEPC Journal of Estate and Tax Planning from 2006-2010, and is the author of over 260 published articles on tax, business, and estate planning. In 2017, Jeff was inducted into the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame. Additionally, he has been named a Georgia “SuperLawyer” for each year since 2009, and one of US News and World Report’s Best Lawyers in America for 2018 and 2019. He has been quoted in the national media over 100 times, including in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, and Forbes Magazine. Jeff has written an extensive outline about what we can learn from celebrity estate plans: What Dead Celebrities can Teach us about Estate Planning.
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