The Act of Decanting: Amending Trusts Without Going to Court

Mr. Blattmachr is a Principal in ILS Management, LLC and a retired member of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP in New York, NY and of the Alaska, California and New York Bars. He is recognized as one of the most creative trusts and estates lawyers in the country and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. He has written and lectured extensively on estate and trust taxation and charitable giving.

Mr. Blattmachr graduated from Columbia University School of Law cum laude, where he was recognized as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and received his A.B. degree from Bucknell University, majoring in mathematics. He has served as a lecturer-in-law of the Columbia University School of Law and is an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University Law School in its Masters in Tax Program (LLM). He is a former chairperson of the Trusts & Estates Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and of several committees of the American Bar Association. Mr. Blattmachr is a Fellow and a former Regent of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and past chair of its Estate and Gift Tax Committee. He is author or co-author of eight books and more than 500 articles on estate planning and tax topics.

Among professional activities, which are too numerous to list, Mr. Blattmachr has served as an Advisor on The American Law Institute, Restatement of the Law, Trusts 3rd; and as a Fellow of The New York Bar Foundation and a member of the American Bar Foundation.

Michael L. Graham is Chairman of InterActive Legal and practices law with the Houser Firm in Dallas, Texas.

Mike has been continuously Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for 40 years. He became a full partner at age 30 in one of the largest, most respected law firms in the US, Baker & Botts, and became a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel at age 34. MIke has served as Chair of the Texas Bar Association’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, the Houston Bar Association’s Probate Section, and the Dallas Bar Association’s Probate Section. Other professional contributions include Supervisory Council Member of the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and President of the Texas Academy of Probate and Trust Lawyers.

In his practice at the Houser Law Firm, Mike limits his current focus to matters involving business and estate planning, administration of estates and trusts, and fiduciary based litigation. He has practiced at both large, international firms and small boutique firms over the last 44 years. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Baylor School of Law (1972), and his BBA from Baylor University (1971).

Diana S.C. Zeydel is global chair of the Private Wealth Services Practice and focuses her practice on estate and tax planning for high-net-worth individuals and families, including intra-generational wealth transfer strategies and business succession planning. Her practice includes planning for United States and non-United States citizens and residents. Diana also assists clients with litigated probate, trust, and guardianship matters, and represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service in matters involving fiduciary income tax and estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax controversies. She represents corporate and individual fiduciaries in connection with the administration of estates and personal and charitable trusts. Diana also assists clients in preparing prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. She has participated in numerous projects involving governmental submissions in the estate, gift, and GST tax areas and serves as an expert witness in cases involving her practice areas.