This registration form is for Thursday, October 23, 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. ET
This program is also available on:
Thursday, October 30, 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. ET
| MCLE Credit: | 6.0 (Ethics: 1.0) |
| Live-Interactive Credit: | 6.0 (all dates, all formats) |
| GAL for Incapacitated Persons CE Credit: | 6.0 (GAL Information) |
| Designation Credit: | 6.0 Trusts and Estates, 1.0 Ethics |
Live on Site:
Webcast: (10/30/2025 date only)
Telephone: (10/30/2025 date only)
Receive important updates on federal and Virginia tax developments, cases, and legislation, with an in-depth look at:
Cosponsored with the Trusts and Estates Section of the Virginia State Bar
One day, six fantastic topics.
You need practical, real-world information on planning, drafting documents, and administering estates—something you can use every day. This year’s conference features topics that are extremely important for your estate planning practice.
Registration Deadlines:
| Live on Site: | Online registration ends at 11:59 p.m. the day preceding the seminar Walk-in registration is permitted on a space-available basis |
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation/transfer requests will be honored until 5:00 p.m. the day preceding the seminar. You will, however, be charged $90 if you cancel or transfer your registration to a different seminar after the link to the materials has been e-mailed by Virginia CLE®.
Full refunds or transfers are available up to two days after a webcast in the unlikely event that you experience technical difficulties.
Dietary Restrictions: If you have dietary restrictions and are attending the seminar in person, please email deanna.mcglothlin@vacle.org.
Inclement Weather Policy and Updates.
MCLE Credit Caveat: The MCLE Board measures credits by the time you spend in attendance. If you enter a seminar late or leave it early, or both, you must reflect those adjustments accurately in the credits you report on your credit reporting form. A code will be given at the end of the seminar, which must be written on your MCLE form.
Can’t Attend?
E-mail distance_ed@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program is made available as an online or USB seminar.
E-mail publications@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program’s seminar materials are made available for sale.
| 8:30 | Registration and continental breakfast (provided on site) |
| 9:00 | The Year in Review: Uncovering Tax and Fiduciary Trends to Better Plan and Prepare For at least the last two decades, the federal wealth transfer tax has been in a state of continued—sometimes gradual, sometimes fast-paced—evolution. This session will review the landscape of federal legislation dealing with the estate and gift tax, and it will address trends in recent cases, regulatory guidance, and administrative updates that have an impact on estate planning and estate administration. |
| 10:00 | Break |
| 10:05 | Virginia Developments in Estate Planning and Administration The latest on new Virginia legislation and case law. |
| 11:05 | Break |
| 11:15 | Unusual Assets in Estate Planning and Administration This segment will explore unusual assets—e.g., aircraft, precious metals, cryptocurrency—encountered in estate planning and administration. Because certain items require special consideration, we will review pre-death titling issues to post-death transfers. |
| 12:15 | Lunch (provided on site) |
| 1:00 | Tax Basics for Estate Administration The income tax obligations imposed upon executors and trustees by the IRS and state and local tax authorities can be a trap for the unwary and an unwelcome surprise for heirs and beneficiaries. This presentation will focus on basic income tax concepts and obligations that attorneys should be aware of when advising fiduciaries in the estate and trust administration process. The presentation will provide planning tips, checklists, and more. |
| 2:00 | Break |
| 2:15 | Ethics Potpourri We will review various ethics rules with which estates and trusts practitioners must grapple from time to time. Topics include the differences between the duty of confidentiality and the attorney-client privilege; requirements when the attorney is named as fiduciary in documents he or she drafts; representing parties in the creation or review of marital agreements; representing a client who is both executor and beneficiary of an estate; requirements when a third party pays for the representation; dealing with unrepresented parties; the lawyer as fiduciary; required recordkeeping and monthly trust account reconciliation procedures; clients with diminished capacity; and more. The goals of the presentation are to review the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC 1.6, RPC 1.7, RPC 1.8, RPC 1.14, RPC 1.15, RPC 4.3) and LEOs (LEO 1515, LEO 1757, LEO 1778, LEO 1800, LEO 1846, LEO 1850) on point and discuss practical solutions and procedures the practitioner can implement to avoid ethical landmines. |
| 3:15 | Break |
| 3:25 | Precision in Trust Drafting—Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Discretionary Distribution Language This session will focus on improving the precision of discretionary distribution language in trust drafting. We will explore the legal and tax implications of standards like HEMS (Health, Education, Maintenance, and Support), as well as the risks of using overly broad or ambiguous terms. Topics will include estate tax inclusion under IRC §§ 2036 and 2041, grantor trust rules under IRC § 674, and creditor protection concerns. The session will also address strategies for using independent trustees, planning for special needs beneficiaries, and drafting for long-term flexibility in dynasty trusts. Attendees will gain practical tips and sample language to balance trustee flexibility with tax efficiency. |
| 4:25 | Closing Remarks |
| 4:30 | Adjourn |
Kathi L. Ayers, Vaughan, Fincher & Sotelo, PC / Leesburg
Sarah E. Brownlow, Virginia Estate & Trust Law / Richmond
Peter Holstead Davies, Davies & Davies / Lynchburg
James A. Gillis, Law Offices of James A. Gillis / Arlington
Jennifer A. Lucey, Lucey Law, PLLC / McLean
William I. Sanderson, McGuireWoods LLP / Washington, DC
Christopher Wright, Shannon & Wright LLP / Alexandria
John P. Morgan, Rees Broome, PC / Tysons (Fairfax)
Emily A. Martin, Hook Law / Virginia Beach (Richmond)
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