Daniel L. Kesten

In addition to preparing testamentary estate plans with wills and trusts that ensure clients’ wealth passes in accordance with their wishes at the time of their death, Dan counsels high net worth individuals on structuring and implementing lifetime wealth transfers and “estate freeze” transactions, which create long-term estate tax solutions for their families. 

Dan handles estate matters for individuals from a range of industries, including investment management, tech start-ups, the arts, and banking, among others. A particular focus of his practice is advising hedge fund principals on issues such as: 

• Restructuring ownership of interests in their funds’ general partner and management company entities in order to share fund performance with younger generation family members in a gift-tax compliant manner;
• Estate planning around the launch of new hedge funds;
• Titling issues with respect to the acquisition and holding of primary residences and second homes; and
• Addressing less technical issues, such as how the introduction of wealth to the family may impact younger generations.

Dan strives to implement structures that maximize tax efficiency in carrying out his clients’ goals regarding the disposition of their wealth. In addition to his extensive experience in sophisticated estate planning, he also advises on trust and estate administration and represents clients in trust and estate litigation before the Surrogate’s Court.