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About the Role

The Director of Estate Planning provides expert estate planning guidance to client service teams, plays a thought leadership role in the wealth transfer space, represents the firm in business development and external relationship efforts, and plays a key role in advancing and strengthening the firm’s overall Wealth Planning capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Integrate detailed and complex information from client situations and the current estate and income tax environment into a plan.
• Work with Wealth Management teams to assist clients with estate-planning issues.
• Review client's current estate planning documents and prepare a flowchart or summary documentation to communicate the current plan clearly.
• Engage in discovery dialogues with clients to ensure their current plan aligns with their intent and recommend changes if necessary.
• Strategize methods to achieve client's philanthropic and intergenerational wealth transfer goals.
• Assist clients, in partnership with their estate attorney, with the implementation of their estate plan.
• Help the LNW team assist surviving clients with their financial affairs after a family member's death, in conjunction with the client's estate planning attorney.
• Communicate with Client Services colleagues and clients to address client questions promptly.
• Prepare error-free client materials.
• Make information understandable and seamless for the client.
• Work with clients’ outside estate planning counsel and outside accountants on behalf of the client.
• Ensure clients are highly satisfied with interactions and service.
• Build and maintain deep relationships with outside estate planning practitioners to ensure a strong referral network.
• Cultivate relationships with estate planning attorneys and other centers of influence.
• Meet prospects to evaluate, discuss, and recommend basic and complex estate planning strategies.
• Participate in prospective client meetings as needed.
• Educate the firm's client-facing professionals on trust and estate planning concepts.
• Lead Estate Planning efforts within the Wealth Planning committee.
• Stay current on changes in legislation and trends in the wealth transfer space, disseminating updates to the Client Services team.
• Understand and utilize appropriate technology offerings within the wealth and estate planning space.
• Assist in the preparation of white papers on Estate/Financial Planning topics.
• Lead and/or participate in other firm-wide projects related to various wealth planning topics.
• Proactively identify improvement opportunities and enhancements in client materials.
• Provide mentoring, support, and training to team members.
• Execute individual development plans and continue learning to drive LNW forward.

Requirements

• J.D. required.
• 7-12 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial planning topics including estate planning, income taxation, executive compensation, insurance, and retirement planning.
• Working knowledge of the income and transfer tax landscape.
• Strong understanding of the RIA business.
• High EQ.
• Strong work ethic and team player mentality.
• Ability to work within a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to complete/manage projects with multiple tasks.
• Self-starter with a desire to own projects and outcomes.
• Ability to integrate detailed information into concise communication while accommodating tax planning subtleties.
• Willingness and ability to balance additional support from technology.
• Must meet all relevant employment qualifications at time of hiring, including passing background and credit checks, signing employee agreements, and consistently performing essential job functions.

Skills

• Estate planning
• Income taxation
• Executive compensation
• Insurance
• Retirement planning
• Wealth transfer
• Financial planning
• Trust and estate planning concepts
• Technology utilization in wealth and estate planning

Location

• San Francisco, California

Work Type

• Full-time
• Hybrid

Experience Level

• 7-12 years

Education Level

• J.D.
• L.L.M. in Taxation (preferred)

Salary/Compensations

• $240,000 to $270,000

Benefits

• Medical coverage
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• Generous time off
• Sabbatical program after 10 years
• Flexible spending plans for health care, transportation, and dependent care
• 401(k) plan
• Educational reimbursements

About the Company

• For more than five decades, Laird Norton Wetherby (LNW) has served the interests of exceptional families and individuals.
• As both an RIA and trust company, LNW offers a full spectrum of specialized wealth and legacy planning, investment management, and trust and estate services.
• LNW has offices in Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, as well as an affiliate trust company in South Dakota.
• LNW is majority owned by Laird Norton Company, one of the longest-sustained family enterprises in the United States, with co-ownership by LNW employees.

Equal Opportunity

• The firm is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination against employees, applicants for employment, individuals providing services in the workplace pursuant to a contract, unpaid interns and volunteers based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ancestry, marital status, registered domestic partner status, military and veteran status, civil air patrol status, national origin, immigration status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions, and including medical conditions related to lactation) or medical condition (cancer and genetic characteristics).