Recent Developments (2024)
2024-12-05 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York)
This presentation will update attendees on 2024 legislative and regulatory developments, rulings and cases in estate planning and gifts, generation-skipping transfers and fiduciary income tax. We’ll also discuss how the changes can affect clients and customers.

Discussion Highlights:

Legislative developments

Regulatory developments

Gifts

Valuation

Estate inclusion

Marital and charitable deductions

GST issues

Fiduciary income tax

Speakers:

Thomas W. Abendroth, Partner, ArentFox Schiff LLP

Stephen W. Murphy, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

Continuing Education Credits:

Live and Recording—CTFA 2.00, CISP 2.00, CRSP 2.00 creditsApproved for 1.5 ME CLE

To register, please email amelia.dow@portlandtrust.com.

Impact of the Election on Future Tax Legislation
2025-04-03 13:00 - 14:30 | 2 Monument Square, Suite 703, Portland, ME 04101
This session will review the prospects for new tax legislation that could affect wealth planning in the aftermath of the 2024 elections.

Discussion Highlights

Review tax-related legislative initiatives that align with the winning party’s agenda and their implications.

Assess the tax policy proposals put forth by the newly elected president and their potential impact.

Examine the makeup of the new Congress and the likelihood that it would pass major tax legislation.

The higher estate tax exclusion and other provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire at the end of 2025 — explore the potential effects for wealth planning.

Thomas W. Abendroth, Partner, ArentFox Schiff LLP

Stephen W. Murphy, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

Continuing Education Credits:

Live and Recording—CTFA 2.00, CISP 2.00, CRSP 2.00 creditsApproved for 1.5 ME CLE

To register, please email amelia.dow@portlandtrust.com

Fiduciary Litigation Annual Review for 2025
2025-05-01 13:00 - 14:30 | 2 Monument Square, Suite 703, Portland, ME 04101
A panel of trust litigation attorneys will conduct their annual review of key fiduciary issues currently being addressed by the courts and provide advice on avoiding associated risks.

Discussion Highlights

Explore effective strategies for managing fiduciary litigation, including dispute resolution techniques and proactive planning measures.

Examine key fiduciary litigation cases and rulings from 2025 to understand their implications for trust and estate administration.

Identify emerging trends and common issues in fiduciary litigation to better anticipate and address potential challenges.

Learn best practices for fiduciary conduct to minimize the risk of litigation and ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards.

Thomas W. Abendroth, Partner, ArentFox Schiff LLP

Stephen W. Murphy, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

Continuing Education Credits:

Live and Recording—CTFA 2.00, CISP 2.00, CRSP 2.00 creditsApproved for 1.5 ME CLE

To register, please email amelia.dow@portlandtrust.com

Post-Mortem Publicity Rights
2025-06-05 13:00 - 14:30 | 2 Monument Square, Suite 703, Portland, ME 04101
The right of publicity is the right of an individual to control the use of their name, image or likeness and how it is commercialized. Many states extend the right to control the use of one’s name and likeness to last beyond the individual’s life, making it an asset that must be dealt with at death. It can be a very significant asset for musicians, entertainers, athletes, authors and others whose livelihood depends in part on commercialization of their name and likeness.

Discussion Highlights

Identify effective strategies for planning with the right of publicity, ensuring that this asset is properly managed and protected in estate planning.

Gain a clear understanding of what the right of publicity entails and its significance for individuals whose livelihoods depend on the commercialization of their name, image or likeness.

Explore the state laws that govern the right of publicity, including how these laws extend beyond an individual’s life and the implications for estate planning.

Learn about the methods used to value the right of publicity.

Thomas W. Abendroth, Partner, ArentFox Schiff LLP

Stephen W. Murphy, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

Continuing Education Credits:

Live and Recording—CTFA 2.00, CISP 2.00, CRSP 2.00 creditsApproved for 1.5 ME CLE

To register, please email amelia.dow@portlandtrust.com

Directed Trusts Revisited
2025-10-02 13:00 - 14:30 | 2 Monument Square, Suite 703, Portland, ME 04101
This session will review the laws on the use of directed trusts, with a particular focus on corporate trustees serving primarily as an administrative trustee with investment authority assigned elsewhere.

Discussion Highlights

Identify best practices and guidelines for serving as a directed trustee, including do’s and don’ts to ensure compliance and effective trust management.

Learn about the variations in state laws governing directed trusts and how these differences affect the roles and responsibilities of trustees.

Review recent legal cases to understand the liability issues faced by directed trustees and the implications for trust administration.

Explore effective drafting strategies for clearly defining and dividing trustee responsibilities in directed trusts.

Thomas W. Abendroth, Partner, ArentFox Schiff LLP

Stephen W. Murphy, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

Continuing Education Credits:

Live and Recording—CTFA 2.00, CISP 2.00, CRSP 2.00 creditsApproved for 1.5 ME CLE

To register, please email amelia.dow@portlandtrust.com

Developments in the Treatment of Trusts in Divorce
2025-11-06 13:00 - 14:30 | 2 Monument Square, Suite 703, Portland, ME 04101
Protecting assets from a beneficiary’s divorce is a common concern of clients as they structure their estate plans. The common assumption is that irrevocable trusts for the benefit of an individual are completely irrelevant in determining how property will be divided if that individual gets divorced. That is not the case. In almost every state, at a minimum the existence of the trust and the income a spouse regularly receives from it will be considered in determining the division of property and any alimony obligations. Moreover, courts in some states increasingly are finding indirect ways to treat a trust or a portion of it as property subject to division, even if the court cannot force a trustee to distribute trust property right away. We will explore new developments in this ever-changing area.

Discussion Highlights

Understand the impact of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the tax treatment of irrevocable trusts with an ex-spouse as a beneficiary and how to navigate these changes in estate planning.

Learn about the general laws applicable to irrevocable trusts in the context of divorce and how these laws affect the division of property and alimony obligations.

Review recent cases and explore how some state courts are increasingly finding ways to treat trusts as property subject to division in divorce proceedings.

Identify effective strategies for drafting and administering irrevocable trusts to help protect them from being considered in divorce settlements.

Thomas W. Abendroth, Partner, ArentFox Schiff LLP

Stephen W. Murphy, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

Continuing Education Credits:

Live and Recording—CISP 2.00, CRSP 2.00 creditsApproved for 1.5 ME CLE

To register, please email amelia.dow@portlandtrust.com

Recent Developments: 2025 Estate and Trust Administration
2025-12-04 13:00 - 14:30 | 2 Monument Square, Suite 703, Portland, ME 04101
This presentation will update attendees on 2025 legislative and regulatory developments, rulings and cases in estate planning and gifts, generation-skipping transfers and fiduciary income tax. We’ll also discuss how the changes can affect clients and customers.

Discussion Highlights

Learn about the latest developments in marital and charitable deductions, generation-skipping transfer (GST) issues, and their effect on clients and customers.

Gain an understanding of the key legislative and regulatory changes in 2025 that affect estate planning, gifts, and fiduciary income tax.

Examine significant rulings and cases from 2025, focusing on their implications for estate and trust administration.

Explore updates in valuation methods and estate inclusion rules, and how these changes affect estate planning strategies.

Thomas W. Abendroth, Partner, ArentFox Schiff LLP

Stephen W. Murphy, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

Continuing Education Credits:

Live and Recording—CISP 2.00, CRSP 2.00 creditsApproved for 1.5 ME CLE

To register, please email amelia.dow@portlandtrust.com
