Private Wealth Services

Overview

Gunster’s dedication to the preservation of wealth and the protection of personal and business assets is at the core of the firm’s Private Wealth Services practice. Our mission is to understand our clients’ goals over the long-term, and to design creative solutions for business/personal planning and complex estate and trust litigation. Gunster’s commitment to serving clients’ legal needs has remained steadfast for almost a century. It drives our attorneys to strive to go beyond traditional service models and work to redefine the value a law firm seeks to deliver.

What Sets Gunster Apart

Over 60 Private Wealth Services attorneys and paraprofessionals throughout Florida
The only Florida-focused firm ranked to Band 1 in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide 2023
The most representations amongst law firms in Florida in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
Interdisciplinary advice to individuals, families, business owners and family offices
Fiduciary representation throughout the state

Gunster’s mission is to continuously foster a reputation as the ‘go-to’ firm in Florida when wealth preservation and business succession planning are the objectives. The ability to protect wealth and pass it from generation to generation has become an increasingly intricate and multilayered process. The successful implementation of estate, trust and business plans often requires attorneys who have mastered a variety of disciplines. Gunster endeavors to provide clients with the know-how required to succeed and the depth of experience needed to implement every aspect of a client’s transaction. Gunster’s private wealth services include:

Estate and trust planning and administration
Asset protection
Business continuation and succession planning
Charitable and exempt organizations
Fiduciary and beneficiary representation
Estate, generation skipping, gift and income tax planning
Probate, trust and fiduciary litigation

Our attorneys focus on delivering sophisticated and multidimensional counsel. Gunster pursues the concentration of practitioners and depth of skill of a boutique law firm, but with considerable resources that include tax, real estate, corporate, commercial litigation, immigration and international attorneys experienced in advising high net worth individuals and businesses. Our presence throughout Florida and broad base of knowledge over many practice disciplines help our attorneys to serve a highly diverse clientele.

Gunster’s team consistently strives to exceed the expectations of wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs, corporate and individual fiduciaries, and tax-exempt organizations. Collectively, our attorneys have more than eight decades of practical experience counseling individuals and families on the design of advantageous transitions of family businesses and wealth. Our team’s objective is to maximize the impact of charitable giving in the most tax-efficient manner possible, as well as to navigate clients through the highly regulated obligations of family foundations and other tax-exempt organizations.

Gunster’s probate, trust and fiduciary litigation attorneys seek to be leaders in their field. Gunster attorneys represent beneficiaries and fiduciaries on a wide range of matters touching all aspects of estate, trust and fiduciary litigation, and complex and disputed administration. Our commitment to true depth of practice make Gunster’s team uniquely qualified to formulate creative solutions both in and out of the courtroom and pertaining to a variety of disputes, such as:

Breach of fiduciary claims, defense and prosecution
Fiduciary risk management
Accounting litigation
Fiduciary surcharge and removal litigation
Will and trust contests
Litigation involving the Principal and Income and Prudent Investor Acts
Spousal rights litigation, including elective share and homestead
Fiduciary and beneficiary representation
Guardianship litigation and incapacity proceedings
Trust modification, reformation and termination
Will and trust construction proceedings

Throughout Gunster’s long history, the firm has shared the philanthropic passion of our clients. Gunster’s team is focused on making sure that all facets of a tax-exempt organization’s legal needs are met, including matters relating to tax compliance, tax audits, litigation, real estate, planned giving and employment law. Our attorneys also advise tax-exempt clients on the design of best practices with respect to internal policies and corporate governance, and all aspects of their operations. Gunster has served prominent public charities, private family foundations, private schools and cultural institutions, research organizations, trade and professional associations, religious organizations, social clubs and advocacy groups.

A single point of service can often be considered the best way to address intricate or complex challenges. Gunster’s Private Wealth Services team is dedicated to ensuring that clients receive the customized, personal service of a boutique practice, coupled with the comprehensive knowledge base of a full-service law firm. Our goal of delivering a multidisciplinary approach is enhanced by our dedication to personalized client service.