Private Client Services – Trust & Estate Administration – Counsel

The role

This senior-level attorney will lead trust administration, probate, and estate settlement matters. The role involves counseling individual and corporate fiduciaries, beneficiaries, high-net-worth families, and closely held business owners.

What you will do

• Manage a full docket of trust administration, probate, and estate settlement matters.
• Guide personal representatives and trustees through all phases of administration.
• Handle supervised and unsupervised estate administrations and trust-related court proceedings.
• Interpret wills, trust instruments, and related governing documents.
• Counsel fiduciaries on duties, beneficiary communications, and risk management.
• Coordinate post-mortem tax planning and compliance.
• Identify and resolve administration issues like trust modification and disputes.
• Oversee the administration of closely held business interests and complex assets.

Required qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and strong academic credentials
• Substantial, senior-level experience (generally 10 or more years) in trust and estate administration, probate, and estate settlement
• Ability to independently manage a high-volume, complex administration and settlement docket
• Deep working knowledge of probate procedure, trust law, fiduciary duties, and post-death administration
• Strong command of estate, gift, generation-skipping transfer, and fiduciary income tax principles
• Experience advising individual and corporate fiduciaries, beneficiaries, and high-net-worth families
• Excellent judgment, communication, and client-service skills
• Admission to the Indiana bar, or eligibility to obtain admission promptly after hire

Nice to have

• Experience with Indiana probate and trust practice
• Estate planning drafting experience
• Exposure to fiduciary litigation, tax audits, or tax controversy matters

About the company

Barnes & Thornburg LLP is an AmLaw 100 firm with 26 offices. The firm and its Private Client Services Group have an exceptional reputation for an inclusive, collegial, and supportive atmosphere.