Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog

Call For Papers: Trusts & Estates Collaborative Research Network (CRN) of Law and Society Association

Trusts & Estates Collaborative Research Network
Law and Society Association Annual Meeting
Chicago, Illinois May 22-25, 2025

Call for Participation – Deadline September 29, 2024 

The Trusts & Estates Collaborative Research Network invites proposals for (i) individual papers to be organized into panels; (ii) fully-formed panel proposals; and (iii) proposals for other sessions such as Author Meets Reader, Salon, or Roundtable discussions that explore any aspect of the law, practice or effects of trusts, equity, and estates, broadly defined. We also seek volunteers to serve as Chairs and/or Discussants for paper panels. Successful proposals likely will bear in some way on succession (also referred to as inheritance) and/or wealth transfers (whether at death or during lifetime, outright or in trust). Subjects of inquiry may involve any aspect of government or social policy with respect to trusts, estates, inheritance, wealth transfer, equity or courts with jurisdiction over these issues. Our goal is to stimulate focused discussion of papers on which scholars are currently working and to discuss topics of current and common interest to those working in the field of Trusts & Estates, broadly defined, both in the United States and internationally.  We welcome participation from scholars of any level of seniority working in any discipline, language, or country. 

If you would like to present an individual paper as part of a Trusts and Estates CRN panel, submit an idea for a fully-formed panel, or propose an Author Meets Reader, Salon or Roundtable session, please  submit a 500-word abstract/description by Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. EST by emailing Carla Spivack ([email protected]) and Allison Tait ([email protected]).

When emailing us a submission, please provide:

• A 500 word abstract or summary of your paper/formed panel proposal/alternate session proposal;
• The title of your individual paper/formed panel/alternate session
• Your name and institutional affiliation; and
• A list of your areas of interest and expertise within Trusts & Estates/Equity Law.
• Whether you are willing to serve as a discussant or chair for another CRN panel

Please note that for Author Meets Reader, Salon, or Roundtable sessions, organizers should provide a 500-word summary of the topic, the names of the proposed participants, and the contributions they expect the proposed participants to make.

Please note also that LSA rules limit you to participating only once, either as a paper panelist or as a roundtable participant. We will give preference to proposed Trusts and Estates CRN panelists/participants who agree also to serve as a discussant or discussant/chair for another Trusts and Estates CRN panel (those appearances do not “count” for purposes of the 1-appearance rule). Please indicate your willingness to do in your email. Chairs organize the logistics of the panel, as well as moderate at the conference. Chairs will develop a 100-250 word description of the panel for inclusion in the Law and Society program. Discussants will read at least one assigned paper and prepare a short commentary to offer feedback and serve as a basis for discussion among the panelist and audience members.

Those selected by the Trusts and Estates CRN for participation in a panel or program will be informed no later than October 5, 2024.  Each participant will then need to register through the Law and Society system no later than October 15, 2024 using the panel number we assign. 

If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact Carla Spivack or Allison Tait.

2025 LSA Trusts & Estates CRN Planning Co-Chairs
Carla Spivack, [email protected]
Allison Anna Tait, [email protected]

New York County Lawyers Association CLE: An Introduction to the New Retirement Distribution Rules

New York County Lawyers Association is hosting a CLE Webinar on August 28, 2024. This course will be worth 2.5 NY Credits, 2.5 Skills, transitional and non-transitional; 2.5 NJ Credits: 2.5 General; 2 CPE Credits for CPAs (NY only).

This course will highlight the changes that accompany the July 18, 2024, IRS Final Regulations and 36 Proposed Regulations that apply to distributions from Retirement Accounts as of 2025 thereafter. Many new rules accompany these regulations, and as a practitioner, you must become aware of them as not knowing the rules may result in substantial IRS sanctions.

Seymour Goldberg of Goldberg & Goldberg, P.C. will be the faculty for the CLE.

For more information and to sign up for this webinar, see “An Introduction to the New Retirement Distribution Rules”, New York County Lawyers Association.

Drexel Law Review Symposium: Inheritance and Inequality

Below is a description of the Inheritance and Inequality symposium hosted by the Drexel Law Review:

Wealth inequality, and all the other forms of inequality that flow from it – social, political, health, educational – has troubled academics, policy makers, economists, and others for some years now. Wealth, and its lack, is tied directly to inheritance, that is, the practices, laws, and culture that facilitate, or inhibit, the transmission of wealth in all its forms from one generation to the next. Speakers at this conference will address the many ways that inequality is embedded in inheritance law and practice around the world; they will also discuss ways to make these laws and practices work for all, including for demographics who have traditionally been cut off from successful wealth transmission. Speakers will address, among other topics, the role of such different technologies and strategies as AI and trusts play in exacerbating or reducing inheritance inequality; the fits and misfits of today’s families and inheritance law; cultural, philosophical, and tax connections; and other intersections between inheritance and inequality. Keynote speaker Chris Rabb will discuss the many intersections of race, wealth, and social enterprise, including in his own life. The conference will conclude with commentary by the authors of “A Critical Research Agenda for Wills, Trusts, and Estates,” which they presented a decade ago at the first conference exploring connections between inheritance law, on the one hand, and race, gender, sexual orientation, and class, on the other.

Follow this link for detailed information and how to register.

Scholarly work-in progress conference announcement

Are you writing a scholarly article or book chapter in the field of trusts & estates and would like feedback on it?

The Global Wealth Management Project at the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School is delighted to announce that it has received a grant from the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) Foundation to host a conference to provide feedback on academic scholarship in progress.

The conference, known as the Trust and Succession Law Workshop, will be held on Friday, November 1, and Saturday, November 2, at the Antonin Scalia Law School in Arlington, Virginia. The Workshop is in-person; there is not an option for Zoom.

The format of the Workshop is as follows. The draft papers will be circulated in advance. All participants are expected to read the papers in advance. Each paper will be allotted 45 minutes. The author of the paper will have approximately 5 minutes to introduce the paper. The remaining 40 minutes will be devoted to the participants providing feedback on the draft.

The expected outcome of the Workshop is that each scholarly paper will be published in due course. Each paper is expected to acknowledge the feedback provided at the Workshop and the funding for the Workshop provided by the ACTEC Foundation.

Participants should plan to arrive in the afternoon or evening of Thursday, October 31. The Workshop will run all day on Friday, November 1, followed by a conference dinner, and on Saturday, November 2, in the morning.

On Friday, lunch and the conference dinner will be provided for all participants. For participants who are selected to present a paper, the Workshop additionally will arrange hotel accommodation for Thursday and Friday nights and will pay a $500 stipend toward airfare, ground transportation, and other expenses.

If you would like to present a paper, please send an email with the paper title and a brief abstract to Tom Gallanis at [email protected] by Friday, July 26 We hope for a diverse range of presenters and paper topics. If you would like to participate in giving feedback on the papers but not present a paper, this also is welcomed, and please let Tom know by email so that he can have an accurate count for the Friday lunch and dinner.

The Antonin Scalia Law School is located in Arlington, Virginia, across the river from Washington D.C. The law school and the conference hotel (the Westin Arlington) are reachable easily by Metro. The Blue line has a stop at Reagan National airport, the Silver line has a stop at Dulles airport, and the Red line has a stop at Union Station (rail).

Announcement of Conference Symposium and Call for Proposals -- Inheritance Inequality

The following is posted as a courtesy to Deborah S. Gordon (Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Professor of Law, Drexel University, Thomas R. Kline School of Law):

Announcement of Conference Symposium and Call for Proposals

Inheritance Inequality

Fifth Biennial Conference on Critical Trusts & Estates and Symposium of the Drexel Law Review

Expressions of interest due May 1, 2024

Program September 27-28, 2024, Philadelphia, PA

We are pleased to announce a conference on “Inheritance Inequality” (the Fifth Biennial Conference on Critical Trusts and Estates). The conference will take place on Friday September 27 and Saturday September 28, 2024 at Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and will be sponsored by the Drexel Law Review. The keynote speaker will be Christopher M. Rabb, genealogist, family historian, educator, author, policy-shaper, speaking on the intersection of race, wealth, and social enterprise. 

We invite paper and/or full panel proposals on any topic related to the many intersections of wills, trusts and estates with gender, race, class, and other identity axes. We are especially interested in presentations and papers that explore connections between and among wills, trusts, estates, gender, race, and wealth inequality. Such topics might include, but are not limited to, connections between estate planning, wealth inequality, and climate change; non-traditional families; wills and trusts issues for the LGBTQ+ community, incarcerated people, and the undocumented; offshore assets and domestic inequality; and inheritance and citizenship.

We also invite interventions on any other aspect of the conference theme of inheritance inequality (for example, access to estate planning, default rules and definitions, property transfer rules and norms, the estate tax and luxury taxes, private responses to climate change, and integrating climate change into the Trusts and Estates curriculum). Interdisciplinary approaches, linking the law to themes in art, literature, history, and the social sciences, among others, are welcome. Participants can be academics, practitioners, government officials, policy researchers, economists, graduate students, or others with an interest and expertise in inheritance law. Contributors from the United States as well as other countries are welcome. 

Those interested in participating in the conference are asked to submit 300 word abstracts of paper proposals, or 1,000 word panel proposals, including brief descriptions of the papers on the panel, to Deborah Gordon ([email protected]), Carla Spivack ([email protected]), and Gracen Hashem ([email protected]) by Wednesday May 1, 2024. Proposals should indicate if there is interest in publishing, as publication opportunities will be available to selected presenters. Applicants will be notified before June 1, 2024. Selected participants will be expected to circulate draft papers no later than August 27, 2024.  Final papers will be due October 27, 2024.

For those presenting at the conference, the sponsor will cover lodging and selected meal costs. If a participant is unable to obtain reimbursement from their home institution for travel, such expenses may be covered should funds become available.

We eagerly anticipate hearing from prospective participants and are enthusiastic about facilitating engaging conversations at the upcoming conference.

Request for Proposals -- ACTEC Foundation 2025-2026 Academic Symposium

The Legal Education Committee of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) requests proposals for a $20,000 grant to host an academic symposium on trust and estate law during the 2025-2026 academic year.

The ACTEC Foundation Symposium is intended to be the premier academic symposium on trust and estate law in the United States. The goals of the symposium are to stimulate development of scholarly work in trust and estate law, bridge the gap between the academic community and practitioners, provide opportunities for junior academics to present papers and interact with more senior academics, provide an opportunity for trust and estate professors to interact with each other, involve academics from other disciplines in discussions of trust and estate topics, and strengthen ACTEC's image as the leading organization for trust and estate lawyers, both practitioners and academics.

RFPs are due by Thursday, August 1, 2024, and will be considered by the Symposium Subcommittee of the ACTEC Legal Education Committee during or around ACTEC's Fall Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, in September 2024.

Follow this link for full details: Download Legal Education Committee Symposium 2025-2026 RFP (03-21-2024 draft).

Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights conference 'Heirs' Property and the Racial Wealth Gap,'

Save the date for the Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights conference 'Heirs' Property and the Racial Wealth Gap,' with Drinan Professor Thomas W. Mitchell and other leading experts in the field on March 21-22, 2024.

Property in the form of homes and land represents the cornerstone of wealth for Black and brown communities. Too often, this ownership is unstable, second-class, so-called 'heirs property' ownership, which has exacerbated the racial wealth gap. This conference will discuss a wide range of heirs' property problems, including owners who lack clear title (tangled title), and will address proposed solutions, including the widely enacted Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act. Panelists include representatives from local, state, and federal government, nonprofits, academics and researchers. The conference will feature a screening of the award-winning film 'Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land' (Al Roker Entertainment), and a panel of acclaimed investigative journalists who have published award-winning media pieces addressing heirs' property ownership. It will also include a panel for graduate students who are conducting heirs' property research. 

Full schedule and registration coming soon!

Special thanks to Joel C. Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.

American Tax Policy Institute Research Roundtable and Symposium Call for Contributions

It’s a Man’s World: Revealing and Addressing Hidden Gender Bias in Tax Law and Policy

Expressions of interest due March 31, 2024
Program October 17-18, 2024, Washington DC

The American Tax Policy Institute is pleased to issue this Announcement and Call for Contributions to an event on October 17 and 18, 2024, in Washington, DC, that will explore the intersections between and among gender, taxation, and public policy. Conference co-sponsors include Skadden Arps Meagher & Flom LLP, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at New York University School of Law, the Tax Law Center at New York University School of Law, the Pittsburgh Tax Review, the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review, and several other organizations (list in formation). The goal of the event is to shine a spotlight on gender issues in taxation and to bring consideration of gender impacts into mainstream discussions surrounding the enactment and administration of tax law and policy. The intended scope of the Conference is broad, focusing not only on gender issues in U.S. tax law but also on gender issues in the tax laws of other countries. It will consider all taxes, including income, consumption, transfer, wealth-related, or other national-level taxes, as well as subnational taxes.

The Conference will take place from 4:00-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 17, 2024, and 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 18, 2024, at the Washington, D.C. offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. The Thursday program will be a roundtable featuring research papers principally from graduate students, junior scholars, other professionals, and those new to work at the intersections of gender, taxation, and policy. This research roundtable will follow the format typical of academic conferences, providing ample time for conversation among participants.

The second day of the Conference will be a policy-oriented program of panel discussions bringing together academics, practicing attorneys, economists, accountants, policymakers, legislators, and others to consider issues related to gender and taxation and to consider strategies for incorporating gender-related concerns into tax policy.

We are now seeking participants interested in presenting a paper during the research roundtable and/or the policy program or serving as a formal discussant for one or more papers presented at the Conference. Participants can be academics, economists, practitioners, government officials, policy researchers, accountants, graduate students, or others with an interest and expertise in tax law and its administration. Contributors from the United States as well as other countries are welcome.

There likely will be more availability to present at the research roundtable. Presentations at the research roundtable should be works in progress, not published (or committed to publication) prior to the event. Contributions to the policy program may be works in progress or published (or committed to publication) prior to the event. Examples of possible topics include marriage, the family, paid and unpaid labor, international aid, comparative tax studies, and the impact of tax administration on gender equality. This listing provides directional guidance only; in no way does it limit the potential issues for consideration.

Those interested in presenting at either the research roundtable or on a panel during the second day of the Conference should send an abstract of no more than 500 words describing their proposed presentation, an indication of whether the proposal is for the research roundtable or the policy program, and a copy of their CV to Judy Jaeger, Senior Staff Associate ([email protected]). If the proposed panel presentation is based on a published or soon-to-be-published work, please also attach a copy or draft of the work.

Expressions of interest are due by March 31, 2024. The Conference Committee expects to notify accepted participants by May 15, 2024. Accepted participants will submit circulation drafts of their work no later than September 17, 2024. Selected participants may receive an invitation to publish their completed papers in one of several respected journals that have expressed an interest in publishing the conference papers (information to be provided) or choose to publish elsewhere.
For those selected to present their work, the program sponsors will cover lodging and selected meals. Reimbursement for travel may be possible, to the extent funds become available. There is no fee for speakers to attend the conference; other attendees will make a $10-$20 contribution to help defray costs. The conference will be webcast and is open to members of the public.

We look forward to hearing from many interested potential contributors.

For further information, please contact Bridget J. Crawford (Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and American Tax Policy Institute) or Katherine Pratt (LMU Loyola Law School and American Tax Policy Institute)

The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Trust Laws: The Conference

On April 5th to 7th, 2024 in Vancouver, Canada at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, this

"Conference will bring together most of the world's leading trust law academics to discuss key topics in the current law of trusts. It is one stage in the process of producing the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Comparative Trust Laws, edited by Richard Nolan (York Law School, UK), Lusina Ho (Hong Kong University), Mark Bennett (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) and Adam Hofri-Winogradow (Allard Law, UBC), and under contract with Oxford University Press. Each presentation will focus on a doctrinal, practical or theoretical topic, as dealt with under the laws of more than 30 countries around the world.

By attending the Conference, you're investing in a unique opportunity to broaden your legal horizons, gain insights that span the globe, and connect with trailblazers in the field. Whether you're seeking to enhance your professional acumen, deepen your academic understanding, or stay ahead in a dynamic legal landscape, this conference promises to deliver transformative insights. The conference is sponsored by STEP Canada. Everyone is welcome!

Follow this link to register.

CLE: QTIP Trusts Holding Interests in LLCs and Partnerships (Danger Zone)

Seymore Goldberg provided information for an upcoming CLE: QTIP Trusts Holding Interests in LLCs and Partnerships (Danger Zone) on Thursday, November 16th. Please find more information below:

Many taxpayers may own partial interests in LLCs or partnerships.  Should such interests be the subject of a bequest to a QTIP trust? The instructor recently made a Revenue Ruling request to the IRS regarding this significant QTIP trust tax issue.  This request covered in part the following:

• • Systemic significant fiduciary income tax compliance issues for trustee may be triggered by such transactions under the trust accounting rules in New York State and eight other jurisdictions.  Who would want to be a trustee?
  • IRS rules for trust fiduciary income tax returns (Form 1041), QTIP marital deductions and the jurisdiction’s trust accounting rules. 
  • What if the jurisdiction’s [over 35] trust accounting rules go one way and the IRS rules go the other way?  QTIP/conflict of laws issue.
  • QTIP marital deduction at risk or not in over 35 jurisdictions.

Additional key topics include:

• • Waiver of IRS penalty rules under Secure 
  • Excise tax rules that apply for first distribution calendar year
  • Major IRS statute of limitation changes under Secure 2.0 Act of 2022
  • Major IRS penalty changes under Secure 2.0 Act of 2022
  • Estate planning and professional liability court case (privity issue)
  • Professional liability court case (privity issue)
  • IRA beneficiary malpractice court case
  • Actual and potential malpractice issues regarding retirement distribution advice.  Giving wrong advice or failure to give timely advice (includes systemic issues) in privity and non privity jurisdictions.
  • Systemic major non-compliance issues involving IRA trusts and Roth IRAs that you must be made aware of. Consequences of non-compliance can be severe for many.