Kathryn von Matthiessen
Kathryn von Matthiessen
Partner | Katten
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Estates: Planning
Trusts: Planning
Tax Advisory
Office Location
United States
Short Biography
Kathryn von Matthiessen is a partner in Katten’s Private Wealth practice and a member of the Private Client Services group. She focuses primarily on sophisticated personal and estate planning for high net-worth individuals and the administration of complex estates and trusts, including the representation of trust companies on fiduciary matters. Kathryn handles intricate estate planning for both domestic and international families, utilizing a wide variety of techniques (both charitable and non-charitable in nature) to minimize taxes and achieve her clients' goals. Kathryn's experience in international private client work is extensive, with respect to both inbound and outbound planning. She has been named one of Latin America’s top 100 female lawyers by Latinvex, by Legal Week to its Private Client Global Elite Lawyer list, by Citywealth to its Leaders List and as one of the Powerwomen of the Year- North America Silver Award.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
What was your first job?
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
K. Eli Akhavan
K. Eli Akhavan
Partner | Grant Herrmann Schwartz & Klinger
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Estates: Planning
Trusts: Planning
Tax Advisory
Office Location
United States
Short Biography
Eli Akhavan is a Partner at GHSK LLP and focuses his practice on tax and estate planning for high net-worth US and non-US clients. He advises domestic and international individuals and families with respect to tax and estate planning for their US assets and beneficiaries and incorporates dynasty trust planning for his clients. Eli also advises cross-border clients on all aspects of international estate matters, including foreign trusts, pre-immigration and expatriation planning, and on structuring investments in US real estate and US financial assets. Eli's practice also includes advising clients on the formation of private trust companies for purposes of wealth management and privacy. Additionally, Eli practices in the area of cross-border asset protection planning.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
Reserve Cut in NYC
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Seek the highest standards
What was your first job?
Currency trading
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
Executive Toughness by Dr. Jason Selk
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
Increasing focus on income tax planning in the context of global mobility
Julia Bell
Julia Bell
Principal Partner | Parapluie Art Advisory
JURISDICTION
England and Wales, United States
TOP SPECIALISMS
Alternative Investments
Asset Management
Art and Cultural Property
Office Location
United Kingdom
Short Biography
Founder and Principal Partner of Parapluie Art Advisor (est 2017), Julia advises clients on the buying and selling of art encouraging them to both support established and emerging artists. In 2022 and 2023 she was nominated as a Spear’s Top Recommended Art Advisor and she is listed in Tatler's Address book. Skilled in Art Market knowledge, Private Sales, Corporate Collecting, Collections Management, Appraisal, Consultancy on Artist Trust and Foundation development. Julia lectures on the MA in Art Business at Kingston University specialising in appraisal and valuation; art and law and the art market. An USPAP Internationally qualified Appraiser and an Accredited member of the International Society of Appraisers, Julia holds Diplomas in Art Profession Law and Ethics & Law and Collection Management from the Institute of Art and Law and a Masters Degree in Museum and Gallery Management and a BA(Hons) and Three Dimensional Design studies.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
45 Jermyn Street, London
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Protect your clients' money like its your own and always have their best interests at heart.
What was your first job?
Curator at Middlesbrough Art Gallery
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
A greater demand by clients for their art advisors to be independent and client focused, with transparent transaction processes.
Joshua Rubenstein
Joshua Rubenstein
Partner and National Chair of Katten’s Private Wealth practice | Katten
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Estates: Planning
Trusts & Trusteeship
Trusts: Planning
Office Location
United States
Short Biography
Joshua S. Rubenstein is national chair of the firm’s Private Wealth practice. He is also President Elect of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, the immediate past chair of the International Estate Planning Committee of the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel, and an officer of the Family Law Section of the International Bar Association. Josh advises closely-held businesses, family offices and private individuals, including high net worth individuals, senior executives, professionals, entrepreneurs, artists and others with unique intellectual property interests. He handles a wide variety of private matters for these clients on a local, national and international level, including personal and estate planning, the administration of estates and trusts, and contested Surrogate’s Court and tax proceedings. He has counseled clients in trust and estates matters for more than 35 years, building relationships with those who value and rely upon his advice.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
Five Fields in London
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, they are a great way to learn
What was your first job?
Working on a construction crew
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
Now, it is Astrotopia, by my daughter Mary-Jane Rubenstein
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
I expect to see constant change and constant controversy
Jon Grouf
Jon Grouf
Partner | Duane Morris
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Estates: Planning
Trusts: Planning
Tax Advisory
Office Location
United States
Short Biography
Jon Grouf's practice areas also include domestic and cross-border estate and trust planning and administration; income and transfer tax structuring for inbound and outbound investments; family succession; compliance, including voluntary disclosures; and pre-immigration and expatriation planning. Such work includes the representation of clients before federal and state tax authorities to resolve domestic and international tax controversies. Mr. Grouf's work has a strong international element, with a focus on U.S. and foreign corporate, tax, trust and commercial law. His clients consist principally of high-net-worth individuals (domestic and non-U.S.) and financial institutions. He is a frequent lecturer and author of articles on these subjects. Admitted to practice in New York and Florida, Mr. Grouf is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a graduate of New York University School of Law (LL.M., Taxation) and Yale University (B.A., cum laude).
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
Il Gattorpardo in New YOrk City
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Never accept "The answer is no".
What was your first job?
Parking cars
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
The Jungle by Upton SInclair
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
Everything and nothing
John Teitler
John Teitler
Partner | Teitler & Teitler
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Family and Matrimonial
Trusts: Contentious
Trusts: Planning
Office Location
New York, United States
Short Biography
John represents wealthy individuals, trusts, and institutions in matrimonial, estate, and family-related litigation, and trust and estate planning. He has extensive experience and familiarity with complex business valuation issues involving art, hedge funds, private equity and investment firms, professional practices, and other financial interests. John has advised clients in various family law and estate matters in New York and elsewhere in the United States, as well as matters in many non-U.S. jurisdictions, including England, Scotland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, Israel, Hong Kong, China, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia, the Cayman Islands, and other jurisdictions. John also provides non-litigation advice to individuals and families on a broad array of issues, including estate matters, pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements, art law, and asset purchases and sales both domestically and abroad. John is the third generation of his family to act as a partner of the firm.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
Aretsky's Patroon
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Listen, don't talk.
What was your first job?
Litigation Department, Shearman & Sterling
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
Thinking Fast and Slow
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
John Crabtree
John Crabtree
Managing Partner | Crabtree, Auslander & Tackenberg.
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Commercial Litigation
Family and Matrimonial
Trusts: Contentious
Office Location
United States
Short Biography
John Crabtree is the managing partner of Crabtree Auslander & Tackenberg—a Miami-based appellate law firm with a national practice. The firm focuses on representing private clients and their companies in complex civil appeals, including family-law, trusts, estates, and commercial-litigation disputes. John has handled hundreds of appeals before state and federal appellate courts—including oral argument before the Supreme Court of the United States. He is a member of the prestigious American Law Institute and board certified in appellate practice. By election of his peers, he chaired the 1400-member Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar. He is the continuing author of both "Civil Appeals" and “The Record on Appeal – Civil Appeals,” two chapters in the treatise Florida Appellate Practice. He has lectured and written on a range of other appellate and class action topics and serves as a consultant and expert witness in the area of appellate practice.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
Kokkari Estiatorio in San Francisco
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
The present is a mere point on a pendulum.
What was your first job?
Bellhop at a mountain resort
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
Big Two-Hearted River by Hemingway (from his In Our Time collection of short stories)
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
As the post-Covid litigation pipeline matures, the number and variety of cases making their way to the appellate courts will continue to increase.
Jochen Vogler, CFP©
Jochen Vogler, CFP©
Partner | Bellecapital
JURISDICTION
United States, Switzerland
TOP SPECIALISMS
Asset Management
Private Banking
Office Location
Switzerland
Short Biography
Trusted advisor to wealthy (mainly US-connected) families with 24 years experience. Truly independent advice and carefully tailored securities portfolio construction with acute tax awareness.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Listen well, be patient and work hard.
What was your first job?
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
Digitalization of private client services, while the personal relationship and trust grows in importance.
Jérôme Barré
Jérôme Barré
Laywer | Cabinet Yards
JURISDICTION
France, United States
TOP SPECIALISMS
Family Governance and Business
Trusts: Planning
Tax Advisory
Office Location
France
Short Biography
Jérôme started his activity as attorney in a very famous office of frenche movies stars, sportmen and rich families. He was called after to become the tax manager of AXA Insurance Group, where he was very actif in the operation of restructuration of the Group. Then he was called to become the tax manager of Credit Mutuel Bank. Finally, he was called to become the tax and legal manager for Rothschild dans Co. After working at PWC, being partner at Arthur Andersen and at Franklin, he created Yards Law Firm. He teaches in different universities.He has a chair of Step France, is member of ISTEL and director of AFFO.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
Le Clarence, 31 avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 75008 Paris
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Be yourself, with enthusiasm
What was your first job?
When I was 8, I harvest the leaner of tobacco in the fields. After I became attorney at laws.
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
WaterMusic TC Boyle
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
I will replace usual task, advice will be the reasons of or job bared on experience, wisdom and itntelligence.
Jennifer Jordan McCall
Jennifer Jordan McCall
Partner | Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
JURISDICTION
United States
TOP SPECIALISMS
Estates: Planning
Trusts: Planning
Tax Advisory
Office Location
United States
Short Biography
Jennifer Jordan McCall, co-leader of both the Litigation – Trusts, Estates & HNW and the Private Client & Family Office teams at Pillsbury Law, is a leading legal authority on gift and estate planning. Jenny has successfully represented clients in dispute resolution and litigation matters involving family disputes and trusts and estates matters. She crafts tax-savings business succession and estate transfer plans that preserve wealth and enhance family relationships. Her clients include internationally renowned museums and corporations, charities, foundations, high net worth families and individuals, fiduciaries and nonprofits. Jenny’s experience includes complex trust and estate administration and litigation; gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes; spousal rights of election and rights of adopted children; endowments; and tax aspects related to disposition of corporate holdings and financial transactions. She’s based in the Silicon Valley, New York and Palm Beach offices and is admitted to practice law in CA, FL, WY and NY.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
Buccan, in Palm Beach FL
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
"Think!"
What was your first job?
Paralegal in a law firm
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
Biography of Laura Ingles Wilder
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
More high net worth litigation and trust administration, ever increasing values