Law Office of
Karen J. Shvarts, LLC

KAREN J. SHVARTS is an Attorney at Law admitted to practice in both New York and New Jersey. She has nearly three decades of experience practicing in the area of trusts and estates. Karen counsels clients regarding the preparation of all essential estate planning documents, encompassing a wholistic approach to the process. Through a detailed review of your personal family and asset structure, Karen will help ensure your estate planning needs are met. Legal documents such as Powers of Attorney, Health Care Directives, your Last Will and Testament and various trusts structures are an integral part of the estate planning process. Additionally, Karen reviews asset titling and provides guidance with respect to the legal titling of assets and the coordination of the designation of beneficiaries where applicable for both retirement and non-retirement beneficiary-driven assets. Karen advises clients regarding the preparation of pre-mortem gift and estate tax planning, which includes the use of wills, trusts and gifting to minimize estate and inheritance tax consequences. Karen specializes in the administration of complex trusts and estates.  She has served as counsel to corporate and individual fiduciaries.  Her expertise enables her to effectuate the prompt distributions of assets and minimize the taxes attributable to decedent’s estates through the use of creative post-mortem elections and valuation techniques.  In addition, Karen assists executors, trustees and beneficiaries in resolving difficult disputes that arise during administration, including tax issues upon audit by the State of New Jersey Inheritance Tax Branch. 

 

She has lectured on numerous occasions to accountants and attorneys regarding the preparation of the Federal Estate Tax Returns, State Inheritance Tax Returns and Federal Gift Tax Returns. Karen also lectures to the general public regarding the basics of estate planning.