In her work with the MSBA, Sarah successfully advocated for the passage of the Maryland Trust Decanting Act, a law that provides options for the modification of trusts. She met with stakeholders, drafted amendments, and testified before members of the Maryland House of Delegates and Senate.
With her CPA background, she reviews a client's entire financial picture to tailor appropriate tax strategies to the particular client. Her practice includes the administration of foreign trusts and planning for individuals with foreign connections.
She designs and implements wealth transfer strategies, such as spousal lifetime access trusts (SLATs), grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs), irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), sales to grantor trusts, partnership freezes, and private annuities. She particularly enjoys working with families at multiple generation levels and leading family meetings to facilitate frictionless wealth succession.
Sarah helps clients leave charitable legacies, for example, through the use of a charitable remainder trust (CRT), charitable lead trust (CLT), conservation easements, or the creation and maintenance of a private foundation. She helps clients reach charitable goals by drafting comprehensive gift agreements with recipient charities.
With her trust practice, Sarah advises trustees on how to comply with the terms of the trust document and applicable law. She has significant experience with trust modification, such as through decanting or non-judicial settlement. She is particularly familiar with Maryland’s Trust Decanting Act, based on her participation in its drafting and enactment. She also advises trust beneficiaries on their rights with respect to a trust.