Family Office Services

The KMK Law Family Office Services Team provides legal and advisory services to high-net-worth families. Our lawyers are trusted advisers throughout the life cycle of a family office, addressing unique challenges presented in generational wealth preservation. We prioritize building long-term relationships, offering personalized attention and strategic advice tailored to each family’s specific goals. Our holistic approach ensures the long-term protection, growth, and smooth transfer of family wealth across generations for our clients. Our attorneys bring both legal acumen and business experience to provide transcendent legal services to family offices.

Some questions to ask:

• Do I need a family office?
• What are we looking to accomplish with a family office?
• How much will it cost?
• Are my family’s non-business assets properly protected?
• Are we taking the best tax positions?
• How do we select asset managers to meet our family needs?
• Who is watching the asset managers?
• What are the benefits and risks of off-shoring?
• Have we planned properly for the next generation?
• How does family philanthropy fit into our plans?

You probably have other questions. We can help you find the answers.

Experience

We help families create operationally efficient and effective family office structures that are as advantageous from a tax standpoint as is legally permissible. We’ve helped our clients create family offices that follow both full and modified "Lender's" models, and others that utilize outsourced advisory and asset and investment management services. We know that the art is in how the structure achieves a balance between tax efficiency and overall family needs.

The KMK team routinely collaborates with leading national and international financial and accounting advisors in helping our family office clients. We work with families at every stage of the process, from strategizing about structure, to manager and advisor selection, to plan implementation, to routine plan oversight and maintenance. The size and depth of KMK ensures that we can assist in all areas of law that are most likely to be encountered in managing a family office- allowing our clients to benefit from the full breadth of our legal experience across practice areas.

Wealth Planning & Preservation

• Estate Planning: Crafting wills, trusts, and other legal structures to ensure that wealth is preserved across generations, minimizing taxes, and addressing and avoiding potential family disputes.
• Succession Planning: Developing strategies to ensure smooth transitions in leadership or ownership of family businesses or assets.
• Alternative Asset Investment: Assessing and consummating alternative asset opportunities. We work with families on alternative financing solutions for both investments and capitalization. 

Office Structuring

• Tax Planning: Creating efficient tax strategies that align with the client's financial goals, including the use of trusts, foundations, and other vehicles. Ensuring all legal entities and family members comply with local and international tax laws.
• Tax Compliance: Our attorneys will help make sure the family’s tax filing requirements are met, and are adequate given the family's tax risk tolerance.

Corporate & Business Advisory

• Corporate Governance: Assisting in establishing governance frameworks for family-owned businesses, including board structures, shareholder agreements, and corporate policies.

Investment Management

• Advisory Services: Providing legal advice on investment strategies, including the structuring of investment vehicles and the legal implications of various asset classes.
• Due Diligence: Conducting thorough legal reviews of potential investments, including private equity, real estate (including 1031 exchanges, TIC and DST structured assets), and alternative assets.
• Mergers and Acquisitions: Legal support for buying, selling, or merging businesses, including negotiation, drafting agreements, and managing regulatory approvals. We also bring years of advising clients on business decisions.
• SEC Compliance: Family offices are required to make sure they comply with various securities and investment advisory regulations. Our attorneys can help make sure your family office stays compliant.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Cybersecurity Advisory: Ensuring that the family's digital assets and personal information are protected from cyber threats.
• Asset Protection: Implementing strategies to protect assets from potential creditors, lawsuits, or other risks.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring the family office complies with all legal and regulatory requirements.

Charitable Giving

• Advisory on Donations: Structuring large charitable donations to ensure they align with the family's values, tax and financial goals.
• Philanthropy as a Part of Family Mission: We are keenly aware of the role philanthropy plays in family values and family planning. We have extensive experience in assisting in developing and executing a family strategy on philanthropy.

Personal Legal Services

• Family Law: Offering advice on prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, divorce settlements, child custody, and other personal matters that may impact the family's wealth.
• Personal Assets: Luxury real estate, yachts, aircraft, and collectibles utilizing KMK attorneys experienced in these asset transactions.
• Mediation, Arbitration, Litigation: Providing services to resolve disputes within the family or between the family and third parties without resorting to litigation. Representing the family in court, if necessary, on matters related to their wealth, business interests, or personal affairs.