The Alec Baldwin Saga: A Case Study

Can Asset Protection Save His Fortune from Manslaughter Charges? By: Stephen Speiser, Esq. February 1, 2024 The once bright future of Alec Baldwin is now in serious peril.  On Friday, January 19, 2024, a New Mexico grand jury indicted the Emmy-award winning actor and director on involuntary manslaughter charges stemming from the October 2021 fatal shooting on the film set …

Asset Protection: Foundations versus Trusts

From time to time, we are asked about using foundations as a substitute for asset protection trusts. In our judgment, there is no substitute for a competent, well crafted trust. This does not mean, however, that foundations should not be used in asset protection planning. For clients with charitable goals and objectives, foundations provide an excellent vehicle to satisfy those …

Is All Asset Protection Planning Bad Under the UVTA?

A state’s enactment of a DAPT law should be regarded as the state legislature’s expression per se “actual intent” under the UVTA not be imputed in any form of asset protection planning.  While this is an incredibly broad inference, it reflects the reality that DAPTs do not exist in a vacuum.

When Is An “Offshore” Asset Protection Plan Not Really Offshore?

There are three basic elements of a true “offshore” asset protection plan: (i) the legal structure (trust or business entity) must be formed outside the U.S. in a safe jurisdiction; (ii) the assets have been successfully migrated to the offshore legal structure; and (iii) legal control of the structure must be vested in persons or trustees who are not subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

Asset Protection Entities

We use a variety of special purpose entities (“SPE”) as firewalls to shield your asset from creditors.  In this section we will explore the most effective SPEs for asset protection planning.  Two of the most effective SPEs for asset protection are: the Domestic Asset Protection Limited Liability Company (DAPLLC) and, the Domestic Asset Protection Limited Partnership (DAPLP). We will consider each one …