Welcome to AssetLaw^®, the home page for STEPHENS & KRAY that is accessible from most any search engine by searching "AssetLaw^", and that will link to Articles that offer essential reading and information for those interested in:
 

• Protecting, Preserving and Accumulating Wealth
• Protecting Intellectual Property and Trade Secrets
• Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts & Life Insurance
• Organizing Business Operations to Effect Creditor and Asset Protection 
• Organizing, Acquiring or Operating a Business or Real Property
• Reducing Taxes in a Purchase or Sale of Assets or a Business
• Selecting Legal Counsel

NEW - See New Article, "Estate of Strangi v. Commissioner" - an in-depth analysis of a 2003 Tax Court decision that has upset family limited partnership tax planning designed around established gift rules that permit valuation discounts for minority and control. 

See Special Article, "Protecting Intellectual Property" - essential reading for developers and owners of intellectual property. 

SEE NEWSLETTER FOR SPECIAL UPDATE - Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001.
 

STEPHENS & KRAY, a California law firm whose attorneys have each received the highest ratings (AV) by the national legal rating publisher Martindale-Hubbell.  The firm is composed of tax attorneys, with in-depth legal, tax and business knowledge and experience in handling all aspects related to tangible and intangible ASSETS (all types of property). This area of expertise has been aptly named AssetLaw^®.  The Firm typically represents - medium to high wealth individuals, families and trusts, and most forms of businesses, from large to small, aspiring to create wealth and/or to preserve existing wealth, through PREVENTATIVE LAW techniques, in the areas of: 
 

  taxation (income, estate and gift taxes) and tax free or deferred exchanges 
  buying and selling of businesses and real property, intellectual property and licensing
  selection and formation of entities to hold and operating businesses and real property
  protecting and maximizing the value of assets and properties

With backgrounds in public accounting, as tax attorneys STEPHENS & KRAY  has unique expertise in the areas of U.S. (domestic) based  ESTATE PLANNING (including tax audit experience in defending sophisticated family partnerships, limited liability companies, trusts, and valuation discounts), ENTITY SELECTION, FORMATION and UTILIZATION (including mergers, acquisitions and operation of businesses, real properties, other assets and contracts drafting) and ASSET PROTECTION & PRESERVATION (that seamlessly integrates with Estate Planning and Business Operations).

STEPHENS & KRAY's attorneys have extensive experience in the areas of: 
 

• Public Accounting, Preventative Law, Taxation, Wills, Estates and Trust (including the Massachusetts or Business Trusts, Family or Living Trusts, Spendthrift Trusts, Qualified Trusts, Grantor Retained Interest and Annuity Trusts or GRITs and GRATs, Qualified Personal Residence Trusts or QPRTs and Special Needs Trusts); 

 

• Intellectual Property and License Agreements (including Royalty, Technology, Confidentiality, Trade Secret and Software related agreements); 

 
• Entity Formation (Corporation, both S and C, Limited Liability Company, Partnership, Private Placement, Syndication, Securities, and Franchise Matters); 

 
• General Corporate Counsel and Contracts, Compensation (Qualified, Nonqualified, Deferred and Insurance) arrangements, Real Estate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Bulk Transfer and Asset Buy Sell agreements, for the purchase and sale of business establishments and entities. 

STEPHENS & KRAY generally represent owners of closely held businesses, large and small, and themselves have personal experience as owners of similarly sized businesses. In addition, STEPHENS & KRAY has experience in many related areas of law, and is part of a network of other law firms and associated counsel and other professionals, that coordinate and expand the firm's specific expertise and legal counsel, so client objectives are seamlessly achieved. These related areas include Bankruptcy, Foreign Tax Havens,Offshore Trusts, Patent, Trademark and Copyright, SEC Public Offerings, and General Litigation. 

STEPHENS & KRAY's own formulae and techniques use powerful but very traditional and domestic based planning tools and techniques to coordinate and integrate ASSET PROTECTION & PRESERVATION techniques into all aspects of business, including:
 

• well-recognized and typical business agreements and relationships (such as sales, options, licenses, services, royalty, syndication, fund raising, employee incentives, retirement plans, stock subscription agreements, franchisor-franchisee etc.), 

• well-recognized forms of business organizations and operations (such as corporations, trusts, limited liability companies, partnerships, retirement plans), in conjunction with 

• a properly tailored and designed estate plan that can include family trusts, family partnerships and transfers of wealth. 

STEPHENS & KRAY distinguishes itself from most other law firms because of their entrepreneurial prospective when understanding their client's needs and because STEPHENS & KRAY understands the need to quantify and minimize RISK for their clients, thereby enabling their clients to make critical business and financial decisions, that include the cost and benefit of the legal services, with full knowledge of the consequences and alternatives. 

STEPHENS & KRAY has a client oriented law practice, which means our focus is to fully understand the client's objectives and respond with "This is HOW it can be done."

 

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AssetLaw^®- Articles:

Please Select a Topic or AssetLaw^® Article of Interest to You: 

NEW Estate of Strangi v. Commissioner: Mr. Kray offers his summary of attorney comments and lectures from the October 2003 annual Southern California Tax & Estate Planning Forum that attracted the nations foremost estate planning attorneys to San Diego, CA.  The debate over how tax planners must address the much criticized Tax Court decision in the Estate of Strangi offered thought provoking analyses by attorneys Jonathan G. Blattmachr, John W. Porter, Jeffrey N. Pennell and others, with solid ideas, but no clear direction, as even these prominent attorneys disagreed with each other.

Protecting Intellectual Property:  This article discusses the risks posed to developers and owners of intellectual property when they share their trade secrets with others, including employees and third parties.

Asset Protection & Preservation - Domestic & Foreign:  This article explains why asset protection is an essential element of doing business. It describes some of the more important and typical asset protection tools and techniques and how they integrate with both estate planning and operating a business. 

Estate Planning, Wills & Trusts:   This article offers a brief discussion on the most basic elements that are part of a formal estate plan. 

Limited Liability Companies, Corporations, Partnerships, Business Trusts, Retirement Plans, and Domestic and Foreign Spendthrift Trusts:  This article describes the types of entities that are available under the law to operate a businesses, own assets and/or effect transfers of wealth.

Mergers & Acquisitions: General Tax Concerns When Structuring the Sale of a Business:  This article addresses some of the tax concerns and suggests possible structures and important deal points to consider in negotiations for the stock or asset sale of an incorporated business. 

Newsletter and New Topics of Interest:   This Link will take you to a menu of new topics and articles that discuss techniques to avoid taxes, achieve wealth accumulation and asset appreciation, and protect and preserve wealth and assets. 

Law Firm Resume & References