Membership Meeting - Surprise! Re-Defining Family in the Wild West of DNA Test Kits and Assisted Reproductive Technology
About the Program:
This presentation will discuss how DNA test kits are bringing to light one-night stands, extra-marital affairs, egg and sperm donations, and fertility lab mix-ups, and how unexpected twists in the family tree are impacting estate planning. It will review the inheritance rights of newly-discovered genetic heirs and children born of assisted reproductive technology and changing fiduciary duties for executors and trustees, emphasize needed changes to new client questionnaires and the heightened risk of class gifts, and as well as how tried and true rules of document construction and trust modification can affect a plan gone awry by an unexpected twist in the family tree.
The Council Community Outreach Committee once again will collect socks on behalf of Bethesda Cares. Socks are one the most pressing needs among the unhoused community and the Council's prior collections have been impactful and appreciated. Please bring several pairs of new socks with you to the meeting.
About the Speaker:
Sarah Moore Johnson, JD, AEP®, is a founding partner of Birchstone Moore, LLC, a boutique estate planning firm. Sarah is a respected leader in the Washington, DC estate planning community who concentrates on estate planning, trust and estate administration, business succession planning, asset protection, and charitable giving while minimizing income, estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes. Recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and as a Top Attorney in the Washingtonian magazine, Sarah focuses on planning for family offices, entrepreneurs, real estate developers, and art collectors. She particularly relishes streamlining and improving existing estate plans for her high net worth clients.
Prior to attaining her law degree, Sarah was a senior financial analyst in the Valuation Services Group of Arthur Andersen LLP in Atlanta, and in that capacity gained considerable knowledge in valuing assets and using discounts in estate planning. Sarah also clerked for American Cancer Society's Office of Corporation Counsel, where she became familiar with the tax laws applicable to charitable organizations.
Logistics:
- Fees: No cost for active members; $60 for guests.
- Registration begins at 12:00 pm. Lunch will be served at 12:15 pm and the program. begins at 12:30 p.m.
- Guests are warmly welcome.
- Free parking.
- The meeting will be moved to Zoom if required for the safety of members and guests during the ongoing pandemic.
The Council thanks our Signature Sponsors
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