At Lathrop GPM, we understand the unique, highly confidential and complex needs of ultra-high-net-worth families and their offices. Our Family Office Services are personalized, sophisticated and seamlessly integrated. Whether you have a single-family office focused on managing generational wealth or a multi-family office catering to several high-net-worth clients, our full-service team is equipped to address every legal and business requirement.

Working with one of the nation’s most extensive Private Client Services teams, our approach is rooted in collaboration, trust and a deep understanding of your goals. We bring together the right people for the right challenges, serving as strategic advisors for your legal services portfolio. Whether it’s trust and estate planning, corporate structuring, investment management, real estate issues or employment matters, we help your family office establish systems that protect your legacy, manage risk, ensure compliance and create growth opportunities – all while keeping your family’s values and aspirations at the forefront.

Why Choose Us?

Proven Private Client Services

Our nationally recognized Private Client Services team forms the backbone of our Family Office services. Many family offices select us because of our unique, service-driven mindset and unrivaled ability to address even the most nuanced issues while preserving wealth, reducing risk and fostering growth. We are honored to be recognized by leading organizations including The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Chambers High-Net-Worth, ICONS and Super Lawyers. These accolades reflect our commitment to excellence and the trusted expertise we bring to every client relationship.

Collaborative Excellence

We bring together legal talent across multiple disciplines to ensure comprehensive support for your family office. Our attorneys work as a cohesive team, balancing trust and estate planning priorities with corporate, real estate and tax considerations, among others. This dynamic approach ensures that every aspect of your family office receives the attention and expertise it deserves.

Commitment to Long-Term Success

We don’t just handle legal transactions, we strive to align our approach with your family’s mission and values, enabling sustainable growth and lasting impact. By tailoring operational, structural and investment strategies to your family business needs, we help you secure current and future success.

Substantive Areas of Practice

Our multi-disciplinary law firm provides clients with all the legal services needed to ensure we can address every aspect of your family office effectively.

Formation, Growth & Succession Planning: We provide strategic counsel to help family offices build strong foundations and achieve sustainable, long-term growth. Our services include advising on the formation, structure and administration of various legal entities, as well as establishing boards, committees and governance protocols tailored to family dynamics. We excel at crafting ownership and participation agreements that align with the family’s values and evolving objectives. As family offices mature, we assist with succession planning, leadership transitions and next-generation education by designing legal and operational frameworks that preserve family harmony, promote stewardship and ensure continuity across generations.

Advanced Trust and Estate Planning: We advise family offices on sophisticated trust and estate planning strategies designed to preserve wealth and support long-term family objectives. Our team structures and implements advanced transfer tax techniques including GRATs, IDGTs and valuation discount strategies to optimize use of gift, estate and GST exemptions. We also assist with trust decanting, modifications and nonjudicial settlement agreements where appropriate. From lifetime gifting strategies to trust administration and international estate planning, we help families transfer wealth across generations with clarity and efficiency, with the flexibility to endure changing times.

Corporate Governance & Compliance: Our family office lawyers play a critical role in establishing and maintaining robust corporate governance frameworks that align with the unique objectives and values of family offices. We provide strategic legal guidance on structure, regulatory requirements and operational efficiency. By facilitating transparent and effective communication, we help family office clients mitigate potential disputes and ensure that governance structures promote the family’s long-term vision. We help safeguard the financial and operational health of the family office and its legacy for future generations.

Corporate Transactions & Investments: We regularly advise the companies and investment vehicles that drive family wealth. Our team represents families and their enterprises in private equity and venture capital transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic investments. We help evaluate opportunities, structure deals and manage risk with an eye toward long-term value creation. When liquidity or exit strategies are on the horizon, we provide guidance that integrates business priorities with family and estate planning objectives. By combining transactional experience with an understanding of family office dynamics, we help ensure that business growth supports both enterprise success and generational goals.

Tax Planning: Our attorneys advise family offices on sophisticated tax planning strategies that align with long-term financial, philanthropic and governance goals. We counsel on complex federal and state tax issues related to multigenerational wealth transfer. We can assist with planning for liquidity events, valuation of sensitive assets and cross-border considerations. On the business side, we offer tax-efficient structuring for operating companies and investments, including domestic and offshore planning and we also represent clients in audits and high-stakes taxcontroversies. We deliver integrated solutions that anticipate change and support the preservation and growth of family wealth.

Charitable Giving & Philanthropy: Charitable giving offers family offices a powerful way to create lasting impact. We help do this strategically. Our attorneys guide the design, formation and administration of charitable trusts and nonprofit entities that maximize tax advantages and ensure regulatory compliance. We provide strategic counsel on structuring gifts, identifying meaningful causes, managing distributions and pursuing impact investments that generate both social benefits and financial returns. Whether establishing grant-making foundations, donor-advised funds or other customized charitable entities, we partner with you to build a philanthropic legacy that supports your family’s vision and community commitment.

Fund Formation & Management: We advise family offices on both the formation of proprietary investment vehicles and strategic investments in third-party funds. Our team counsels clients launching private funds, co-investment platforms and joint ventures on fund structuring, governance, regulatory compliance and alignment with family priorities. We draft offering and organizational documents, negotiate with anchor investors and service providers, and guide clients through tax and securities considerations. For family offices investing in funds, we assist with diligence, negotiation of side letters and investor rights, and evaluation of structural and fiduciary issues. We understand that every family office is unique, and we take the time to learn each client’s distinct investment approach, applying our experience, creativity and care to structure solutions that reflect their values.

Real Estate: Real estate issues for family office clients often involve complex transactions, property management and strategic investments. We support family offices not only in acquiring, selling, leasing and developing properties, but also in managing them effectively across generations. We help ensure compliance with zoning laws, environmental regulations and tax implications, safeguarding family offices from potential liabilities. Our attorneys assist family offices with their real estate contracts, due diligence and structuring investments to align with the family office’s overarching financial and legacy goals. By addressing legal and financial intricacies, we help family offices make informed real estate decisions that optimize portfolios while minimizing risks.

Our Services Also Include:

Meet the Team

Primary Contacts

Proven Experience

We’ve helped families and their offices achieve remarkable outcomes.

  • Advised a family on the formation of a family office following the $340 million sale of a closely held business, addressing estate planning, charitable planning and governance of assets valued between $200 million and $500 million. Guidance included creating and administering multiple family trusts, entities and a private foundation, helping to coordinate the senior generation’s complex health care needs, managing environmental liabilities and navigating complex family dynamics.
  • We serve the various needs of a family office with entities for investments, startups and emerging growth companies, including their employment matters, real estate transactions, fund formations and other investment opportunities.
  • We oversee all legal aspects of family office operations, from tax planning to investment structuring. Our team has worked with high-profile families to establish funding vehicles for emerging growth businesses and managed the compliance, real estate and litigation needs of informal entities serving as de facto family offices.
  • We work with several partnerships and their property management company to structure transactions, assist with employment matters, litigation, real estate and structuring transactions. We serve as counsel to their entities and management. The management company serves as a family office.

 

Trusted Advisors for Your Family’s Legacy

Our Family Office practice is built on relationships, discretion and the ability to operate as an integral part of your trusted ecosystem. Whatever your aspirations, Lathrop GPM will help you unlock your family office’s full potential while securing its prosperity for generations.