Janis L. Cowhey

Janis Cowhey helps high-net-worth individuals, intergenerational families, business owners, and entrepreneurs. Working closely with her clients, Janis drafts wills, structures trusts, prepares cohabitation agreements and other estate planning documents. She recognizes that each client has different needs and creates solid plans that align with their objectives.

Janis has considerable experience working with modern families. From same-sex individuals and couples, unmarried couples, 2nd and 3rd marriages and blended families, Janis guides them through their unique estate, gift, income tax, and inheritance issues.

Clients trust Janis to navigate them through sensitive issues, explain complex estate planning considerations, and advise them on the short- and long-term implications of trusts and other vehicles for transferring wealth. She works closely with clients to prepare their assets for succession.

Janis regularly handles estate and trust administration, advising families and fiduciaries throughout the administration process from probate to final distribution, including preparing court-ordered and informal trust and estate accountings. Janis also has significant experience preparing estate and gift tax returns and often represents her clients who may be facing estate and gift tax audits.

“What I like most about estate planning are the clients! I love the relationships I’ve developed over the years – many of them go back decades – and seeing my clients’ children grow up and have their own children. I represent intergenerational families, starting with clients who were new parents when they hired me, and now helping their children understand their options and plan out their estates, and even sometimes representing the grandchildren.”

Articles, Seminars & Presentations

• Same Sex Marriages: What You Need to Know in a Rapidly Changing Landscape
• Tax & Legal Implications for Same Sex Couples
• Election Outcomes & Estate Planning Considerations
• Having the “Talk” With Your Company´s Owner Regarding Succession Planning
• The New Estate & Gift Tax Legislation
• Estate Planning 101
• Interest Rates & Effects on Planning
• The 709 Minefield
• Shareholders Agreements, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
• Income Taxation of Trusts & Estates