Robert E Kabacy

Bob Kabacy knows that each of his estate planning clients is unique, which is why he strives to understand a client’s values and priorities before giving a piece of advice. “Success for my clients can mean many different things,” he says. “Sometimes it’s saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars, other times it’s simply making their lives less stressful or restoring family relations. You need to be sensitive to people’s needs.” Since Bob joined Kell, Alterman & Runstein, L.L.P. in 1996, his personal approach has helped him build a prosperous practice around estate planning, probate law, trust administration, asset protection, and corporate transactions. He’s admired for treating each of his clients with the same respect, regardless of whether their estates are worth millions or thousands. He’s also known for his ability to combine big-firm resources with small-firm service. “Portland’s a small big city, and it’s nice to provide that same level of service to clients,” he says. In addition to his client work, he wrote Last Wishes, a practical how-to book on estate planning, and contributed the chapter “Asset Protection Techniques” to a planning-themed manuscript published by the National Business Institute. During his frequent speaking engagements to financial and community groups, Bob emphasizes that estate planning often starts as a series of disjointed ideas, but a good plan sorts through the issues to develop a unified theme. He even occasionally uses sleight of hand to make his point, such as magically (and metaphorically) joining three separate ropes into a rope to symbolize the need for a cohesive approach. Bob has also engineered and published to the Apple app store the first ever estate tax calculator for the mobile professional. TaxCalcNow can be found in the Apple app store. Information about it can be found at . Prior to focusing exclusively on law, Bob was a nationally ranked swimmer at the University of Puget Sound, where he set a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II record in the 50-yard freestyle. The four-year all-American doesn’t currently compete, spending most of his free time with his wife and son while also pursuing his photography, magic, and golf hobbies.