News & Resources

10/16/2020 | Articles & Alerts, News & Resources

Location! Location! Location! That’s the mantra which real estate owners hold as the key to determining a property’s value. However, to protect that property’s value, real estate owners need to understand the ever-important estate planning mantra: Timing! Timing! Timing! Real estate owners, including developers and investors, too frequently build substantial portfolios of real property and liquid assets, yet see the incredible efforts undertaken to create this wealth squandered by unnecessary and avoidable taxes and administrative expenses upon their disability or death. In part, […]

Related Practices: Estate Planning and Private Client

10/12/2020 | Articles & Alerts, News & Resources

Introduction Drastic changes to the estate tax laws may be on the horizon. The pending outcome of the upcoming presidential and congressional elections, set against the backdrop of an ever mounting national debt, has fueled speculation that the amount of wealth which can be protected from the federal estate, gift, and generation skipping transfer (“GST”) taxes may be sharply reduced. These exemption amounts, which were increased (until the end of 2025) as part of The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 […]

8/20/2020 | General, Media, News & Resources

Kaplin Stewart is pleased to announce that eleven attorneys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, ® 2021. Best Lawyers in America is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. Gregg I. Adelman: Land Use and Zoning, William D. Auxer: Construction Law, George W. Broseman: Land Use and Zoning Law; Andrew B. Cohn: Construction Law, Amee S. Farrell: Land Use and Zoning Law, Sandhya M. Feltes: Construction Law, Marc […]

6/2/2020 | General, Media, News & Resources

We are proud to announce our attorneys at Kaplin Stewart have been once again recognized as “Super Lawyers” in 2020 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Super Lawyers uses a multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, independent research of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The Super Lawyers publication is a credible resource for those seeking legal counsel. It provides a diverse list of outstanding attorneys who have been identified as attaining a high degree of peer […]

5/15/2020 | Articles & Alerts, General, News & Resources

Will there be a freeze on property tax increases? Probably the opposite. Millage rates will likely increase. Philadelphia is facing a $649 million budget deficit. While property tax “freeze” legislation has been proposed, it is doubtful that Governor Wolf would sign such legislation given the objection of school districts. I expect school districts to be more aggressive in appealing property assessments given the shortfalls in revenue expected by municipalities and school districts. I have a pending tax appeal in the […]