The 2026 Virtual Tax & Estate Planning Forum Agenda
October 26 - 30, 2026
Topics, Speakers, and Times are subject to change
The Tax & Estate Planning Forum, a State of California approved Legal Specialization provider certifies that:
-
The 2026 Live Virtual Estate Planning Forum has been approved for:
- 22.5 hours of MCLE Credits
- 19.5 hours of Legal Specialization credit in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law
- 17.5 hours of Legal Specialization credit in Taxation Law
- 22.5 hours of MCLE Credits
- 19.5 hours of Legal Specialization credit in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law
- 17.5 hours of Legal Specialization credit in Taxation Law
Table of Contents
Monday, October 26, 2026
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Friday, October 30, 2026
Session 1A
8:00 am - 9:00 am Pacific Standard Time
Leaving Retirement Benefits to a Trust....Made Easy (Part 1)
Natalie Choate, Wellesley, MA
MCLE Credit 1, Specialization Credit in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law 1.- Specialization Credit in Taxation Law: 1.0.
9:00 am - 9:10 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 1B
9:10 am - 10:10 am Pacific Standard Time
Leaving Retirement Benefits to a Trust....Made Easy (Part 2)
Natalie Choate, Wellesley, MA
MCLE Credit 1, Specialization Credit in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law 1.- Specialization Credit in Taxation Law: 1.0.
10:10 am - 10:20 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 2
10:20 am - 11:20 am Pacific Standard Time
Beyond Awareness: Practical Strategies for Interrupting Implicit Bias inthe Legal Profession
Professor Christine Goodman, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, Malibu, CA
MCLE Credit: 1.0. Elimination of Implicit Bias Credit 1.0
11:20 am - 11:30 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 3
11:30 pm - 1:00 pm Pacific Standard Time
Update: California 2026 Developments Affecting Estate Planning, Trusts, Probate, Conservatorships, and Guardianships
Patrick Kohlmann, Temmerman, Cilley, Kohlmann & Norcia, LLP, San Jose, CA
MCLE Credits: 1.5. Specialization Credit in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law: 1.5. Specialization Credit in Taxation Law: 1.5.
Session 4
8:00 am - 9:00 am Pacific Standard Time
Trusts are the Answer, no Matter the Question
Jonathan Blattmachr, Pioneer Wealth Partners, New York
Teresa Bush, Attorney, InterActive Legal
Teresa Bush, Attorney, InterActive Legal
MCLE Credit: 1.0, Specialization Credits in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate law 1.0
9:10 am – 9:20 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 5
9:20 am - 10:20 am Pacific Standard Time
The Hidden Traps of Foreign Trusts: U.S. Tax, Reporting, and Compliance Pitfalls
Brian Tsu, HIGGS FLETCHER MACK, San Diego, CA
MCLE Credit: 1.0. Specialization Credits in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law: 1.0. Specialization Credit in Taxation Law: 1.0.
10:20 am – 10:30 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 6
10:30 am - 11:30 am Pacific Standard Time
Property Tax Change in Ownership Planning – Techniques to Keep Assessments Low
Gregory Broege, Ajalat, Polley, Ayoob, Matarese & Broege, Los Angeles, CA
MCLE Credit: 1.0. Specialization Credits in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law: 1.0. Specialization Credit in Taxation Law: 1.0.
11:30 am – 11:40 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 7
11:40 am - 1:10 pm Pacific Standard Time
Navigating Estate Planning for Mid-Sized Estates in California
Robin Kloparens, FENNERMORE, Sacramento, CA
Erin Prouty, Lagerlof, LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Daniel J. Gespass, TaxManaging Director Andersen
MCLE Credit: 1.5. Specialization Credits in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law: 1.5. Specialization Credit in Taxation Law: 1.5.
Session 8
8:00 am - 9:30 am Pacific Standard Time
Safely Transferring Real Estate Between LLCs and Trusts—Advanced Legal Strategies
Jennifer Scharre, Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP, San Francisco
MCLE Credits: 1.5. Specialization Credits in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law 1.5.
9:30 am – 9:40 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 9
9:40 am - 11:10 am Pacific Standard Time
Planning Beyond the Exemption: Basis, Depreciation, and Gains in Common Law Jurisdictions
Griffin Bridgers, Law Office of Griffin Bridgers, Denver, CO
MCLE Credits: 1.5. Specialization Credits in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law: 1.5. Specialization Credits in Taxation Law: 1.5.
11:10 am – 11:20 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 10
11:20 am – 12:50 pm
Roth IRA Planning : Conversions, Inherited Accounts, and Wealth-Transfer Strategies
Speaker To Be Announced
MCLE Credit: 1.5. Specialization Credit in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law 1.5 Specialization Credit in Taxation Law: 1.5
Session 11
8:00 am - 9:00 am Pacific Standard Time
Estate Planning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities, Risks, and Ethical Challenges
Proffessor Gerry Beyer, Texas Tech University School of Laww\
MCLE Credit: 1. Specialization Credit in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law: 1.
9:00 am - 9:10 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 12
9:10 am - 10:10 am
Directed Trusts in Practice: Structure, Strategy, and Fiduciary Risk
Mary E. Vandenack, Duggan Bertsch, LLC, Omaha, NB
MCLE Credits: 1.0. Specialization Credits in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law 1.0.
10:10 am - 10:20 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 13
10:20 am - 11:20 am Pacific Standard Time
Modifying and Modernizing Trusts Through Decanting and Nonjudicial Settlement Agreements
Kirsten Wolff, Sideman & Bancroft, San Francisco, CA
Michael Gordon, Gordon Fournaris & Mammarella, P.A., Wilmington, DE
MCLE Credit: 1. Specialization Credit in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law 1. Specialization Credit in Taxation Law: 1
11:20 am - 11:30 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 14
11:30 am - 12:30 pm Pacific Standard Time
Implementing New Rules For Fiduuciary Accounting & Taxation
Jacquline Patterson, Buchanan & Patterson, LLP, Beverly Hills, CA
MCLE Credits: 1. Specialization Credits in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law 1. Specialization Credits in Taxation Law: 1.
12:30 pm – 12:40 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 15
12:40 am – 1:40 pm
The Impaired Lawyer: Recognizing and Responding to Substance Use, Mental Health Challenges, and Other Threats to Competence
Speaker To Be Announced
MCLE Credit: 1.0. Competence/Prevention and Detection 1.0.
Session 16A
8:00 am - 9:30 am Pacific Standard Time
Current Estate Tax, Gift Tax, Generation-Skipping Tax, and Income Tax Developments Part 1
Samuel Donaldson, Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, GA
MCLE Credits: 1.5. Specialization Credits in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law: 1.5 Specialization Credits in Taxation Law: 1.5.
9:30 am – 9:40 am Pacific Standard Time Intermission
Session 16B
9:40 am – 11:10 am Pacific Standard
Current Estate Tax, Gift Tax, Generation-Skipping Tax, and Income Tax Developments Part 2
Samuel Donaldson, Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, GA
MCLE Credits: 1.5. Specialization Credits in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law: 1.5 Specialization Credits in Taxation Law: 1.5.
11:10 am – 11:20 am Pacific Standard
Session 17
11:20 am – 12:20 am Pacific Standard
Professionalism & Civility in the Legal Profession: Practical Strategies for Lawyers (and Litigators) in High-Conflict Matters
Ellen Pansky, PanskyMarkle, Pasadena, CA
MCLE Credits: 1.0. Professionalism/Ethhics: 1.0.