2024 John M. Gradwohl Estate and Business Planning Program

2024 John M. Gradwohl Estate and Business Planning Program 

A two-day program covering federal and state developments regarding estate planning and business planning.

In 2015, the Planning Committee for this Program and the College of Law named the Program in honor of the late Professor John M. Gradwohl, who served on the University of Nebraska College of Law faculty from 1960-2011. Professor Gradwohl was the principal founder of the Program and a dedicated supporter of continuing professional education.

This year's program will be held May 9 & 10, 2024 at the College of Law (1875 N. 42nd St.).

May 9

8:30 a.m. | Current Federal Developments Affecting Estate Plans and Estate Planning, Tim Moll
A survey of significant recent federal developments relating to estate planning and how they pertain to Nebraska practice. 

9:45 a.m. | Nebraska PTET Law, Stacy Watson
Recently, Nebraska and Iowa introduced the Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET) election. In this webinar, Stacy Watson, Tax & Consulting Shareholder at Lutz, will explain this election in-depth, along with recent updates and how it could affect your tax return. Key takeaways: Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET) Update; Explanation of NEDOR Form; Discussion of Income Taxability

10:45 a.m. | Break

11:00 a.m. | T&E Disputes: Proactive Planning - And Considerations for When the Dispute Nonetheless Arises, Minja Herian & James Tews
This presentation will cover estate planning client in anticipation of disputes after death, building the legal team to handle post-death disputes, identifying and preparing your expert (they are not all the same!), and evidentiary standards in disputing the validity of wills, trusts, marriages, premarital agreements, and beneficiary designations.

12:00 p.m. | Lunch Break

1:00 p.m. | Financing for Irrevocable Life insurance Trusts, Tom Barrett
As gift exemptions approach the TCJA sunset, clients of wealth will be more sensitive to strategies that “cost” gift exemption. Expect interest in leveraged strategies – whether within the family or involving retail lenders – to increase accordingly. This session will breakdown two commonly used borrowing methods for paying life insurance premiums owned by a client’s Irrevocable Trust: private financing (private split-dollar) and third-party (bank) financing.

2:00 p.m.
| Nebraska Medicaid:  The Nuts & Bolts (Plus a Few New Tools), Pam Olsen
An outline of the current Nebraska Medicaid qualification rules with which Nebraska estate and business planners should be familiar and will also focus on general planning strategies that frequently arise for estate clients who are either considering a transition from home to facility-level care or who have beneficiaries who may have future or current Nebraska Medicaid needs. Additionally, she will discuss some recent changes to Nebraska’s Medicaid rules which expand planning opportunities for clients.

3:15 p.m. | Current Topics in Farm Management and Brokerage, Sam Zach
This presentation will cover a brief explanation of farm management, farm real estate brokerage, farmland consulting, and farmland investment services. He will also discuss Section 180 Excess Fertility Deduction and why they are and why they may be relevant. Latly, he will discuss Section 45 Z Carbon Intensity Tax Credits and explain what they are and why they may be relevant.

4:15-5:15 p.m. | Benefits Primer & Update, Michelle Sitorius
Review of recent employee benefits highlights, including Supreme Court decisions, agency announcements and guidance, mental health coverage, and health benefit topics.

May 10

8:30 a.m. | Case Law UpdateChristi Ball, Kara Brostrom, Susan Spahn

9:45 a.m. | All You Need to Know about SECURE 2.0, Kent Endacott
This presentation will discuss the latest changes and nuances introduced by the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 and it will include drafting suggestions.

10:45 a.m. | Break

11:00 a.m. | The Corporate Transparency Act, Mike Keblesh
Beginning January 1, 2024, new regulations by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) went into effect, requiring many entities to report information regarding their “beneficial owners” and “company applicants.” This new requirement affects approximately 32 million existing entities and will affect an estimated 5 million new entities annually moving forward. This presentation will outline the new requirements and provide a brief overview of which entities are required to report and what information is required to be reported under the CTA.

12:00 p.m. | Lunch Break

1:00 p.m. | Nebraska Department of Insurance RoadshowMartin Swanson, Maggie Reinert, & Jonathan Burlison
A tradition started years ago at the Nebraska Department of Insurance; each year, experts from our department travel across the state before the Affordable Care Act Marketplace open enrollment in November. Each year, the experts pick out various insurance topics to break down and answer questions. For 2023, the topics include 2024 ACA Open Enrollment, 2024 Medicare Basics, External Review, Updates in the Health Insurance Market, Improper Marketing and agent updates.

2:00 p.m. | Hot Topics in Ethics 2024, Kristen Blankley
This interactive session updates participants on some of the most pressing ethical issues in legal practice, including ethical use of artificial intelligence, updates on email protocols with clients, new guidance on billing and trust account issues, and more! *ethics credit

3:00 p.m. | Break

3:15 p.m. | Current Conversations: Unauthorized Practice of Law Analysis in Representation of Complex Individuals, Estates, & Trusts with Multistate Assets, Amanda Forker
A review of current Rule 5.5 through the lens of estate planning, estate administration and trust administration. A discussion of the necessary considerations relating to representation with respect to client assets governed by the law of non-licensed jurisdictions. * ethics credit

Register

Additional information will be provided when available.

Approved credits: Nebraska CLE 13.5 (including 2.0 ethics) | Iowa CLE 13.5 (including 2.0 ethics) |
16.5 CTFA | Kansas CLE 15.5 (including 2.0 ethics) | CFP 13

Anticipated credits:  CPE 13.5 (including 2.0 ethics) | Insurance 13.5 

If you have questions, please contact Katie Pfannenstiel, assistant director of alumni relations and event planning. kabp@unl.edu or (402) 472-8382