Practice Areas · High-Net-Worth

Texas High-Net-Worth Estate Planning Attorney

Continuum Counsel by Pratt Law Group, PLLC serves Texas families whose net worth approaches or exceeds the federal estate-tax exemption — where the plan has to work at the intersection of estate tax, gift tax, generation-skipping tax, income tax, and asset protection. Because our Managing Attorney is dually licensed as an Attorney and CPA, the design of each transfer structure carries the tax posture explicitly, not as a follow-up conversation with a separate advisor.

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We serveFamilies with net worth of $10M+ · business owners approaching a liquidity event · multi-generational planning clients

ServingFrisco · Prosper · Plano · McKinney · Dallas · all of Texas

The federal exemption is a runway, not a permanent shield.

The federal estate and gift tax exemption is the single largest driver of high-net-worth planning strategy. It has moved substantially in the last twenty years and is scheduled to be reduced under current law. Families whose estates exceed the exemption at death pay 40% federal estate tax on the excess. Families whose estates today are near the exemption but growing risk crossing the threshold before they've moved appreciation out of the estate. Every plan we design accounts for both the current exemption and the trajectory of the exemption over the planning horizon.

The structural levers we use.

High-net-worth planning is not one document — it is a coordinated set of structures designed to move current and future value out of the taxable estate without giving up practical control of the family's lifestyle.

›Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) — use current gift-tax exemption for the future benefit of the family while preserving indirect access through the beneficiary spouse
›Dynasty Trust — multi-generational asset protection using Texas's long trust duration + allocated GST exemption
›Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT) — freeze technique that transfers appreciation above a hurdle rate at little or no gift-tax cost
›Intentionally Defective Grantor Trust (IDGT) sale — installment sale of a discounted family-entity interest to a grantor trust
›Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) — hold policies outside the estate; often paired with a private-split-dollar or family-loan funding strategy
›Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT) — transfer a home to descendants at a discounted gift value
›Family Limited Partnership (FLP) or Family LLC — combine investment holdings for governance, professional management, and valuation-discount opportunities
›Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) and Charitable Lead Trust (CLT) — split-interest vehicles that can defer income tax, remove assets from the estate, and fund philanthropic goals
›Beneficiary-Controlled Trusts — pass wealth to adult children while preserving asset protection from creditors, divorcing spouses, and mismanagement

Valuation discounts done correctly.

Family entities holding a mix of investments, real estate, or a family business can be transferred to the next generation at values discounted for lack of control and lack of marketability — often 20% to 35% below the underlying pro-rata asset value. Done correctly, valuation discounts are recognized by the IRS and the Tax Court. Done incorrectly (without independent appraisal, without operating substance, without proper entity governance) they attract audit and are frequently reversed. We coordinate every transfer with a qualified valuation professional and structure the underlying entity for defensibility.

Coordination with the family's advisors.

High-net-worth planning does not happen in isolation. A well-designed plan requires ongoing coordination with the family's wealth manager, CPA, insurance advisor, and (where applicable) private banker and business CFO. Continuum Counsel serves as the legal architect of the plan and runs the coordination — a monthly, quarterly, or event-driven working session with the family's other advisors ensures that new asset acquisitions, business changes, and family events flow into the plan without gaps.

Why an Attorney + CPA matters at this level.

At the high-net-worth level, every recommendation is a tax decision as much as a legal one. Whether to sell an appreciated asset before a transfer or after; whether a trust should be grantor for income tax purposes but not for estate tax purposes; whether a charitable structure is best as a private foundation, a donor-advised fund, or a CRT; whether valuation discounts are worth the audit risk in a specific situation. Coordinating those judgments across a lawyer, a CPA, and a wealth manager is where most high-net-worth plans lose weeks (and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars). Having the legal and CPA analysis in the same seat at the same table is the reason Continuum Counsel exists.

Complimentary · No obligation

Complimentary 30-Minute Exemption-Runway Strategy Session

The federal estate and gift-tax exemption is scheduled to be reduced under current law. Every year of runway is a lever you cannot recover once it passes. Spend 30 minutes with Darryl to map your current exposure, identify the two or three highest-leverage structures for your family, and understand the specific runway you have before waiting becomes expensive. Fully confidential. No obligation.

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Frequently Asked

Direct answers.

When should high-net-worth families start estate planning?

Now — even if the current federal exemption fully covers your current estate. Two reasons. First, the exemption is scheduled to be reduced under current law, and once it drops, the appreciation you could have moved out beforehand is trapped in your estate. Second, the most powerful techniques (GRATs, IDGT sales, SLATs, dynasty trusts) require years of runway to deliver their full benefit — the transferred value grows outside your estate over time. Waiting until you're already over the exemption reduces the leverage of every technique.

What is the federal estate tax exemption in 2026?

The federal estate and gift tax exemption is periodically adjusted for inflation and is scheduled to be reduced under current law. Because the exemption number changes annually and is subject to legislative action, we quote the current exemption in your engagement letter and update our recommendation whenever the number moves. Estates above the exemption pay federal estate tax at 40% on the excess. Texas does not impose a separate state estate tax.

What is generation-skipping tax and why does it matter?

The generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax is a separate 40% federal tax on transfers to grandchildren or more remote descendants. It exists to prevent families from bypassing an intermediate generation's estate tax. Every taxpayer has a GST exemption (currently indexed to the estate tax exemption). Effective high-net-worth planning allocates GST exemption to dynasty trusts and other multi-generational structures so those trusts can continue tax-free across multiple generations.

Can I keep control of assets I transfer into an irrevocable trust?

You cannot retain formal legal control without disqualifying the transfer for estate-tax purposes. However, several design features preserve practical influence: a spouse as beneficiary of a SLAT provides indirect access; family members can serve as investment trustees or business managers; a trust protector can direct modifications; and beneficiary-controlled trust design allows the beneficiary to be their own trustee while still enjoying asset protection. The right combination depends on the family's dynamics and the specific tax posture desired.

Do I need a private foundation or can I use a donor-advised fund?

For families with charitable giving between $10,000 and roughly $1M annually, a donor-advised fund is usually the right answer — no formation cost, no ongoing administration burden, immediate deduction, and grants distributed at your direction. For families with larger charitable ambitions, existing charitable operations, a specific mission-driven grantmaking program, or a desire for family engagement across generations, a private foundation may be the better structure — despite the additional cost, excise tax, and administrative complexity. We evaluate both against your specific goals.

How does Continuum Counsel coordinate with our existing wealth manager and CPA?

Actively and openly. Every high-net-worth engagement includes a kickoff meeting with the family's other advisors so we align on the current picture, and a written strategy memo that all advisors can work from. Quarterly or event-driven working sessions keep everyone in sync. Because Darryl is himself a Certified Public Accountant, he can speak the CPA's language directly and often serves as the connective tissue between the legal design and the ongoing income-tax planning.

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Ready to speak with Darryl?

Every engagement begins with a confidential conversation — under attorney-client privilege from the first word.

Schedule a Consultation (888) 517-4575