Michael L. Kaufman

Partner, Dallas Office

Biography
Involvement
Recognition
Speeches / Publications
News

Mr. Kaufman was named a Five Star Wealth Manager by Five Star Professional. To receive this honor, a wealth manager must satisfy 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria that are associated with wealth managers who provide quality services to their clients.

Biography

Michael L. Kaufman practices in the areas of wealth planning and estate and trust administration, and charitable organizations. Mr. Kaufman's practice has encompassed all areas of individual and family asset planning including design, drafting and implementation of family limited partnerships and related entities, public and private charitable entities, charitable lead and remainder trusts, wills, insurance trusts, revocable (or "living" trusts), and other taxable and nontaxable gift transactions. Mr. Kaufman's experience ranges from planning for the disposition of small simple estates through planning for management and disposition of complex estates with assets in excess of one billion dollars.

Mr. Kaufman is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

More about Michael L. Kaufman: Involvement | Recognition | Speeches / Publications | News

Organization Membership

In addition to being a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Mr. Kaufman is a member of the Dallas Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, and the Dallas Estate Planning Council. Mr. Kaufman is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and is a past Chairman of the Dallas Bar Probate, Trusts and Estates Section.

Community Involvement

Mr. Kaufman currently serves as a trustee for the Dallas Opera, as director and chair of the operations committee of Jewish Family Service of Dallas, and is a member of the local steering committee for the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. Mr. Kaufman sings in the adult choir of Shearith Israel Synagogue in Dallas, and has served as an officer and board member of various arts and public service entities in the Dallas area.

More about Michael L. Kaufman: Biography | Recognition | Speeches / Publications | News

Peer Recognition

Mr. Kaufman was named a "Super Lawyer" by Thomson Reuters (2003-2012). In 2009 and 2013, he was also named a "Best Lawyer in Dallas" by D Magazine and has been named a "Five Star: Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Manager" by Texas Monthly (2009 - 2012). In 2010, Mr. Kaufman was named a "Top Lawyer in Dallas" by LexisNexis.

More about Michael L. Kaufman: Biography | Involvement | Speeches / Publications | News

Speeches / Publications

Mr. Kaufman is the author of "Planning with Retirement Assets" which has been presented annually since 2009 to the Texas Bankers Association Graduate Trust School as well as other organizations; author of "Non-Testamentary Transfers," presented for many years to the University of Houston Wills and Probate, or Business and Estate Planning Institutes, among other venues; co-author of "Boggs v. Boggs - New Issues for Estate Planning," from 1998, presented to the State Bar of Texas 1998 Advanced Tax Institute; author of "Formula Gifts After Hubert," and co-author of "Drafting for Disclaimers," presented to the South Texas College of Law Wills and Probate Institute; author of "An Introduction to 509(a)(3) Support Organizations" presented in various venues.

Mr. Kaufman is also co-author of various articles and outlines which have appeared in the Texas Bar Journal and been presented to the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, State Bar of Texas Advanced Estate Planning seminars and Advanced Drafting seminars, and an ALI/ABA Advanced Estate Planning Techniques institute.

Mr. Kaufman has also spoken on estate and charitable planning before numerous corporate, civic and professional groups.

Links to Publications