Todd Angkatavanich

Partner

Todd’s experience in advanced wealth and succession transition planning aides his clients in preserving their assets for multiple generations.

Todd Angkatavanich

Wealth planning and preservation are central to Todd’s practice. He specializes in safeguarding and transitioning clients’ assets for future generations in a tax efficient manner by implementing vehicles such as Sales to Grantor Trusts, Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs), Carried Interest Transfer techniques, Family Limited Partnerships, and Preferred “Freeze” Partnerships.

With experience in investment structures, Todd assists national and international families and family offices in navigating complex transfer tax issues.  With a particular focus on navigating complex estate and gift tax pitfalls under Chapter 14 of the Internal Revenue Code, he creates wealth transfer structures that are designed to preserve assets for families for multiple generations to come.

Todd is committed to educating future generations about wealth preservation and its empowering effects on families. By creating efficient structures and providing insights into non-tax aspects of engagement by family members at different generations, he enables his clients to  preserve family wealth while supporting their endeavors at multiple generations.

Previous Work

Prior to joining ArentFox Schiff, Todd was a partner leading a Private Client Group, focusing on advanced transfer tax planning and estate freeze strategies. He also co-headed Wealth Transfer Advisory initiatives and has for decades provided sophisticated industry thought leadership on US Transfer Tax Planning.

He has been recognized as a leader on Chapter 14 of the Internal Revenue Code, Family Limited Partnerships and other Estate Freeze vehicles, and has extensive experience in preparing various wealth transfer planning and related trust structures and advising on business succession planning.

Client Work 

  • Structured numerous “Vertical Slice” as well as “Non-Vertical Slice” planning approaches for Hedge Fund and Private Equity Fund principals.*
  • Structured GRATs, Sales to Grantor Trusts and other trust planning vehicles*
  • Structured numerous Preferred and Common Partnership structures in order to shift growth into multigenerational efficient trusts.*
  • Conducted a number of Diagnostic Stress Tests of family limited partnerships and overall family, trust and entity structures to proactively identify vulnerabilities and avenues for fortification*
  • Consultation in connection with family office profits interest structures and related Chapter 14 implications*

  • *Matters handled prior to joining ArentFox Schiff

Publications, Presentations & Recognitions

Publications

Throughout his career, Todd has authored or co-authored over 75 publications, including articles, conference outlines, and a Bloomberg/BNA Portfolio on Wealth Transfer Planning with Fund Carried Interests.

Presentations

Todd regularly presents at national conferences on estate planning, tax, and family office topics, including The Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, Notre Dame Tax Institute, USC Tax Institute, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, New York University Tax Institute, ALI-CLE, Practicing Law Institute, AICPA, and more. Todd also serves as a guest lecturer at different law schools on sophisticated transfer tax and estate planning concepts and issues, including at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Tax LL.M. program and the New York University School of Law Tax LL.M. program.

Recognitions

  • Awarded “Private Client Lawyer of the Year” by Family Office Review in 2012.
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for New York City, Greenwich, and New Haven, Connecticut.
  • Recipient of the Best Lawyers® 2015 Trusts & Estates “Lawyer of the Year” award for New Haven, Connecticut.
  • Featured in Business Insider’s “These are the 21 people powering the huge growth in family offices” in 2021.
  • Recognized in Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders – Private Client and Super Lawyers.
  • Rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™.

Boards & Memberships 

Boards

  • Trusts & Estates Magazine, Editorial Advisory Board, Member
  • Former Chair of Bloomberg/Tax Management Estates, Gifts & Trusts, Advisory Board

Memberships

  • American College of Trust & Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Program Committee, Business Planning Committee, Estate, Gift & Trust Committee, Fellow
  • Society of Trusts & Estates Practitioners (STEP), Member

Life Beyond the Law

Outside of work, Todd enjoys outdoor activities like golfing and boating and also enjoys cooking and singing/songwriting.

Insights