Arthur J. Swerdloff, Esq.
Estate Planning and Wealth Preservation Attorney
Art Swerdloff has been caring for the legal needs of family-owned businesses, their owners, and other high net-worth individuals for over thirty years.
Educated at Claremont Men’s (McKenna) College and the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall), Art has had a distinguished career in finance and the legal profession.
Over the years, Art has developed a law practice which is focused on problem solving in the areas of business entity formation, wealth preservation, tax minimization, succession planning, dispute resolution, and retirement planning. Art believes that a strong, ongoing client-attorney relationship is essential.
Art is expert in consulting with business leaders, professionals, and their families, to help them achieve peace of mind in wealth creation, retention and transfer. While sensitive to tax issues, Art also helps the client understand his or her motivations in dealing with wealth, for the family and for the community. Client feelings about heritage and values are thoroughly explored.
Today’s tax code and global society have created complex taxation and transfer questions for the passing on of wealth and business enterprise. Art strives to broaden the client’s understanding of estate planning concepts and charitable giving which minimize taxes and retain control over assets.
Following in-depth consultations, the client’s specific needs for wills and a living trust, insurance trust or other irrevocable trusts for family members are determined. In more advanced planning, Art assesses the client’s need for a charitable remainder trust, retained interest trust, family limited partnership or limited liability company. For the larger estate the wisdom of a family foundation or dynasty trust is explored.
Cost is always considered and quoted in advance. Computer technology is used to graphically illustrate planning points and to efficiently produce the necessary documents to set up and carry out the estate plan.
Art insists on frequent client contact and annual follow-ups to insure that the client’s planning goals are achieved and that a long-range relationship is established. In addition the team concept is utilized with other professionals, including the client’s Accountant, Financial Planner, and Insurance Specialist, to produce the most comprehensive and enlightened planning techniques.
A prolific writer and sought-after public speaker, Art has published articles on limited liability companies (“On the Horizon” California LawBusiness, July 14, 1997), succession planning (“Small Business” Los Angeles Business Journal, February 17, 1997), and the new Roth IRA (“IRAs-Roth Vs. Regular” California Broker, March 1998).
Professional affiliations include Wealth Counsel, Culver City-Marina del Rey Bar Association, and the State Bar of California.
Active in the community, Art has served as President of the Westwood Bar Association, is a Trustee Emeritus of The Buckley School of Sherman Oaks, a Director and Chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Westchester-LAX-Marina del Rey Chamber of Commerce, is President of the Military Women in Need (MWIN) Foundation of Southern California, a Board member and Secretary of We CAHRE to restore the Marina hospital to the community, and is a Board Member of the Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association.
Art served in the United States Army Infantry as a company commander, leaving active duty with the rank of Captain and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service.
He resides in Marina del Rey, California, and is the proud father of two sons, Eric and Andrew. Outside interests include music, photography, fly-fishing and desert gardening.
For more information, you are invited to contact Art at his office in Marina del Rey, California at (310) 577-9104 or Email: Art@LawWithASmile.com |
