Welcome,
FOSTER LAW GROUP, PLLC is a group of attorneys and legal assistants whose focus is estate planning and taxation, and nonprofit tax-exempt organizations. With offices in Seattle and Bainbridge Island, the firm serves clients in the Seattle and West Sound areas as well as international clients with U.S. interests.
On the estate planning side of the practice, the firm serves individuals with both taxable and nontaxable estates. The firm has particular expertise in international estate planning for individuals with citizenship, residency or assets in a foreign country.
On the nonprofit side of the practice, the firm establishes and advises private foundations, public charities, supporting organizations and other kinds of nonprofit tax-exempt organizations. The firm’s expertise in estate planning brings particular depth of knowledge to the structuring of charitable trusts (charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts) for the funding of charitable organizations. Its practice extends to nonprofit organizations with both domestic and international reach.
Estate Planning and Taxation
Foster Law Group, PLLC handles its clients' entire range of estate planning needs, providing guidance and perspective in the development of personal estate plans and the implementation of effective tax-planning strategies. From simple Wills and trusts to complex, multi-generational planning, the firm serves all levels of client needs with care, responsiveness and integrity.
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Nonprofit Tax-Exempt Organizations
Foster Law Group, PLLC establishes and advises all categories of nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations, including private foundations, supporting organizations, public charities, community foundations, business leagues, civic leagues and other Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c) organizations. With both a charitable trust and nonprofit corporation practice, its attorneys are able to achieve clients' goals in either form of entity. Its attorneys and paralegals assist in registration and compliance on both the state and federal levels and provide guidance to nonprofit trustees and directors.
Foster Law Group, PLLC has assisted existing charitable organizations with grantmaking and complex charitable ventures. Its attorneys have assisted with the establishment of joint ventures with for-profit organizations in the fields of low-income housing, environmental conservation and healthcare.
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Charitable Giving
Foster Law Group, PLLC assists it clients with all aspects of charitable giving. The firm’s expertise in both estate planning and tax-exempt organizations enables its attorneys to advise clients on the best means to carry out their charitable giving goals. Its experience in tax matters enables clients to optimize the income, gift, estate and generation-skipping tax effects of their giving. From outright gifts and bequests to conservation easements and charitable split interest trusts, the firm assists in all means of charitable giving.
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International Estate Planning
Foster Law Group has special expertise in estate planning for clients with issues that concern other countries. A U.S.-resident client may have a non-citizen spouse, foreign-situs property, intended heirs who reside in a foreign country, or international charitable inclinations. A non-citizen, U.S.-resident client may have foreign-situs property, be subject to foreign laws by virtue of citizenship, expect an inheritance from foreign persons, or not actually be domiciled in the U.S. even though resident. A non-citizen, nonresident client may have U.S.-situs property governed under the laws of one of our 50 states and/or the laws of the client’s residence. A U.S. citizen residing in a foreign country will discover that all of these issues apply and must be analyzed under the laws of both jurisdictions.
In addition to issues of property rights, governing law, and disposition of assets at death, Foster Law Group advises on gift, inheritance, wealth, and estate tax issues. Foster Law Group assists clients with the recognition of these issues, collaboration with appropriate practitioners in other jurisdictions, as necessary, and the drafting of U.S. and Washington-specific documents necessary to address all these issues in a coordinated manner, tax-efficient manner.
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International Charitable Giving
Foster law Group, PLLC advises U.S. individuals and corporations with their international grantmaking and charitable giving matters as well as foreign charitable organizations seeking to carry out their charitable purposes within the United States. The firm has advised most recently on charitable matters concerning Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Italy, France, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. Various structures include establishing a charitable organization under local law, determining that a current foreign organization is equivalent to a U.S. 501(c)(3), obtaining 501(c)(3) status for a foreign charitable organization, qualifying a foreign charitable organization to receive grants from a U.S. private foundation, creating a "Friends Of" organization in the U.S. for the benefit of a foreign organization, transferring foreign property into a U.S. charitable organization, and facilitating the making of grants and deductible gifts to a foreign organization from U.S. persons and private foundations.
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Trust and Estate Administration
Individuals and institutions acting as trustees and personal representatives rely on our advice to carry out their fiduciary responsibilities. We utilize the latest technology to assist our clients’ accountants in the efficient and timely preparation of Estate Tax Returns.
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Community Property
Washington State is one of nine community property states in the United States, with a marital property regime similar to that of many European countries. In addition, Washington State has non-statutory common law marriage law that affects cohabiting couples. Foster Law Group, PLLC assists married and cohabiting couples and those contemplating marriage in understanding their property rights and memorializing them in the appropriate agreements.
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Specialized Referrals
We are pleased to serve as our clients' personal lawyers and counselors. When our clients have the need for other services, we offer specialized referral sources among leading law firms and other professional organizations.
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