ESTATE PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION 

• Estate and gift taxes are generally “penalty taxes” due to lack of adequate planning. Merritt Watson  LLP employs “state-of-the-art” estate planning techniques to reduce or eliminate the tax liability resulting from moving wealth from one generation to the next.  The firm’s lawyers have an extensive background in estate and trust law, estate administration, tax planning, accounting, and financial planning. This experience, combined with the firm’s significant commitment to this important practice area, assures that your individually tailored estate plan will maximize the efficiency of your estate and minimize your transfer tax liability.

Attorneys in this Area

 

Joseph K. Beach Melissa N. Donnell H. Mark Emanuel Lisa A. Goldblatt   Kevin  J. McGrath William J. W. Merritt Stephanie T. Perry Michael W. Rushing Lex A. Watson, II Nancy Wiggins-Lester

 

TAXATION 

• Income taxes affect virtually every aspect of your business, investment and financial affairs.  Merritt Watson LLP utilizes the comprehensive tax background of its professionals to offer a full service tax practice to its clients. The firm has specialists in all areas of taxation including:

Attorneys in this Area

 

Joseph K. Beach H. Mark Emanuel Kevin  J. McGrath William J.W. Merritt   Michael W. Rushing  Lex A. Watson, II

 

BUSINESS PLANNING 

• The legal environment in which businesses must operate continues to increase in complexity.  Our services encompass a broad spectrum of business planning, such as business organizations, mergers, and acquisitions, financing, liquidations, creditor protection, distribution, franchising, employment contracts, shareholder and partner agreements and commercial transactions.  Merritt Watson LLP utilizes its extensive background in business planning to enable its clients, whether corporations, partnership or individuals to effectively organize and deal with typical business problems.

Attorneys in this Area

Joseph K. Beach William J.W. Merritt Lex A. Watson, II  William F. Welch

 

INTERNATIONAL LEGAL PRACTICE 

• Merritt Watson LLP offers legal services to international clients who are involved in both incoming and outgoing business and investment transactions.  Within our international business planning practice, we assist our clients with federal and state law issues, contract and dispute negotiations, mergers and acquisitions of closely held businesses, distribution and licensing agreements, import/export transactions, and immigration matters.  We have enjoyed building a network of contacts with law practitioners and business professionals around the world, and we look forward to continued growth in this area of our legal practice.

Attorneys in this Area

 

●  William F. Welch

 

REAL ESTATE 

• Merritt Watson LLP real estate clients include commercial and residential developers, general contractors, foreign investors, real estate syndicators, banks and mortgage companies, and single-family homebuilders and homeowners.  We provide cost effective real estate services which include the areas of commercial and residential land acquisition, development, and sales, and various real estate programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 
• We also have experience in landlord and tenant matters and in negotiating and drafting complex leases covering all forms of real property, including ground lease and sale-leaseback transactions.  As part of our banking and mortgage lending practice, we are involved in the negotiation and closing of acquisitions and development loans, construction and line of credit loans, long term financing, refinancing workouts, foreclosures, and reorganization proceedings.

Attorneys in this Area 

 

●  James W. Heaton   ●  Michael W. Rushing

 

LITIGATION 

• Merritt Watson LLP strives to effectively and efficiently service the litigation needs of its clients.  The litigation department has experience in all aspects of civil litigation, including the areas of commercial, corporate, business, real estate, construction, tax, personal injury, and domestic relations.
• There is a close coordination between our litigators and the other professionals in the firm. Our business, real estate, and tax planning attorneys consult regularly with the litigators regarding negotiation strategies and the possible legal consequences of certain proposed business transactions or documents.  The goal of such active interaction and communication is to avoid litigation whenever possible - ”An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is always considered as an option to going to court.  Our attorneys regularly use mediations and arbitrations as an alternative for our clients.

Attorneys in this Area

 

William H. McLean  James R. Schulz William F. Welch (ADR)

 

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, PENSION PLANS AND PROFIT SHARING / ERISA 

• In many instances, an IRS approved retirement plan is the single best tax shelter available to business owners and is a major source of financial security for the future.  In addition, employers are increasingly expected to provide both welfare benefit programs such as health insurance or cafeteria plans, and retirement programs such as 401(k) savings plans, profit sharing plans, or pension plans.  Many executives are also considering special deferred compensation arrangements.
•  Merritt Watson LLP provides advice and assistance on all matters pertaining to welfare and retirement benefits – including tax and estate planning objectives.  Related services involve the preparation and implementation of such welfare benefit and retirement plans, obtaining IRS approval, working with employers to make these plans operational, and providing ongoing administration for these plans.

Attorneys in this Area

• Joseph K. Beach
• H. Mark Emanuel