Preeminent International Private Wealth Partners from Karlin & Peebles Join Holland & Knight in Century City
LOS ANGELES (January 6, 2025) – Holland & Knight announced today that three longtime partners from Los Angeles-based private wealth services law firm Karlin & Peebles LLP joined the firm's Century City office on Jan. 1. Michael Karlin, Maria-Soledad Otero and Cynthia Brittain joined Holland & Knight's distinguished Private Wealth Services Group, the largest practice of its kind in the country, as partners. All three attorneys are recognized as leading advisors in Private Wealth Law by the Chambers High Net Worth guide.
"Michael, Maria and Cindy each bring a wealth of experience working with ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, and their addition further strengthens our firm's extensive capabilities in addressing the multifaceted needs of clients in an increasingly interconnected world," said David Scott Sloan, co-chair of Holland & Knight's Global Private Wealth Services Group.
Also joining Holland & Knight as a partner is Jennifer Campbell, who had recently joined Karlin & Peebles as a partner who focuses on trust and estate administration and planning, as well as several other experienced Karlin & Peebles tax and estate planning attorneys, including Celine Wyman, Kara Koerner, Joohee Jung and Jia-Hua Wang.
Karlin & Peebles was founded by Michael Karlin and Jane Peebles, who first met in 1988 at a law firm in Los Angeles and then stayed in touch and collaborated for nearly two decades before combining forces in 2007. Karlin & Peebles is widely regarded as a preeminent boutique concentrating on tax law and trusts and estates planning for individuals and businesses with an international element. Ms. Peebles has retired.
"Maria, Cindy and I believe this move will strengthen our ability to provide high-quality tax, estate and trust, and charitable planning services to our clients, who will now gain access to the many integrated practice areas and industries covered by Holland & Knight," Mr. Karlin said. "We look forward to continuing to serve individuals, families and their businesses and trusts, especially involving cross-border issues, with significant additional benefits that come with the resources provided by Holland & Knight."
Mr. Karlin is an English solicitor and California attorney with more than 45 years of experience advising corporate and individual clients on tax, estate planning and business matters involving a cross-border element. He advises individuals and families from abroad who invest in or move to the United States as well as U.S. individuals and families who invest and move abroad, including the ever-increasing regulatory and reporting obligations associated with such activities. Pre-immigration and expatriation planning are an important part of his practice. He also advises individuals and closely held businesses on the tax and business aspects of operating outside their home jurisdiction. Mr. Karlin received B.A. and M.A. degrees from Trinity College, Cambridge University. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1977 and became a member of the California Bar in 1980.
Ms. Otero works on international income tax planning and compliance matters for high-net-worth private clients and multinational businesses. She advises on a broad range of international tax and estate planning matters, working with both individuals and families with cross-border businesses and investments as well as corporate clients seeking to optimize their worldwide effective tax rate and to reduce foreign taxes through tax-efficient financing, efficient cash management, repatriation of earnings to the U.S. and transfer pricing analyses. Ms. Otero received an L.L.M. degree from Southwestern Law School, a Master of Business Taxation and MBA degrees from the University of Southern California and a Master of Law degree from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.
Ms. Brittain works closely with private clients in the U.S. and around the world, designing efficient strategies that maximize tax benefits for individuals and their companies while meeting personal wealth transfer and business succession needs. She has decades of experience advising high-net-worth individuals and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families on domestic and international income and estate tax planning strategies and philanthropic endeavors. Ms. Brittain received an L.L.M. degree in taxation from the University of San Diego School of Law, a J.D. degree from California Western School of Law and a B.A. degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"The background and comprehensive knowledge Michael, Maria and Cindy bring regarding international tax issues, regulatory frameworks and wealth transfer strategies will be invaluable to our clients in the U.S. and abroad," said Christopher Boyett, co-chair of Holland & Knight's Global Private Wealth Services Group. "We are thrilled to welcome them to the firm and know they will be a great cultural fit."
Holland & Knight's Private Wealth Services Group represents high-net-worth individuals, substantial closely held and family businesses, charitable organizations, educational institutions, banks and trust companies. The firm has the most fellows in the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel (ACTEC) of any law firm in the United States. ACTEC is the professional association of preeminent trusts and estates lawyers selected for membership by their peers and based upon their knowledge and experience.