Larry M. Kern

Larry Kern is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Chicago office and a member of the firm’s Private Wealth Services Group. Mr. Kern focuses his practice on tax and estate planning matters for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, closely held business owners, private equity and hedge fund principals, and charitable organizations.

Mr. Kern has a wealth of experience advising clients in connection with the formation and operation of family offices and private trust companies. In addition, Mr. Kern has an in-depth knowledge of the migration of trusts to reduce or eliminate state income tax exposure. As a certified public accountant, he also has substantial experience with estate and trust administration matters, preparing and reviewing state and federal income, estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax returns, and helping clients manage disputes with the IRS and state taxing authorities.

Mr. Kern regularly designs, implements and administers sophisticated wealth transfer tools, including grantor retained annuity trusts, sales to defective grantor trusts, asset protection trusts, family investment vehicles, dynasty trusts and life insurance trusts. He also assists closely held business owners and wealthy individuals with business succession planning, as well as income tax and transfer tax reduction planning.

Additionally, Mr. Kern regularly represents clients in estate and trust administration matters, including contested estates and trusts, and he counsels clients on the formation and administration of a variety of tax-exempt and charitable entities.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Kern worked in the Chicago office of a multinational law and lobbying firm.