Luke Federici, Of Counsel in Dickinson Wright’s Reno office, focuses his practice on estate and succession planning, trust and estate administration, and tax and corporate transactional law. Luke’s clients rely on his experience in these areas in planning for their future or the future of their business.
After graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno, with a degree in accounting, Luke was an Audit Agent with the State of Nevada Gaming Control Board. While in law school, Luke externed at the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada for Judge Gregg W. Zive and the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for Judge Procter R. Hug, Jr.
Education & Credentials
Education
Golden Gate University School of Law
J.D., 2009Golden Gate University School of Law
LL.M., 2010- With Honors
University of Nevada, Reno
B.S., 2003- With Honors
Bar Admission
Prominent Assignments
- Successfully mediated a dispute brought by three siblings against another sibling, who served as the trustee of their mother’s $2+ million estate. We worked extensively with the trustee’s CPAs to address the formal objections raised by the siblings and advised the trustee on tax matters, Proposition 58, asset valuation discounting, LLC operations and reporting, and trust distributions to resolve the matter without having to go to court.
- Successfully marshaled diverse estate assets, including multiple business interests, real estate, financial accounts, and items of tangible personal property, and negotiated and satisfied all creditor’s claims, including settling potential litigation against the estate, on behalf of the executor and surviving spouse of a decedent in a $3million probate matter in San Francisco County, California. Resolved ambiguities in estate planning documents for the benefit of decedent’s surviving spouse and children.
- Represented the trustee in administering three sub-trusts under a $8.7 million family trust agreement. This included the preparation and defense of trust accountings to address beneficiary’s objections and questions, the management and dissolution of California and Texas LLCs in which the trust held a membership interest, coordinating and consulting with CPAs regarding filing trust income tax returns for the three subtrusts and estate tax return, advising on asset discounting methods for fractional interest ownership, and preparing asset allocation and distribution agreements for the beneficiaries of the trust.
- Represented private clients in estate planning and the restating of an $11 million trust agreement in conjunction with the clients’ wealth distribution plan. Advised the clients on trust division methods and asset allocations along with lifetime and charitable gifting plans, as well as on the relevant tax implications of the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Professional Involvement
- San Mateo County Bar Association
- Silicon Valley Bar Association
- Washoe County Bar Association (Nevada)
Community Involvement
- Kiwanis International
Court Admissions
- USDC: District of Nevada
- United States Tax Court