From new state statutes designed to attract wealthy residents to the validity of employer vaccine mandates, we have recently seen significant developments in estate planning and business law. To ensure that you stay abreast of these legal changes, we have highlighted a few noteworthy developments and analyzed how they may impact your estate planning and business law practice.

Among confusing legal concepts, the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax is at the top of the list. Because of its complexity, many attorneys lump it in with concepts such as the rule against perpetuities—topics taught in law school that they never quite fully understood and wish to forget. However, for estate-planning attorneys, understanding the GST tax is vital to helping their clients effectively plan to avoid it if possible. As with any concept that causes confusion, breaking it down is the key to better understanding.

Inconvenience resulting from COVID-19 restrictions or other issues related to remote work are not an excuse for failing to meet ethical duties. The rules of professional responsibility, including the duty of confidentiality and duty to avoid conflicts of interest, still apply in the virtual environment. In fact, attorneys may need to implement extra safeguards to avoid violating their ethical obligations.