Jim Cohen co-chairs the Estate Planning and Administration and Tax Groups at Kleinberg Kaplan. Jim has focused his practice on estate planning and tax advice to private clients, hedge funds and other money managers for more than 35 years. Jim's estate planning clients run the gamut from estates of a few million dollars to estates in excess of a billion dollars; estates of hedge fund managers, private investors, entrepreneurs, professionals, senior corporate executives, writers and artists, uncomplicated families, multiple families (three spouses, six children and four dogs) international families, etc.
The advice Jim gives to private clients and hedge fund managers often includes advice on tax-efficient investing. Jim has been involved with private placement variable life insurance (his favorite tax-efficient investment structure) for many years, acting as legal counsel to insurance brokers for such policies, investors (private clients, family offices, hedge fund managers) who have purchased such policies, and hedge fund managers managing funds for such policies.
Jim has dealt extensively with tax issues and estate planning matters involving hedge fund investments and hedge fund managers including fee deferrals and business continuity of the hedge fund management company after the manager’s death or disability.
Jim has also helped clients structure ownership of assets, set up domestic and offshore trusts, and plan their estates so as to minimize risks of potential claims of creditors including divorcing spouses.
Jim has lectured widely on tax, estate and succession planning, investment fund and hedge fund life insurance issues. Jim was named a New York Super Lawyer in 2006, 2007 and 2009.
Jim is on the Board and Executive Committee of the Abraham Fund.
BAR ADMISSION:
1966, New York, U.S. Tax Court and U.S. Court of Federal Claims, formerly the U.S. Claims Court
EDUCATION:
New York University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1967; LL.B., 1966)
Dartmouth College (B.A., 1963)
MEMBER:
American Bar Association (Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, 1981-)
LECTURER:
“Effective Estate, Business Continuity and Asset Protection Planning for General Partners,” at Financial Research Associates Annual Effective Hedge Fund Tax Practices, 2001 through 2006
“Estate Planning for Hedge Fund Managers," Merrill Lynch Private Wealth Management, 2006
“Estate Planning” for Lawline Cable TV, 2006 and 2001
NMS Wealth Management, 1998
U.S. Trust, “Selected Estate Planning Strategies,” 1997
Foundation for Accounting Education, 1995 and 1999
Mar/Hedge Conference, 1995 and 1996
Institute for Private Investors, 1994 and 1996
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