Trust & Estate Administration Counsel

Barnes & Thornburg LLP is seeking an accomplished, senior-level attorney to lead trust administration, probate, and estate settlement matters for its Private Client Services Group in Indianapolis. The role involves counseling individual and corporate fiduciaries, beneficiaries, high-net-worth families, and closely held business owners through every stage of trust and estate settlement.

The primary focus of this position is trust and estate administration and settlement. The successful candidate will serve as the day-to-day point person on fiduciary administration matters, managing client matters with a high degree of autonomy. Estate planning experience is valued as a complementary skill set, and the practice offers opportunities to advise on planning matters as well.

We welcome interested attorneys from a range of professional backgrounds. Along with law firm practitioners, we encourage applications from licensed attorneys who have served as trust officers, estate or trust settlement officers, fiduciary counsel, or senior fiduciary advisors at banks, trust companies, or family offices and who want to return to, or move into, private practice. The firm is open to a Counsel or partner-track arrangement, depending on the candidate’s experience and career goals. Hybrid work arrangements are available for the right candidate.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage a full docket of trust administration, probate, and estate settlement matters from intake to closing, serving as the primary attorney and day-to-day contact for fiduciaries and families

• Guide personal representatives and trustees through all phases of administration, including marshaling, valuing, and retitling assets; paying debts, expenses, and claims; and making interim and final distributions

• Handle supervised and unsupervised estate administrations and trust-related court proceedings. This includes petitions, statutory notices, inventories, accountings, petitions for distribution, and closing filings

• Interpret wills, trust instruments, and related governing documents. Advise on fiduciary powers, duties, and discretionary distribution decisions

• Counsel individual and corporate fiduciaries on fiduciary duties, beneficiary communications, conflict avoidance, and risk management, including releases, receipts, and settlement agreements

• Coordinate post-mortem tax planning and compliance, including estate tax returns (Form 706), fiduciary income tax returns (Form 1041), portability and other elections, basis issues, and gift and GST tax matters. Work closely with CPAs, fiduciary accountants, and appraisers

• Identify and resolve administration issues such as trust modification, decanting, nonjudicial settlement agreements, disclaimers, and beneficiary or creditor disputes. Work with the firm’s litigation colleagues when matters become contested

• Oversee the administration of closely held business interests, real estate, and other complex or illiquid assets held in estates and trusts

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and strong academic credentials

• Substantial, senior-level experience (generally 10 or more years) in trust and estate administration, probate, and estate settlement, gained in a law firm, bank or trust company fiduciary department, family office, or similar sophisticated fiduciary setting

• Proven ability to independently manage a high-volume, complex administration and settlement docket at a level comparable to a trust and estate administration partner or senior trust/estate settlement officer

• Deep working knowledge of probate procedure, trust law, fiduciary duties, and post-death administration. Experience with Indiana probate and trust practice is strongly preferred

• Strong command of estate, gift, generation-skipping transfer, and fiduciary income tax principles as they apply to administration

• Experience advising individual and corporate fiduciaries, beneficiaries, and high-net-worth families, including those with closely held business interests

• Estate planning drafting experience is a plus but not required

• Exposure to fiduciary litigation, tax audits, or tax controversy matters is a plus

• Excellent judgment, communication, and client-service skills, with the ability to handle sensitive family dynamics tactfully and discreetly

• Admission to the Indiana bar, or eligibility to obtain admission promptly after hire

About the Firm

Barnes & Thornburg LLP is an AmLaw 100 firm with 26 offices. The firm and our Private Client Services Group have an exceptional reputation for having an inclusive, collegial, and supportive atmosphere, where members of the firm can thrive, learn, and advance in their career.

We will not consider resumes submitted by external agencies or recruiters for this position. Recruiters and agencies will not be compensated for assisting Barnes & Thornburg LLP in recruiting for this position, regardless of whether such party has a recruiting contract with us.

Equal Employment and Opportunity Statement:

Barnes & Thornburg is committed to equal employment opportunity in both principle and as a matter of policy. We will recruit, hire, train, promote, compensate and provide benefits to all applicants and employees without regard to ancestry, sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, religion, religious creed, mental and/or physical disability, medical condition, military and/or veteran’s status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state and local laws. This policy applies to all recruiting, hiring, promotions, upgrades, layoffs, compensation, benefits, terminations and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment. The firm complies fully with all federal, state and local equal employment opportunity laws.