Resume - Varnum LLP

CHRISTOPHER J.
CALDWELL
Contact Information
Email:
Direct:
Fax:
[email protected]
616/336-6951
616/336-7000
Education
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
J.D., magna cum laude, 2002
Hope College
Holland, Michigan
B.A., cum laude, History, 1998
Phi Alpha Theta, National History Honors Society
Alpha Epsilon Delta, National Pre-Med Honors Society
Legal
Employment
Varnum LLP
Grand Rapids, Michigan 2003
Partner and Leader of Varnum's Estate Planning Practice Team
Magistrate Judge Steven D. Pepe
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 2002
Clerk
Practice
Areas
Estate Planning, Estate and Trust Administration, Cottage Law
Honors
The Best Lawyers in America®, Trusts & Estates, since 2013
Professional
Affiliations
Community
Involvement
State Bar of Michigan: Probate and Estate Planning Section, Membership
Committee
Grand Rapids Bar Association
Michigan Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE)
Home Repair Services, Board
Fountain Street Church Foundation, Board
West Michigan Estate Planning Council, Board and past President
West Michigan Planned Giving Group, Board
CHRISTOPHER J. CALDWELL
Presentations
and Publications
Co-author: "Planning to Avoid Special Elections," Michigan Revocable Grantor
Trusts, ICLE (Last updated 2014).
"Trust 'Decanting' in Michigan," Michigan Probate & Estate Planning Journal,
Vol. 33, Winter 2013, No. 1.
Presenter: "Fiduciary Ethics and Family Business: I Know I Owe a Duty, but to
Whom?" Michigan Banker's Association Midwest Trust and Wealth
Management Conference (2011).
Speaker at ICLE, "Overview of the Estate Tax and Portability Issues," Planning
Techniques for the Taxable Estate (December 2013).
Co-author: "How to Choose the Correct Entity For Your Family Cottage,"
Michigan Lawyers Weekly, Volume 24, No. 5, October 25, 2010.
Co-author: "Protecting Memories, Making New Ones," Michigan Lawyers
Weekly, Volume 23, No. 50, October 26, 2009.
Co-author: "Estate Planning with Retirement Assets: Trusts, Taxes and Other
Common Issues," Michigan Bar Journal, Volume 85, No. 12, December 2006.
Presenter: "The Estate Tax: Where It Has Been and When It Might Be Going,"
Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants Annual Conference
(2005).
Christopher J. Caldwell, Comment, "Should E-Wills Be Wills: Will Advanced
Technology Be Recognized for Will Execution," University of Pittsburgh Law
Review, Vol. 63, 2002.
Representative
Matters
Advising multiple second-generation members of a significant farming
operation on estate planning, focusing on estate tax minimization and business
succession planning. Begin implementation of structure to involve next
generation members in business operations.
Working with the majority owner of a large food-service operation to take
advantage of tax minimization strategies while also simplifying a complex
structure for maximum efficiency and flexibility for future planning.
Representation of an individual trustee regarding the settlement of a complex
estate following the death of both parents; assisting in probate litigation
regarding validity and interpretation of estate plan documents.
With several generations of multiple families involved in a variety of businesses,
worked to establish consistent business succession plans within context of very
individualized estate plans, and with an emphasis on transfer tax minimization,
asset protection for future generations, and business operation efficiency.
Worked with a couple owning eight-figure qualified retirement plans to prepare
an estate plan with a goal to maximize benefits to individual beneficiaries and
charities in the context of income tax, estate tax, and cash flow concerns.
Represented parents holding valuable Lake Michigan real estate to address
property tax concerns while creating a cottage management structure for future
generations.
2