Scott H. Wallace
- Firmwide Chair, Private Client Services Practice
A leading strategist in trust and estate law, Scott Wallace is a champion for his clients’ legacies.
Scott Wallace advises individuals, families, and family offices on comprehensive tax and estate planning.
He minimizes estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes by creating wills, trusts, business entities, and charitable organizations, as well as with gifts, sales, and other sophisticated wealth-transfer strategies. Scott helps clients establish a variety of trusts to meet their specific planning goals, including irrevocable gift trusts for the benefit of a spouse and/or descendants, grantor retained annuity trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, and irrevocable life insurance trusts.
Scott provides tax-efficient planning for individuals and families, fiduciary representation, estate and trust administration, involvement in nonjudicial trust and estate dispute resolutions, formation and administration of charitable organizations, and preparation of gift and estate tax returns.
A recognized leader in the legal community, Scott serves as chair of the University of Washington Estate and Gift Tax Planning Council and as a member of the University of Washington Foundation Board Executive Committee. He has been ranked in Washington state by Chambers High Net Worth every year since 2016.
Organizer Forms
Personal Planning Data Form
Download a PDF Version of the Personal Planning Data Form
Estate Organizer
Download a PDF Version of the Estate Organizer
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- University of Washington, LL.M., Taxation, 2011
- Seattle University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2007
- University of Washington, B.A., Business Administration, Honors Program, 2003
Bar and Court Admissions
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Washington
Related Employment
- University of Washington School of Law, Estate Planning – Drafting, Adjunct Professor, 2021
- Ahrens DeAngeli Law Group LLP, Associate, 2007-2012; Summer Associate, 2004-2007
Professional Recognition
Listed in Best Lawyers in America: Trusts and Estates, 2021-2024
Ranked in Private Wealth Law, Washington by Chambers High Net Worth (HNW), 2016-2024
Listed in Super Lawyers Magazine, "Washington Rising Star," 2017
Impact
Professional Leadership
- University of Washington Foundation Board, Executive Committee
- University of Washington Estate of Gift Tax Planning Council, Chair
- Fred Hutchinson Professional Advisory Council, Member
- Seattle Estate Planning Seminar, Chair, 2017
- Estate Planning Council of Seattle, Prior Member of the Executive Committee
- Washington State Bar Association
- King County Bar Association
Sections: Taxation; Real Property, Probate and Trust
Insights
News
Professional Experience
Personal Planning
Family Office Planning
Providing ongoing consultation with active multi-functional family offices on a wide range of tax, investment management, estate planning and governance matters.
Gift Planning
Providing advice on tax efficient gifting to children and grandchildren, including drafting and implementing "Crummey" Trusts, Generation-Skipping Trusts, Residence Trusts (QPRTs), Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) and Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs). We also assisted clients with education savings planning, including tax effects of 529 Plans, and provided advice on tax efficient giving to charities, including Charitable Lead Trusts and Charitable Remainder Trusts (CLATs, CLUTs, CRATs and CRUTs). In addition, we prepared estate and gift tax forecasts and plans for payment of estate taxes for business succession.
Limited Liability Companies and Family Limited Partnerships
Established limited liability companies (LLCs) for the management of family real estate and other assets among multiple generations of the same family.
Multi-generational Estate and Asset Planning
Advising clients on multi-generational estate and asset planning of families owning large operating businesses.
Private Foundations & Charitable Trusts
Assisted clients in establishing private foundations or charitable trusts to hold family assets. These include endowment agreements with various educational or charitable institutions. Provided ongoing family foundation counseling and grant making consultation and advice.
Probate and Trust Administration
Advising clients on estate and trust administration, probate, estate and trust dispute resolution matters and the preparation of gift and estate tax returns, including:
- Representing executors or administrators (a.k.a. personal representatives) of estates and trustees of trusts in the fulfillment of fiduciary duties,
- Representing beneficiaries regarding their interests in estates and trusts, and
- Advising and drafting nonjudicial binding agreements to modify will or trust terms or to settle fiduciary disputes
Tax Representation
Preparing gift tax returns to report taxable gifts and federal and Washington estate tax returns and represented taxpayers on estate and gift tax audits.