Schiff Hardin LLP announced today the continued expansion of its Private Clients, Trusts and Estates Practice Group in New York and Chicago. Kevin Matz joins as a partner in New York, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in international and domestic trust and estate planning, and Kiran Uppal joins as counsel in Chicago.

“Kevin and Kiran are phenomenal attorneys with deep and diverse experience counseling wealthy clients and their family entities,” said Thomas Abendroth, leader of the Private Clients, Trusts and Estates practice group. “As wealth management and preservation have become increasingly more complicated, we continue to recruit leaders in the field to service our growing client roster and expand the team’s capabilities.”

Matz advises high net worth clients on domestic and international estate and tax planning, family office services, estate administration, qualified opportunity zone (QOZ) funds, and related litigation, often serving as outside general counsel to his clients. A certified public accountant, he is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) (for which he currently chairs its Business Planning Committee) and is also a co-chair of the Taxation Committee of the Trusts and Estates Law Section of the New York State Bar Association.

“Schiff Hardin has the ideal platform to service my clients, and its Private Clients, Trusts and Estates group is highly credentialed and regarded by industry insiders,” Matz said. “With today’s uncertain political climate, particularly in light of the proposal for the deemed realization of gain on transfers by gift or at death that is contained in the Biden Administration’s Green Book, and the proposed dramatic reduction in estate and gift tax exemptions and proposed effective eradication of some of the most popular estate planning techniques that are included in the bill that Senator Bernie Sanders recently introduced, being at this firm with its phenomenal legal depth and breadth to respond to my clients’ range of issues – and planning opportunities – is hugely beneficial.”

Regarding the impact of the deemed realization proposals that are contained in the Biden Administration’s Green Book and the proposals currently before Congress, Matz notes that “the overarching message is that there is a realistic possibility of significant change later this year in the tax laws that pertain to wealth transfer planning, and innovative thinking – and close coordination with clients and other advisors – is now more essential than ever as we face this coming storm.”

A frequent author and presenter at national industry conferences, Matz has addressed estate and tax planning issues for diverse audiences ranging from private equity fund managers to investors in QOZ funds, including at the renowned Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning. Prior to joining Schiff Hardin, Matz was a partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan.

Matz received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, his LL.M. in Taxation from the New York University School of Law, and his B.S. from the City University of New York.

Kiran Uppal

Kiran Uppal joins Schiff Hardin as counsel in Chicago, bringing deep experience developing and implementing complex estate plans for affluent multi-generational families, including preparation of wills, revocable living trusts, granted retained annuity trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, and irrevocable grantor trusts.

Uppal has considerable experience advising state-chartered private trust companies in all aspects of entity governance, beneficiary relations, and trust-related matters. In addition to handling sophisticated gift and generation-skipping transfer planning, and trusts and estates administration for clients, Uppal has established private foundations and provides ongoing governance support for those foundations. She previously practiced at Levin Schreder & Carey.

Uppal received her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law and a LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. She earned her B.S. in political science from the University of Washington.