David E. Stutzman

David E. Stutzman is a partner in the Private Client Group at Seward & Kissel LLP. For more than 30 years, he has advised high‑net‑worth individuals and families on complex estate, trust, charitable, and tax planning and administration.

David represents hedge fund and private equity fund managers, executives and professionals, family business and real estate owners, art collectors, artists, musicians, sports figures, and inheritors. He guides clients through estate, gift, and generation‑skipping transfer (GST) tax planning using sophisticated techniques, including private trust companies and family office structures, multigenerational trusts, and the use of limited liability companies and partnerships.

David also advises clients on philanthropic planning, including charitable split‑interest trusts and private foundations, pre‑ and post‑marital planning, cross‑border estate and transfer tax matters, and trust and estate administration. He has extensive experience representing clients in IRS and state estate and gift tax audits and in proceedings before the New York Surrogate’s Court and the Connecticut Probate Court.