Michael N. Gooen

Practice Areas

Co-chair, Family Office Practice

Trusts & Estates

Tax

Career

Michael designs and implements wealth transfer plans, including wills, trusts, and other estate plan instruments, for families and closely held businesses.

Michael is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), the preeminent organization of trust and estate lawyers in the U.S. He has been recognized for his private wealth law and tax practices by Chambers High Net Worth, The Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers.

Many of Michael's clients are successful professionals with first-generation wealth. Unlike "old money" families, for whom estate planning is already an integral part of the culture, these clients are thinking about wealth transfer for the very first time. They frequently face the issue with some discomfort but recognize that taxes, intrafamily conflict, and other factors can lead to financial catastrophe. Michael helps navigate the complexities of business transitions and assists clients in passing their wealth as tax-efficiently as possible, with proper safeguards in place so that assets provide more benefits than burdens to future generations.

Clients with closely held businesses, including companies in the financial services industry, particularly value Michael's substantial experience in transactional tax planning, including domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions and partnership formations. He moves at the client's pace, speaks the client's language, and stays attuned to the complexities of each enterprise. Michael is particularly adept at designing complex ownership agreements for closely held entities and then advising the equity holders in their personal wealth transfer planning.

Professional Memberships

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel: Fellow

Estate Planning Council of New York City: Member Emeritus, Board of Directors

Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest New Jersey: Member, Board of Trustees; Chair Emeritus, Grant Review Committee

Publications

September 20, 2021: "House Tax Proposal Would Restrict Grantor Trust Planning: What You Need To Know Now,"

Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

March 27, 2020: "Key Tax and Employee Benefits Provisions of the CARES Act," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

March 20, 2020: "Estate, Gift, and Income Tax Planning in the Time of COVID-19," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

January 6, 2020: "Qualified Opportunity Funds: Answers and Questions (Update #3–Final Regulations Released),"Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

April 23, 2019: "Qualified Opportunity Funds: Answers and Questions (Update #2)," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

November 30, 2018: "IRS Issues New Favorable Rules on Exemptions From Gift, Estate, and Generation-Skipping Tax," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

October 23, 2018: "Qualified Opportunity Funds: Answers and Questions (Update #1),"Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

August 28, 2018: "Qualified Opportunity Funds: Answers and Questions," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

December 26, 2017: "Key Tax Provisions Affecting Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds And Other Investment Vehicles," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

December 22, 2017: "Key Partnership Tax Provisions," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

December 22, 2017: "Key Foreign Tax Provisions,"

Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

December 22, 2017: "Key Individual Tax Provisions,"

Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

December 22, 2017: "Key Corporate & Business Tax Provisions," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

December 22, 2017: "Key Tax-Exempt Organization Provisions," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

December 22, 2017: "New Tax Act: Trust & Estate Planning Considerations," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

November 2017: "The Estate 'Melt': GRATs Are Only the Tip of the Iceberg," Estate Planning Journal (co-author)

October 25, 2017: "Federal Estate/Gift/GST Taxes: The Unknown and the Known," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

October 17, 2016: "New Jersey Repeals Its Estate Tax," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

August 15, 2016: "New IRS-Proposed Regulations Put a Damper on Discounts," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

May 2015 "Tasty Freeze: Preferred Partnership Tax-Saving Recipe," Estate Planning Journal (co-author)

April 2, 2014: "New York Tax Changes: A Mixed Bag," Lowenstein Sander LLP (co-author)

2014 edition: "Mind the Gap: Coping Strategies for Federal and New York Estate Tax Exclusions,"

Strategies for Trusts and Estates in New York

February 2013: "Multigenerational Estate Planning: Become a Source of Strength," Eaton Vance Advisor Institute

January 3, 2013: "Avoiding the Fiscal Cliff with the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012," Lowenstein Sander LLP

August 17, 2009: "Avoid Crummey Mistakes: Take Care in Structuring Trust Withdrawal Powers," New Jersey Law Journal

July 14, 2008: "GRATs: Make Sure To Sweat All The Small Stuff," New Jersey Law Journal (co-author)