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Practice Area(s)

Education

  • J.D., Harvard Law School, 1984, Notes Editor, Harvard Law Review
  • B.A., Pomona College, 1981, cum laude

Bar and Court Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Virginia
  • Maryland
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Tax Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • District of Columbia Court of Appeals
  • Maryland Court of Appeals
  • Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (inactive)

Other Professional Affiliations

Member, American Bar Association, Sections of Taxation and Real Property, Trust and Estate Law

Board of Regents, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, 2018-2021

Chair, Tax Policy Tax Study Committee, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, 2019-2022

Member, Washington Affairs Committee, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Former Chair, 2016-2019

Member, Estate and Gift Tax Committee, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel

Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel

Member, Washington DC Estate Planning Council

Government Experience

Attorney, Office of Tax Legislative Counsel, U.S. Department of Treasury, 1995-2001

Law Clerk, Chief Judge Spottswood W. Robinson, III, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, 1984-1985

Beth Shapiro Kaufman

Member, Washington, D.C.
(202) 862-5062
bkaufman@capdale.com | v-card | PDF

Beth Shapiro Kaufman is a Member in Caplin & Drysdale's Washington, D.C., office. She was President of the Firm from 2015 to 2018 and continues as an active member of the firm’s Board of Directors. 

Ms. Kaufman rejoined the firm's Private Client Group in 2001 after working for over six years in the Treasury Department's Office of Tax Policy. Serving first as Attorney Advisor and then as Associate Tax Legislative Counsel, Ms. Kaufman had principal responsibility for all tax policy matters affecting trusts and estates, including estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes, as well as income taxation of trusts and estates. She has continued her focus in these areas in private practice.

Services

At Caplin & Drysdale, Ms. Kaufman assists wealthy individuals with their estate planning. She also advises lawyers and other professionals on complex issues regarding estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. She is frequently retained by counsel to assist in estate and gift tax audits, to advocate a taxpayer's position before the Internal Revenue Service, or to seek a private letter ruling.

Highlights

While with the government, Ms. Kaufman was the primary Treasury representative involved in the legislative and regulatory developments affecting the taxation of trusts and estates. Legislative projects included the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 and the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. Regulatory projects included regulations on qualified domestic trusts, generation-skipping transfer tax, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, adequate disclosure for gift tax purposes, separate share, definition of foreign and domestic trusts, and valuation tables.

Ms. Kaufman is a member of the Adjunct Faculty for the University of Miami School of Law, Heckerling Graduate Program in Estate Planning.  During a concentrated week-long class each winter, Ms. Kaufman teaches law students the ins and outs of the “Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax”.

Awards & Rankings

  • Chambers High Net Worth Guide, Private Wealth Law, D.C. and USA: Eastern Region, 2016-Present
  • Chambers USA, 2010-2016
  • Best Lawyers in America, Women in the Law, 2016; D.C. Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year, 2016 and 2018; Listed 2003-Present
  • Expert Guides' World's Leading Women in Business Law, Leading Practitioner, 2014; Listed, 2013-Present
  • Northern Virginia Magazine, Top Lawyer, 2016
  • Super Lawyers, Washington, D.C., 2008-Present
  • The Legal 500, Recommended, 2014, 2015
  • Fortune Magazine, Women Leaders in the Law, 2014
  • The Washingtonian, Top Money Advisers, 2014; Top Wealth Advisers, 2016; Top Lawyers, 2007-Present
  • The Washington Post, Among the Top Attorneys in D.C., 2014
  • Martindale-Hubbell® AV® Preeminent™

Recent News

Click here for a full list of media coverage.

Recent Speaking Engagements

Ms. Kaufman is a frequent lecturer on topics related to estate planning and has spoken before numerous professional groups, including the University of Miami Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, ALI-ABA, the ABA Tax and Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Sections.  Below is a list of recent speaking engagements.

  • Panelist, Taxing Wealth, Tax Policy Center, September 24, 2019
  • Panelist, The Taxman Cometh: Settling Tax Controversies and Using Taxes to Settle Other Disputes, ACTEC Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting, September 15, 2019
  • Panelist, Confronting the Challenges of Tax Reform, AiP Conference on Philanthropy 2019: Responsive Philanthropy, May 23, 2019
  • Speaker, Value(s) Added, Estate Planners Day, Queens University of Charlotte, May 16, 2019
  • Faculty, Program 5: Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax, Florida Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, April 11, 2019
  • Speaker, Recent Federal Tax Developments for Estate Planners, The Maryland Association of CPAs 2018 Advanced Tax Institute Conference, November 13, 2018
  • Speaker, Late Elections Under Section 9100: How Does the IRS Spell Relief?, 55th Annual NAEPC Advanced Estate Planning Strategies Conference, November 8, 2018
  • Moderator, Washington Insiders: How the Sausage is Made, ACTEC 2018 Fall Meeting, October 26, 2018
  • Speaker, Estate Planning Recent Developments: Planning Ideas to Die For (Preferably Before 2026), 40th Annual Duke University Estate Planning Conference, October 11, 2018
  • Speaker, Estate Planning Recent Developments: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, 40th Annual Duke University Estate Planning Conference, October 11, 2018
  • Speaker, Advising Clients After the 2017 Tax Act: Estate Planning Ideas to Die For, ALI CLE Estate Planning in Depth 2018 Conference, June 25, 2018
  • Speaker, Hot Tax Topics, Texas Bar 24th Annual Course: Advanced Estate Planning Strategies, April 12, 2018
  • Speaker, 9100 Relief - Jumping Through the Hoops When You Learn You Have an "Oops!", The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Annual Meeting, March 9, 2018
  • Presenter, Estate Planning Under H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, STEP Mid Atlantic, January 31, 2018
  • Speaker, Confronting the Challenges of Tax Reform: What Happened to the Certainty of Death and Taxes?, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, January 11, 2018
  • Panelist, Estate Planning Issues, 2017 Advanced Tax Institute (ATI), November 14, 2017
  • Speaker, Advanced Topics in Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax, 52nd Annual Southern Federal Tax Institute, October 27, 2017
  • Speaker, Internal Affairs: Ethical Challenges in a Trusts and Estates Practice, 39th Annual Duke University Estate Planning Conference, October 13, 2017
  • Speaker, Advanced GST Issues, Bloomberg BNA/Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, May 3, 2017
  • Speaker, Recent Developments in Federal Estate and Gift Tax, Estate Planning Council of Portland, INC., January 20, 2017
  • Speaker, Recent Developments in Federal Estate and Gift Tax, The Maryland Association of CPAs, November 15, 2016
  • Speaker, "Changes" - Recent Developments in Federal Case Law, Regulations, and Delaware Trust Law, Delaware Bankers Association and the Delaware Financial Education Alliance, October 25, 2016
  • Speaker, Internal Affairs: Practical and Ethical Challenges in a Trusts and Estates Practice, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel's Mid-Atlantic Meeting, October 22, 2016
  • Speaker, Part 2 of 8 Estate Planning Tax Series: Common GST Problems: How to Avoid Them and How to Fix Them, District of Columbia Bar Association, October 18, 2016
  • Strategies for Charitable Giving Lunch, American Jewish Committee, October 6, 2016
  • Speaker, Common GST Problems: How to Avoid Them and How to Fix Them, Denver Estate Planning Council Meeting, September 29, 2016
  • Speaker, Professional Program: Common GST Reporting Problems, ACTEC, September 18, 2016
  • Faculty, 100th Anniversary of the Federal Estate Tax, American Law Institute, Current Issues in Estate Planning, May 11, 2016
  • Speaker, Estate Planning Ideas for 2016, Investment Management Consultants Association, February 1, 2016
  • Panelist, Recent Developments In Federal Case Law, Legislation, and Regulations, Maryland State Bar Association, November 3, 2015
  • Panelist, Recent Developments: Questions and Answers, Delaware Bankers Association Financial Education Alliance, 10th Annual Delaware Trust Conference, October 26, 2015
  • Speaker, Recent Developments in Federal Case Law, Regulations, and Delaware Trust Law, Delaware Bankers Association Financial Education Alliance, 10th Annual Delaware Trust Conference, October 26, 2015
  • Panelist, The Future of Estate Planning: Planning In A Digital Age, B'nai B'rith Foundation, October 21, 2015
  • Speaker, A Look Inside the National Office, Baker Tilly, Trust and Estate Conference, June 24, 2015
  • Speaker, Hot Topics, ACTEC 2015 Annual Meeting, March 8, 2015
  • Keynote Speaker, A Washington Update on Legislation and Regulations, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 21st Annual Estate Law Institute, November 20, 2014
  • Panelist, Creative Estate Planning Strategies for Using Lifetime QTIPS, American Law Institute (ALI) CLE, October 22, 2014
  • Speaker, D.C. Tax Update, Washington, D.C., Estate Planning Council, Breakfast Roundtable, October 21, 2014
  • Speaker, And Now a Word From Our Sponsor: QTIPS, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Mid-Atlantic Fall Meeting, September 14, 2014
  • Speaker, Tax Policy for Estate Planners: A View from Washington, D.C.", San Francisco Estate Planning Council, March 19, 2014
  • Speaker, Allocation of Indexed GST Exemption, American Bar Association, November 21, 2013
  • Speaker, Recent Developments in Estate and Gift Tax, Maryland Association of CPAs, November 19, 2013
  • Speaker, Washington Regulatory and Legislative Update, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel's Mid-Atlantic Meeting, October 4, 2013
  • Speaker, Care and Feeding of 2012 Estate Plans, American Bar Association, May 3, 2013
  • Speaker, Estate Planning After the American Taxpayer Relief Act : Tools for 2013, National Constitution Center, April 11, 2013
  • Speaker, Trust & Estate Practice: Planning Ahead, Attorneys' Liability Assurance Society, Inc., April 4, 2013
  • Speaker, 2013 Estate Planning Update, Family Office Exchange, January 30, 2013
  • Speaker, Estate Planning After the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, ALI-CLE, January 25, 2013
  • Speaker, Question and Answer Panel, 47th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, January 16, 2013
  • Speaker, Recent Developments 2012, 47th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, January 14, 2013
  • Speaker, Hurry Up or Wait? Year-End and 2013 Estate Planning Ideas, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), December 13, 2012
  • Presenter, Planning in the Year of the Dragon: How Long Can This Drag On, The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, Planned Giving Roundtable, December 12, 2012
  • Panelist, Recent Estate Planning Developments, District of Columbia Bar Association, November 20, 2012
  • Speaker, Dealing with the Continued Uncertainty of the Tax Law, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), October 19, 2012
  • Speaker, Washington Outlook – Planning for Uncertainty, 2012 Delaware Trust Conference, October 2, 2012
  • Speaker, Estate & Gift Taxes: Planning for Uncertainty in the Year of the Dragon, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), September 27, 2012
  • Speaker, Our Uncertain Future: Washington Tax Update and Planning Implications, 17th Annual Solomon & Sylvia Bronstein Seminar for Professionals, September 6, 2012
  • Speaker, Estate and Tax Planning for Wealthy Widows and Widowers, Winter Educational Symposium, Financial Planning Association National Capital Area: Wealth Management for Affluent Seniors, January 27, 2012
  • Speaker, GST Tax: Pitfalls, Pratfalls and Practical Pointers, Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, January 12, 2012
  • Speaker, Gift Tax Audits: A Tale of Two Initiatives, Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, January 11, 2012
  • Speaker, Estate Planning 101, AICPA National Tax Conference, American Institute of CPAs, November 7, 2011
  • Speaker, Tax Reporting for 2010 Decedents, District of Columbia Bar Association, September 21, 2011
  • Speaker, Using Federal and State Estate Tax Exemptions in 2011-2012: 15 Months and Counting, Estate Planning Council, September 20, 2011
  • Speaker, Nuts and Bolts Philanthropic Planning, Philanthropic Planning Group of Greater New York, May 26, 2011
  • Speaker, Estate Planning, National Tax Association and the American Tax Policy Institute, May 19, 2011
  • Panelist, Income and Transfer Tax Planning Group (Part 1): You Can't Always Get What You Want, American Bar Association, 22nd Annual Spring Symposia, April 28, 2011
  • Panelist, 2010 Tax Act Impact on Estate Planning: Successfully Navigating Uncharted Waters, ALI-ABA and American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), January 28, 2011
  • Speaker, 2010 Tax Act Impact on Estate Planning: Successfully Navigating Uncharted Waters, DC Estate Planning Council, January 25, 2011
  • Speaker, Recent Developments in Estate Planning, Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, January 10, 2011
  • Panelist, The New Estate Tax Regime: Making Sense out of Chaos, ALI-ABA and American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), December 22, 2010
  • Speaker, Hot Topics: This Time a Study in Certainties, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), October 15, 2010
  • Speaker, 2010 Estate Planning Opportunities, District of Columbia Bar Association, September 29, 2010
  • Panelist, Estate Tax Legislative Update, American Bar Association, May 6, 2010
  • Speaker, Upcoming Estate Tax Legislation: What You Need to Know in 2010, The Knowledge Congress, February 22, 2010
  • Speaker, Tax Planning Proposals for a New Era, District of Columbia Bar Association, January 14, 2010
  • Panelist, Planned Giving Roundtable, Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, Inc., December 8, 2009
  • Speaker, Failure to Allocate GST Exemption: How Does the IRS Spell Relief?, 31st Annual Duke University Estate Planning Conference - Duke University School of Law, October 15, 2009

Click here for a full list of speaking engagements.

Recent Publications

Click here for a full list of publications.

Fellow The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel





 



 


 

  

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