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Practice Areas

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

Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel

Chair, Washington Affairs Committee, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, 2016-2017

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 named President of the firm in 2015.

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 module 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 Lawyers, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015; Top Wealth Advisers, 2016
The Washington Post, Among the Top Attorneys in D.C., 2014
Martindale-Hubbell® AV® Preeminent™

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.

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
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, Recent Developments: Questions and Answers, 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