Alex S. Tanouye
Associate

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Bio	Personal    Information	Education	Professional    Memberships
Birth Information:  1975, Bellevue, Washington Recent Employment Positions:  Law Office of Virginia A. McArthur, 2004—2007  Associate, 2006—2007 University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, Maryland, 2005 J.D.  University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 1999  B.A., with Honors, Government and Politics Phi Beta Kappa Maryland Bar Association  Member District of Columbia Bar Association  Member U.S. Tax Court Member Other Information: Completed 40 hours of mediation training with the Baltimore Mediation Center

Alex Tanouye is a member of the firm’s Estate Planning and Probate group. He represents individuals in all areas of estate planning, including tax planning and the preparation of wills and trusts, as well as estate and trust administration.

Many of Alex’s clients are new parents who recognize the importance of estate planning as a foundation for protecting their loved ones should the unthinkable happen. Basic wills often are appropriate for parents of growing families who want to name guardians for their children and direct assets for their care. Alex counsels people as their families evolve and their financial situations change to make sure their estate planning documents and plans are appropriate. In most cases, Alex prepares incapacity planning documents, such as durable powers of attorney and advance health care directives, which are critical elements of any estate plan.

Alex helps unmarried clients in committed relationships because these couples have a particularly acute need for estate planning to avoid the default provisions of state law both for incapacity planning and testamentary planning.

Tax planning almost always is an additional estate planning consideration, especially in light of legislative uncertainty regarding the Federal estate tax. Residents of the District of Columbia and Maryland - both of which impose a state estate tax - have additional tax planning considerations. Alex is versed in tax planning techniques that generally are available to mitigate the impact or defer the payment of state and Federal estate taxes.

Estate administration, or probate, is a large part of Alex's practice. He has extensive experience administering decedent's estates in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. This work typically involves filing a petition to have the person named in the decedent's will appointed as Personal Representative and to initiate an estate administration proceeding. Alex works with the Personal Representative to prepare and file of all probate-required documents as well as Federal and state estate tax and fiduciary income tax returns. He also works with trustees in the administration of trusts, including the preparation of annual accountings and fiduciary income tax returns.

Alex received his B.A., with honors in Government and Politics, from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1999. He was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa and received a Department of Government and Politics Award for Academic Excellence. He received his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2005. While there, he took the full complement of estate and transfer tax courses, and completed 40 hours of mediation training with the Baltimore Mediation Center. Alex is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and before the U.S. Tax Court. Alex was recently accepted to Georgetown University Law Center's LL.M – Taxation program and plans to begin taking courses in fall 2010.

Alex is a longtime resident of Montgomery County and is a graduate of Georgetown Preparatory School, where he was a four-year member of the varsity wrestling team and co-lead guitarist and vocalist in a blues-rock outfit called The Suede Chicken Blues Band. Following his freshman year of college, Alex enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve and ultimately attained the rank of Sergeant (E-5) before being honorably discharged in 2002. Alex's two deployments to southwest Germany are among his fondest memories of his service.

Alex says, “In my estate planning practice, I truly enjoy the opportunity to meet new people, to learn about their families, goals, and aspirations, and to work with them to create an estate plan that fits their needs. Regardless of your level of income or wealth, a basic estate plan – including a will, a durable power of attorney, and an advance health care directive – is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones. It is also wise to review your estate plan regularly to ensure that your plan makes sense in light of changes in your family or in the law."