Mark H. Chazin

Partner

908-735-5161
908-735-9351
mchazin@gklegal.com

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Biography

PRIMARY AREAS OF PRACTICE

Mark's primary practice areas are estate and tax planning, and estate and trust administration.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

Estate and Tax Planning. Mark has represented many families and individuals in planning and implementing estate plans designated to minimize the impact of the Federal and State Estate and Gift Taxes. These plans include the drafting of complex Wills with trust provisions, including Credit Shelter Trusts, QTIP Trusts (primarily for second marriages), QDOT Trusts (for non-US citizens), Special Needs Trusts (to preserve eligibility for governmental benefits), and Generation-Skipping Transfer Trusts (to save estate taxes by the next generation). These also include separate trusts like Living Trusts (for minors or those with special needs), QPRTs (qualified personal residence trusts), Grantor Retained Trusts (GRATs and GRITs), Charitable Remainder and Lead Trusts, and Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs for individual life insurance coverage as well as "second-to-die/survivorship" coverage). He advises about and prepares the necessary documents for Family Limited Partnerships in order to take advantage of the planning and valuation benefits afforded by those entities. He has extensive experience in the preparation of General and Limited Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, and Health Care Powers of Attorney (proxies).

Estate and Trust Administration. Mark has represented many executors, administrators, and trustees in the probate of their estates and in the administration of their estates and trusts. This includes transferring assets and preparation of Federal Estate Tax Returns and New Jersey Inheritance Tax Returns, accountings for the beneficiaries and the Court, and Refunding Bonds and Releases for the beneficiaries. He has much experience in postmortem estate planning through the use of Disclaimers and the favorable allocation of expenses and deductions between estate and income tax beneficiaries.

EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Mark graduated from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania with an accounting major in 1964. He received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1967, and a Master of Laws in Taxation from New York University in 1974. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and before the United States Tax Court. He was the judicial clerk for Judge Herbert Horn of the Superior Court, Chancery Division in Atlantic City in 1967-68, and then served for two years on active duty in the U.S. Army, resigning in 1970 with the rank of captain. Mark lectures extensively on estate planning, elder law, and business planning. He joined the Firm as a partner in 1986. He was named to the New Jersey Super Lawyers list in 2009, 2010 and 2011 in the estate planning and probate practice areas. He was named a "Five Star Estate Planning Professional" in New Jersey Monthly Magazine in 2014, 2015 and 2016. For over 30 years he has been an AV Preeminent rated attorney by Martindale Hubble, which is the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards. 

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Mark has been and is active in many professional and charitable organizations. He has been the Chairman of the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce and was the legal counsel to the Chamber for a number of years. He was also an active member of many of the Chamber's committees, including the Executive Committee, Nominating Committee, Finance Committee, Facility Committee, Outstanding Citizen Committee, and Business Recognition Committee. He was an officer of the Somerset County Business Partnership and was active on the Partnership's Executive, Personnel, and Finance Committees. He is currently on the Board of the Somerset County Business Partnership and a member of its Finance Committee. Mark was the President of the Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties in 2004-2007, and is currently on its Board and Executive Board. He is the past Chairman of the Middlesex County Bar Association Probate and Trust Committee, and the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce's Tax and Banking Committee. He is on the Board of Trustees of the Greater Middlesex and Somerset Counties Estate Planning Council and he is a member of the North Hunterdon Rotary Club. He is also a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association (Taxation Committee and Probate and Trust Committee).