Katherine A. Charipar

Kate is Co-Chair of the Trusts and Estates Department. She works closely with individuals and families to develop a comprehensive estate plan that accomplishes their personal, professional and philanthropic goals. 

Kate brings over a decade of sophisticated estate planning experience to her clients and serves as a key advisor who is positioned to support her clients and their families for the long term. Kate’s approach to estate planning is holistic and practical. She enjoys getting to know her clients on a personal level and working with them to create a tailored estate plan that contemplates not only tax planning, but all of her clients’ objectives, concerns, risk tolerances and special circumstances. For business owners, Kate takes the time to develop a thorough understanding of her clients’ businesses and unique industries and constructs business succession plans that integrate seamlessly with her clients’ estate plans. Even in the most complex situations, Kate’s mission is to create planning documents that provide a concrete, comprehensible and practical guide to implementation. She collaborates with members of her clients’ advisory teams, such as financial advisors, accountants, business managers and family offices, in forming a comprehensive strategy designed to mitigate issues in the future for her clients and their intended beneficiaries, giving her clients peace of mind.

• Prepares wills, trust agreements and related estate planning documents. Kate also advises clients on navigating existing irrevocable trust instruments and assists them in modifying or reforming such documents when circumstances warrant.
• Helps U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens minimize their income, gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes through the use of trusts, business entities, and other sophisticated planning vehicles and strategies.
• Guides fiduciaries and families through estate and trust administrations, taking them step-by-step through a process that is oftentimes unfamiliar to them. She works closely with her clients’ advisory teams to facilitate a smooth administration and reduce stress to the families during a challenging time.
• Prepares estate, gift and fiduciary income tax returns, and assists clients involved in gift and estate tax controversies.
• Develops business succession plans, offering personalized solutions and strategies to clients that help ensure the continued success of the business and reduce the risk of dispute among the other owners.
• Drafts antenuptial agreements and works with opposing counsel to negotiate fair agreements in a manner that minimizes stress to the clients during the busy period leading up to the wedding.
• Helps clients establish and operate private family foundations and advises them on other charitable giving strategies, such as donor-advised funds, charitable remainder trusts and charitable lead trusts.

Education

• Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M., 2012, with distinction
• Marquette University Law School, J.D., 2008
• University of Wisconsin, B.B.A., 2005

Admissions

• Minnesota, 2012
• District of Columbia, 2009
• Virginia, 2008
• Wisconsin, 2008

• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Trusts and Estates, 2022, 2024-2025
• Top Lawyer - Trusts and Estates, Minnesota Monthly, 2024
• Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Star, Estate & Probate, 2023
• North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2013, 2015

Professional Activities

• Minnesota State Bar Association
• State Bar of Wisconsin
• Twin Cities Estate Planning Council, Member