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Robert Searles

Minnesota estate planning attorney Robert L. Searles, Jr. is the owner and principal attorney for Searles Law Office. With over 30 years of experience in estate planning, financial and tax planning and trust administration, Mr. Searles is quick to provide creative, in-depth strategies for complicated estate planning matters.

Individuals often find themselves in circumstances where it is desirable to pass on their financial legacy without losing large amounts needlessly to estate taxation. With a Masters Degree in Taxation, Mr. Searles provides his clients with the benefit of a trained, expert perspective that includes working ethically within the tax laws to minimize or eliminate estate taxes.

Education

Attorney Robert L. Searles, Jr. graduated with his Juris Doctor from the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. His bachelor’s degree in history was granted prior to that from Middlebury College in Vermont. Seeking an added dimension to his legal and financial experience, Mr. Searles obtained his Masters of Law in Taxation degree from the Boston University College of Law.

Professional Experience

Bob Searles has been in private practice for 14 years in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. His experience as an estate, trust, and tax attorney has focused exclusively on clients with estate planning and lifetime planning concerns, including drafting relevant planning documents, probate, trust and estate administration. His legal services include the drafting of wills, revocable living trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, charitable trusts, Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT’s), and buy-sell agreements, as well as coordinating property ownerships and transfers with special attention to minimizing or eliminating estate taxes.

Mr. Searles has substantial experience in asset management, including seven years as a financial management principal for Norwest Capital Advisors. His services included

Bob had a chance to expand his extensive knowledge while overseeing wealth management for 94 families and family foundations with combined assets in excess of $450 million at Norwest.

Prior fee-based financial planning services experience includes consulting for corporate executives, self-employed business owners, and retired individuals and their families.

As a senior tax accountant for Arthur Andersen & Co., Mr. Searles engaged in tax compliance, income and estate tax research and planning for individual and corporate clients.

Attorney Searles was also responsible for the management of over $400 million of employee benefit plans as a pension trust administrator early in his career while attending law school.

Memberships and Community Involvement