Melissa Rawlins’ private client practice focuses primarily on planning for multinational families, including structuring estate and business succession plans for high net worth individuals and members of their families, the preparation of wills, complex trusts, irrevocable insurance trusts, grantor retained interest trusts and other estate planning documents.  Ms. Rawlins also advises clients with regard to  charitable planning, including the creation of charitable foundations.  Ms. Rawlins’ estate administration practice includes probate administration, trust administration and post-mortem tax planning.

Ms. Rawlins’ tax practice includes general domestic and international planning for corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and S corporations, as well as individual tax advice, with an emphasis on U.S. tax planning for individuals with regard to foreign investments, U.S. tax planning for non-resident aliens who are making gifts to U.S. residents and individuals contemplating expatriation.  Ms. Rawlins also advises clients on California property, sales and use tax issues. 

Bar and Court Admissions

California, 2001

United States District Courts for the Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of California

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Education

New York University, LL.M., 2001

Loyola Law School-Los Angeles, J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif, 2000

University of Southern California, B.A., 1997

Professional Affiliations

• Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners

Civic Involvement and Honors

• “Southern California Rising Star” for 2006-2012 in a poll among Southern California Super Lawyers conducted by Law and Politics and Los Angeles magazines