Ronald D. Aucutt

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Ron is the leader of McGuireWoods' private wealth services group, and was named 2012 "Washington, D.C., Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers. The Washingtonian recognized him as one of Washington's 31 "Best Lawyers" (December 2011) and as one of the top 30 "Stars of the Bar" (December 2009). He holds Chambers USA's "Band 1" ranking for Wealth Management, and in 2009, he was elected to the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils Estate Planning Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Accredited Estate Planner.

He was also awarded the 1995-1996 Estate Planner of the Year Award by the Washington, D.C., Estate Planning Council. His biography appears in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in the World. He is also listed in the Best Lawyers in America in Litigation & Controversy – Tax, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates.

Ron concentrates on planning and controversy matters involving estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes; income taxation of trusts and estates; rules regarding tax-exempt organizations and charitable contributions, and related tax issues. He has extensive experience advising clients on the transfer of wealth from one generation to another, including the orderly and tax-efficient succession of family-owned businesses. He has contributed to the formation of estate tax policy through legislation since 1976, as well as in Treasury regulations, and has served as an expert witness in estate and gift tax matters.

He advises lawyers and other professionals on tax planning and controversy issues across the spectrum of estate planning and charitable giving, including the complex rules governing generation-skipping transfers under Chapter 13 and the special valuation rules under Chapter 14 of the Internal Revenue Code. He is experienced in resolving tax issues through rulings and technical advice in the IRS's national office, and in administrative appeals throughout the country.

Ron is a past president of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a past vice chair for committee operations of the American Bar Association's Section of Taxation. He is a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and the American Bar Foundation.

He is a member of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law; the Advisory Committee of the University of Miami Philip E. Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning; the Editorial Board of Estate Planning; the Board of Advisors of Business Entities; and the Advisory Board of Tax Management's Estates, Gifts, and Trusts Journal.

He has been a lecturer at the University of Virginia School of Law; has lectured on estate planning at more than 100 tax institutes and conferences nationwide; and is the author of more than 100 published articles on estate planning and related tax subjects. He is co-author of Structuring Estate Freezes, (Warren Gorham & Lamont, 1991-1993, 1996, with semi-annual supplements). He served in the U.S. Navy from 1970 to 1973, serving in Vietnam and achieving the rank of lieutenant.

Ron has been admitted in Minnesota and Texas, currently inactive.