Michelle Rose-Hughes
PARTNER
O: 303.243.3100
OVERVIEW
I am entering my fourth decade of the practice of law – all that time spent as a tax and estate planning specialist. I find deep satisfaction in my work with individuals and families. My work with clients involves the most intimate of their personal legal needs, including planning for marriage, birth and adoption of children and grandchildren, major illness and, eventually, death. Individuals vary widely in their preferences for maximizing wealth transfer and minimizing tax. Similarly, individuals differ in the timing and degree of control their heirs will ultimately gain over inherited wealth. I relish learning each client’s personal story and unique perspective so that, together, we may identify goals for the preservation and transfer of wealth that remain true to a client’s expressed values and objectives.
Prior to founding Tuthill & Hughes LLP in 2007, I spent fifteen years, the last seven as a partner, at a large regional law firm. Our boutique practice continues to adhere to the best practices of our former firm, including the highest ethical standards, attention to every detail and excellent client service. It gives me great satisfaction to deliver this exemplary level of legal service to my clients.
- Meet with clients to explore and identify their estate planning needs and objectives
- Once identified, explain the various effective means for meeting those objectives
- Consider and, if appropriate, recommend lifetime gift and tax planning to maximize the transfer of wealth for the least tax cost (typically, these strategies might include the use of a life insurance trust, grantor retained annuity trust, sale of property to a “defective” grantor trust, charitable lead trust, charitable remainder trust or family limited partnership, among others)
- Draft wills and trusts to implement tax and estate planning
- Assist clients and their advisors to administer existing trusts, facilitate a change of trustees and interpret trust documents
- Review and assist clients with asset protection planning
- Negotiate and draft marital agreements
- Discuss and implement planning for incapacity, including medical directives (living wills, medical powers of attorney and statutory powers of attorney for property)
- Review a shareholders’ agreement and make recommendations for business succession
- Provide unsolicited parenting advice born out of my own experience in the parental trenches (I am a mother of two young adults: Madeleine and Will)
- Colorado Super Lawyer, 2009 – 2023
- American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, fellow, 2009 -- Present
- The Best Lawyers in America, 2008 – Present
- Chambers HNW Top Ranked, 2018 – Present
- Phi Beta Kappa, 1989
- Colorado, Licensed since 1993
- United States Tax Court, Admitted to Practice since 2000
- J.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1993
- B.A., Political Science, French, University of Denver, summa cum laude, 1990
- Colorado Estate Planning Handbook, Fifth Ed. (Orange Book Handbook) (David K. Johns et al. eds., CLE in Colo., Inc. Supp. 2011), Author of Chapter 13-Split Interest Charitable Trusts and Chapter 31-Charitable Dispositions
- Guide for Colorado Nonprofit Organizations, First Ed. (Karen E. Leaffer, ed., CLE in Colo., Inc. 2011), Co-Author Chapter 1-Selecting, Forming, and Maintaining the Organization