Cynthia L. Gausvik

Patton Boggs LLP

Cynthia Gausvik, an at-large member of the firm's Management Committee and Co-Chair of the firm's Tax Practice Group, advises families and closely held business owners of high net worth from a broad range of industries, including real estate development, technology entrepreneurs, and high-profile athletes, in connection with their estate, gift and generation-skipping tax planning. Ms. Gausvik routinely structures the ownership interests of closely held businesses using trusts, limited liability companies, and family limited partnerships to reduce the transfer taxes associated with various transactions, including pre-liquidity event planning. In addition, Ms. Gausvik counsels executives and high-compensation employees of public companies on the transfer tax implications of stock options and other compensation incentives. She also represents public charities and private foundations with respect to establishing and maintaining tax exempt status.

Ms. Gausvik helps clients achieve a variety of financial objectives, such as minimizing tax, retaining control over assets, providing for the special needs of family members, charitable giving, and asset protection. Ms. Gausvik strategically positions her clients by employing innovative planning techniques, such as generation-skipping and perpetual dynasty trusts, partnership freezes, split-interest purchases, qualified personal residence trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, charitable trusts, sales to grantor trusts, and family limited partnerships. Ms. Gausvik routinely implements traditional estate planning techniques, including revocable living trusts, wills, and irrevocable life insurance trusts.

Professional Affiliations:
Elected Member, Washington DC Estate Planning Council
Elected Member, Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council
Participant, BNA Tax Management Committee on Estates and Trusts
Estate Planning Committee, Taxation Section, District of Columbia Bar
Virginia State Bar, Taxation Section
Virginia State Bar, Trusts and Estates Section
Fairfax Bar--Tax Law Section
Fairfax Bar--Wills, Trust and Estates Law Section

Education
Georgetown University, LL.M., 1995
American University, J.D., 1987
University of Virginia, B.A., 1983

Bar Admissions
Virginia
District of Columbia
Maryland
Pennsylvania