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Fred J. Forman
Fred J. Forman, magna cum laude law school graduate (top 3 percent), is a founding shareholder and director of Forman Law Group, P.A. Fred, long considered one of New England’s top estate planning, elder law, and business attorneys, has been featured in magazines and in lawyer surveys as a “Top Estate Planning, Business & Elder Law Attorney” and a “Top Lawyer”. Coming to New Hampshire and Maine from the Boston area in the 1980's, Fred served a one-year term in a coveted judicial clerkship. Since then, Fred has been engaged in the private practice of law. Fred splits his time between the law firm’s Londonderry, Bow and Portsmouth, New Hampshire and York, Maine offices. He is admitted to practice, and assists clients in, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. His practice areas include estate planning, elder law (including long term care planning), business law and business succession planning, and real estate law. |
Having drafted thousands of trusts, Fred has designed some of the largest and most complex estate plans in the region, making his estate planning practice among the most experienced and sophisticated in New England. However, Fred also routinely works with individuals and their families in basic planning for medical, financial and life support decision making in the event of an incapacity as well as avoiding probate, protecting inheritances, saving or eliminating estate taxes and protecting assets from long term care costs. In addition to health care planning documents and revocable and irrevocable trusts, Fred’s estate planning practice includes the use of Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (SLATs), Family Limited Partnerships/Family Limited Liability Companies, Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRAT’s), Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (DGT’s/IDIT’s) and gifts and sales thereto, Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRT’s), Charitable Remainder Trusts (including CRAT’s, CRUT’s and MINCRUT’s), Charitable Lead Trusts (CLT’s), Wealth Replacement Trusts (WRT’s), Charitable & Family Foundations, Marital and Credit-Shelter Trusts (including “Marital Bequests”, “Q-TIP Trusts” and “Marital Trusts”) , Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, Corporate and Private Split Dollar and Reverse Split Dollar Agreements, Private Annuity Trusts, Life Care Contracts, Medicaid Qualifying Irrevocable Trusts, Qualified Domestic Trusts (QDOT’s) for non-U.S. citizens, Generation Skipping Trusts (GST’s) and Special Needs Trusts.
Fred also assists same sex and non-traditional couples and domestic partners with their estate planning needs. Fred teaches estate planning seminars throughout the LGBTQIA+ community.
Fred also helps owners of firearms transition those firearms in a quick and private manner at death. He has drafted many “Gun Trusts” and NFA Trusts for clients with firearms regulated by The National Firearms Act.
Fred also works extensively with families to protect family residences, vacation homes and special properties to ensure that they remain in the family. Fred has designed many multi-generational property trusts designed to avoid family conflict and keep family properties protected.
Fred also works with many blended families and remarried couples with children from prior marriages. He also assists clients in drafting and implementing both pre-nuptial/anti-nuptial agreements and post-nuptial agreements.
Fred also works with business and personal clients to protect assets from creditor claims. He has drafted some of the very first Self-settled Asset Protection Trusts in New Hampshire. Fred has also lectured to the Bar and the accounting community on the use of asset protection trusts and family limited partnerships and family limited liability companies as asset protection tools and has published widely in these areas.
Fred also assists individuals, families, and communities in establishing trusts for the protection of individuals with special needs (both First Party and Third Party Special Needs/Supplemental Needs Trusts). He routinely assists people in providing for loved ones with special needs while protecting their government benefits. Fred has lectured to the Bar and has widely published in these areas as well.
Fred believes that estate and asset protection planning should accomplish several important goals: making certain that guardianships are in place for minor or disabled children; making certain that the client has people in place of their choosing to make medical, life support and financial decisions if the client becomes mentally disabled; avoiding the costs, publicity, delays and hassles of probate; spelling out the client’s wishes in detail (including transitioning any family businesses and keeping a family home in the family for future generations); protecting inheritances against lawsuits, divorces and sometimes against the heirs themselves or their behaviors; reducing or eliminating estate taxes; protecting assets from long term care costs; protecting assets from lawsuits while the client is still living; and not changing the client’s daily life in the process.
Fred’s business practice is extremely varied. His business clients range from startup companies to large, publicly traded and international corporations and financial institutions. He advises over 1,000 business clients on a wide range of legal and tax issues affecting businesses. Fred is able to provide his business clients with services ranging from startup and entity selection to sophisticated business expansion and succession planning. He also works with business clients to make certain that they are as fully protected as is legally possible. For example, he often works with clients to develop effective employment policies and legal strategies designed to protect businesses from litigation exposure. Fred is often called upon to negotiate, draft and review a multitude of business contracts including: supplier agreements, licensing agreements, proprietary rights agreements, non-competition agreements, multiple owner buy/sell agreements and business purchase and sales agreements. He has also drafted F reorganizations allowing clients to merge or convert business entities while saving significant amounts in taxes.
Fred’s real estate practice includes representing countless clients on residential and commercial real estate purchases and sales, lease agreements, like-kind exchanges and Qualified Intermediary Agreements. His experience in negotiating bank workouts, refinances, debt restructures and deeds in lieu of foreclosure makes him one of the most experienced workout advocates in the region.
Fred has been a featured speaker at numerous professional seminars nationally and throughout New England including those offered as continuing education for attorneys, Certified Public Accountants, I.R.S. Enrolled Agents, financial planners, municipal officials and tax assessing officials. He has repeatedly taught courses on Basic Estate Planning, Advanced Estate Planning, Sophisticated Estate Planning, Business Succession Planning, Business Law, Business Entity Selection, Asset Protection Planning and Long-Term Care/Medicaid Planning to members of the legal, accounting and financial planning professions.
Click here to see a list of Fred's authored articles and co-authored books
He has also taught courses to societies of Certified Public Accountants, societies of Enrolled Agents and to Municipal Associations and Assessors Associations entitled “Business Succession Planning”, “Business Entity Selection”, “The Tax Treatment of Establishing, Converting and Terminating Various Business Entities” and “The Impact of Various Types of Estate Planning Techniques on Real Estate Tax Exemptions and Tax Credits”.
Fred has also been an adjunct college faculty member, teaching courses in estate planning, business law and property law.
Fred has authored and been published in many articles on a variety of topics related to estate planning, business law, sophisticated asset protection and elder law. For example, Fred has published a multitude of articles for the National Business Institute, a nationally recognized publisher of reference material for the legal community.
Fred has also been an adjunct college faculty member, teaching courses in estate planning, business law and property law.
Fred has often been a guest speaker at community seminars dealing with estate planning, business and elder law topics ranging from simple trusts to complex estate tax and business succession planning.
Fred has also been engaged as an expert witness in cases involving trusts and estate planning techniques and asset protection planning. In that capacity, Fred has testified as an expert on trust law and has authored expert reports.
Fred has been featured as a regular weekly panelist on the Bloomberg Financial Network’s show “Money Matters” and on the radio shows “Senior Matters”, “It’s Your Money” and “Talking Money”. He has also been featured as an estate planning attorney on the Public Television series “New Hampshire Outlook” and in New Hampshire Magazine.
Fred has authored many articles on a variety of topics related to:
estate planning,
business law,
sophisticated asset protection
and elder law
He has also co-authored a multitude of nationally recognized books used as reference materials for attorneys.
Click here to see a list of Fred's authored articles and co-authored books
Click here to contact Fred J. Forman via email
Fred also assists same sex and non-traditional couples and domestic partners with their estate planning needs. Fred teaches estate planning seminars throughout the LGBTQIA+ community.
Fred also helps owners of firearms transition those firearms in a quick and private manner at death. He has drafted many “Gun Trusts” and NFA Trusts for clients with firearms regulated by The National Firearms Act.
Fred also works extensively with families to protect family residences, vacation homes and special properties to ensure that they remain in the family. Fred has designed many multi-generational property trusts designed to avoid family conflict and keep family properties protected.
Fred also works with many blended families and remarried couples with children from prior marriages. He also assists clients in drafting and implementing both pre-nuptial/anti-nuptial agreements and post-nuptial agreements.
Fred also works with business and personal clients to protect assets from creditor claims. He has drafted some of the very first Self-settled Asset Protection Trusts in New Hampshire. Fred has also lectured to the Bar and the accounting community on the use of asset protection trusts and family limited partnerships and family limited liability companies as asset protection tools and has published widely in these areas.
Fred also assists individuals, families, and communities in establishing trusts for the protection of individuals with special needs (both First Party and Third Party Special Needs/Supplemental Needs Trusts). He routinely assists people in providing for loved ones with special needs while protecting their government benefits. Fred has lectured to the Bar and has widely published in these areas as well.
Fred believes that estate and asset protection planning should accomplish several important goals: making certain that guardianships are in place for minor or disabled children; making certain that the client has people in place of their choosing to make medical, life support and financial decisions if the client becomes mentally disabled; avoiding the costs, publicity, delays and hassles of probate; spelling out the client’s wishes in detail (including transitioning any family businesses and keeping a family home in the family for future generations); protecting inheritances against lawsuits, divorces and sometimes against the heirs themselves or their behaviors; reducing or eliminating estate taxes; protecting assets from long term care costs; protecting assets from lawsuits while the client is still living; and not changing the client’s daily life in the process.
Fred’s business practice is extremely varied. His business clients range from startup companies to large, publicly traded and international corporations and financial institutions. He advises over 1,000 business clients on a wide range of legal and tax issues affecting businesses. Fred is able to provide his business clients with services ranging from startup and entity selection to sophisticated business expansion and succession planning. He also works with business clients to make certain that they are as fully protected as is legally possible. For example, he often works with clients to develop effective employment policies and legal strategies designed to protect businesses from litigation exposure. Fred is often called upon to negotiate, draft and review a multitude of business contracts including: supplier agreements, licensing agreements, proprietary rights agreements, non-competition agreements, multiple owner buy/sell agreements and business purchase and sales agreements. He has also drafted F reorganizations allowing clients to merge or convert business entities while saving significant amounts in taxes.
Fred’s real estate practice includes representing countless clients on residential and commercial real estate purchases and sales, lease agreements, like-kind exchanges and Qualified Intermediary Agreements. His experience in negotiating bank workouts, refinances, debt restructures and deeds in lieu of foreclosure makes him one of the most experienced workout advocates in the region.
Fred has been a featured speaker at numerous professional seminars nationally and throughout New England including those offered as continuing education for attorneys, Certified Public Accountants, I.R.S. Enrolled Agents, financial planners, municipal officials and tax assessing officials. He has repeatedly taught courses on Basic Estate Planning, Advanced Estate Planning, Sophisticated Estate Planning, Business Succession Planning, Business Law, Business Entity Selection, Asset Protection Planning and Long-Term Care/Medicaid Planning to members of the legal, accounting and financial planning professions.
Click here to see a list of Fred's authored articles and co-authored books
He has also taught courses to societies of Certified Public Accountants, societies of Enrolled Agents and to Municipal Associations and Assessors Associations entitled “Business Succession Planning”, “Business Entity Selection”, “The Tax Treatment of Establishing, Converting and Terminating Various Business Entities” and “The Impact of Various Types of Estate Planning Techniques on Real Estate Tax Exemptions and Tax Credits”.
Fred has also been an adjunct college faculty member, teaching courses in estate planning, business law and property law.
Fred has authored and been published in many articles on a variety of topics related to estate planning, business law, sophisticated asset protection and elder law. For example, Fred has published a multitude of articles for the National Business Institute, a nationally recognized publisher of reference material for the legal community.
Fred has also been an adjunct college faculty member, teaching courses in estate planning, business law and property law.
Fred has often been a guest speaker at community seminars dealing with estate planning, business and elder law topics ranging from simple trusts to complex estate tax and business succession planning.
Fred has also been engaged as an expert witness in cases involving trusts and estate planning techniques and asset protection planning. In that capacity, Fred has testified as an expert on trust law and has authored expert reports.
Fred has been featured as a regular weekly panelist on the Bloomberg Financial Network’s show “Money Matters” and on the radio shows “Senior Matters”, “It’s Your Money” and “Talking Money”. He has also been featured as an estate planning attorney on the Public Television series “New Hampshire Outlook” and in New Hampshire Magazine.
Fred has authored many articles on a variety of topics related to:
estate planning,
business law,
sophisticated asset protection
and elder law
He has also co-authored a multitude of nationally recognized books used as reference materials for attorneys.
Click here to see a list of Fred's authored articles and co-authored books
Click here to contact Fred J. Forman via email