Brad Lard's practice primarily involves estate and trust planning for individuals and the administration of estates, with an emphasis on the related income, estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax issues. In addition, Brad represents individual and corporate fiduciaries (executors and trustees) in administrating and litigating estate and trust matters.

Brad has more than 25 years of experience in advising clients in an array of estate and tax planning matters, including working with numerous closely held business owners in the disposition of ownership interests to family members and trusts, particularly through lifetime gifting. Brad routinely advises his clients on the application of minority and marketability valuation discounts and also counsels clients regarding tax-saving strategies such as the creation of grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs) and sales of business interests to “defective grantor trusts.” In addition, Brad works with many clients owning fractional interests in real estate and timberland properties, and has considerable experience in estate and gift tax issues presented by such fractional ownership interests. Finally, Brad regularly works with clients on charitable giving strategies, including the use of charitable lead trusts (CLATs and CLUTs) and charitable remainder trusts (CRATs and CRUTs), as well as the establishment and funding of private foundations. 

Brad is a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. In addition, he is active with the American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation and Section of Real Property, Trust and Probate Law.

Bar Admissions

• Alabama, 1996
• Tennessee, 1997

Education

• University of Alabama School of Law, J.D., 1996, Bench & Bar Legal Honor Society
• University of North Alabama, B.S., Accounting, 1993, cum laude