Bob Lawrence, former Chair of the Private Client Department, is a leading authority in international and domestic tax, trust, succession, and personal planning matters. He advises high net worth individuals and families regarding tax-efficient structures for their U.S. and global holdings, with emphasis on the minimization of taxation, the management of holdings, and their transfer to family members, entities, trusts and/or charities. In addition, he assists with dispute resolution among and between families, family members, and fiduciaries.
In recognition of his substantial experience and many professional accomplishments, Bob has been named a leading international private client and wealth management attorney by numerous independent publications and organizations, including Chambers Global (where he has ranked as a “Star” for four consecutive years and was recently referred to as "an exceptional lawyer who is extremely knowledgeable about cross-border estate planning"), Chambers USA (where he has ranked consistently in Band 1 over the years and is described as "one of the best-known names in the industry"), The Best Lawyers in America, Citywealth's Top 100 Wealth Advisors and Managers in North America, Euromoney's Top U.S. Tax Lawyers, Who's Who in Law, and Who's Who in America. Bob is a prolific author, including a seminal treatise, International Tax and Estate Planning: A Practical Guide for Multinational Investors, (PLI 3d ed), and serves as Editor of Lawrence: International Personal Tax Planning Encyclopedia (Total Publishing). His articles have been published by, among others, the American Bar Association, Matthew Bender & Company, Inc., Heckerling Institute, and Practising Law Institute, and in Trusts and Estates Magazine.
In addition to writing, Bob is a frequent lecturer on international tax and estate planning issues, and has addressed foreign and international groups, including the Institute for International Research, The Bahamian Bankers Association, Cayman Bankers Association, Family Wealth Management, IBC Legal Studies and Services, International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, International Tax Planners Association, The Private Client Legal Forum and The Bank of Bermuda; as well as domestic organizations, such as the American Bar Association, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, American Law Institute, University of Miami Law Center’s Philip E. Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, The Archdiocese of New York, Foundation for Accounting Education, Institute for International Research, Institute of Private Investors, Massachusetts Continuing Legal
Education, Inc., The Museum of Modern Art, New York State Bar Association, NYU School of Continuing Legal Education, Practising Law Institute, Strategic Investors, The Templeton Fund, UCLA-CEB, University of Denver College of Law, U.S. Treasury Department - Office of International Tax Counsel, Washington State Bar Association, World Trade Institute, and many others. He also frequently speaks to leading financial advisory institutions, such as Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and UBS PaineWebber.
He is a member of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (International Estate Planning Committee), International Academy of Estates and Trust Law, New York State Bar Association, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners International Committee. Bob is a past President of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, and former Chairman of the International
Estate Planning Subcommittee of the Tax Section of the American Bar Association and the New York City Bar Association Committee on Recruitment of Lawyers. Bob graduated with a B.A. from Cornell University, and received his LL.B. and LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law. He joined Cadwalader in 1966 and is admitted to practice in the States of New York and New Jersey, and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of New York and District of New Jersey, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court.