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Edward J. Beckwith

Edward Beckwith serves as counsel to affluent families and charities across the country and is the national leader of Baker Hostetler’s Tax-Exempt practice.

He is nationally recognized in the legal and administrative specialties which concern establishing and guiding the operations of charitable and educational organizations, healthcare institutions and trade associations. His advice is often sought with respect to the governance and “best practices” of such organizations and the maintenance of their tax-exempt status, as well as the tax and practical aspects of contributions and other financial support programs.

Mr. Beckwith also advises families, family offices and their professionals with respect to the accumulation, management and distribution of their personal wealth. These clients rely upon his experience in several legal areas, including business, tax and property law. A significant aspect of his practice involves the application of the tax laws to family and business financial arrangements, including the preparation of related documents to conserve and transfer wealth, the administration of such arrangements and the representation of clients before legislative, judicial and regulatory branches of government at all levels.

Mr. Beckwith is active in the American and District of Columbia Bar Associations and the American Law Institute. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He also is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, where he has served as a Regent and State Chair in the District of Columbia, Chair of the College’s Philanthropy Study Committee and its Committee on Charitable Planning and Exempt Organizations. Mr. Beckwith is the immediate past President of the ACTEC Foundation.

He lectures throughout the United States and has written extensively, including articles and speeches for the American Law Institute/American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education and the Council on Foundations.

Mr. Beckwith founded, and for 18 years chaired, the Advanced Estate Planning Institute sponsored annually by the Georgetown University Law Center. In addition, he has been an adjunct tax professor at the Georgetown University Law Center for 27 years, where he currently teaches and coordinates graduate seminars in Advanced Estate Planning and Charitable Organizations and Planned Giving.

Mr. Beckwith holds an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell for his legal competence and ethical standards. He has been named in The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers and the Expert Guide’s Guide to the World’s Leading Trust & Estate Practitioners.