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Name: InterActive Legal Academy Estate Planning Basics
Start: 2026-04-06T00:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-05-01T23:59:59-04:00

Jonathan G. Blattmachr

Editor-in-Chief, Co-Founder, and Co-Author of Wealth Transfer Planning™

Mr. Blattmachr is a Principal in ILS Management, LLC and a retired member of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP in New York, NY and of the Alaska, California and New York Bars. He is recognized as one of the most creative trusts and estates lawyers in the country and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. He has written and lectured extensively on estate and trust taxation and charitable giving.

Mr. Blattmachr graduated from Columbia University School of Law cum laude, where he was recognized as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and received his A.B. degree from Bucknell University, majoring in mathematics. He has served as a lecturer-in-law of the Columbia University School of Law and is an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University Law School in its Masters in Tax Program (LLM). He is a former chairperson of the Trusts & Estates Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and of several committees of the American Bar Association. Mr. Blattmachr is a Fellow and a former Regent of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and past chair of its Estate and Gift Tax Committee. He is author or co-author of eight books and more than 500 articles on estate planning and tax topics.

Among professional activities, which are too numerous to list, Mr. Blattmachr has served as an Advisor on The American Law Institute, Restatement of the Law, Trusts 3rd; and as a Fellow of The New York Bar Foundation and a member of the American Bar Foundation.

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Michael L. Graham

Chairman, Co-Founder, and Co-Author of Wealth Transfer Planning™

Michael L. Graham is Chairman of InterActive Legal and Practicing law with the Houser Firm in Dallas, Texas.

I believe the work we are doing at InterActive Legal will last beyond my lifetime. Steve Jobs is quoted as saying that he wanted to “make a dent in the universe.” While InterActive Legal may not be Apple (yet), I understand Jobs’ desire to make a lasting impact.

We are at the threshold of massive change in almost every aspect of the practice of law. Technology, artificial intelligence, big data, and intelligence assistance are our daily fare. We understand our client’s need for a flexible, intuitive platform with absolute excellence in function and design. Our partnership with IBM Watson, and our development of an IBM Watson application for seniors, gives us a unique perspective on the future of the practice of law and it is thrilling.

Our commitment is to serve and is evident in everything we do. From personalized online training to specialized CLE to annual symposiums with blockbuster lineups, we serve those who serve. This commitment was established by our founder, Jonathan Blattmachr, and continues today at each and every level of our company.

Now I would like to add a bit of provenance to this biography. I have been continuously Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for 40 years. At the tender age of 30, I became a full partner in one of the largest, most respected law firms in the US, Baker & Botts. I was honored by the invitation to become a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel at age 34, and later to have been chosen to be an Academician of the International Academy of Trust and Estate Lawyers. I strongly believe that every lawyer must give back to the practice of law. I have served as Chair of the Texas Bar Association’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, the Houston Bar Association’s Probate Section, and the Dallas Bar Association’s Probate Section. Other professional contributions include Supervisory Council Member of the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and President of the Texas Academy of Probate and Trust Lawyers.

It is my personal mission to provide excellence in the practice of law and best practices for other attorneys. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work at and achieve these goals through my practice at the Houser Law Firm and at InterActive Legal. This calling, involving my personal practice of faith through the recognition, respect, and love of others, is my heritage and passion. In my current law practice, which coexists with my service to InterActive Legal, I limit my focus to matters involving business and estate planning, administration of estates and trusts, and fiduciary based litigation. I have practiced at both large, international firms and small boutique firms over the last 44 years. I received my J.D., cum laude, from Baylor School of Law (1972), and my BBA from Baylor University (1971). I loved law school, and I love the law.

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Natalie B. Choate Esq.

Special Advisor on Retirement Benefits Planning

Natalie B. Choate practices law in Boston, Massachusetts, with the firm of Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP. Her practice is limited to consulting on estate planning and retirement benefits matters. Her books Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits and The QPRT Manual are leading resources for estate planning professionals.

Miss Choate is a former chairman of the Boston Bar Association Estate Planning Committee, which she founded in 1981, and its ERISA and Employee Benefits Law Committee, from 1990-1992. She is a former Regent of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and former Chairman of its Employee Benefits Committee. She is a member and former officer of the Boston Probate and Estate Planning Forum. She was named “Estate Planner of the Year” by the Boston Estate Planning Council, and was one of the first 10 attorneys to receive the “Distinguished Accredited Estate Planner” award from the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils. She is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

She is an editorial advisor for several professional periodicals: Trusts and Estates, Ed Slott’s IRA Advisor, The Leimberg Information Service Employee Benefits Newsletter and Keeping Current. Her articles have been published in ACTEC Notes, Trusts and Estates and Estate Planning magazine. She is a contributing author and former coeditor of the book Drafting Wills and Trusts in Massachusetts. She authors a monthly column on retirement benefits for MorningstarAdvisor.com.

Miss Choate has taught professional-level courses in estate planning for ALI-ABA (the American Law Institute-American Bar Association), American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, International Association of Financial Planners, MCLE, the Boston and Massachusetts Bar Associations, and other organizations, and has spoken at the Heckerling, Notre Dame, Heart of America, New England, Southern California, Mississippi, Southern Federal, and many other Tax Institutes. She has lectured in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Her comments on estate and retirement planning have been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Forbes, Financial Planning, USA Today, and Financial World magazines.

A Boston native, she is a graduate of Radcliffe College and Harvard Law School.

Her books “Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits” and “The QPRT Manual” are leading resources for estate planning professionals. For more information, visit Retirement Benefits Planning

Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
155 Seaport Blvd.
Boston, MA 02210-2604
617-439-2995
[email protected]

Theron “Terry” E. Fry, Esq.

InterActive Legal Advisor

Mr. Fry is a member of the American College of Trusts and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), and is the ACTEC Kansas State Chair. He has over 40 years of experience in drafting and implementing estate plans and advising clients with respect to the numerous business, personal, tax and litigation issues that invariably arise. He assists clients in all aspects of estate planning and probate issues, as well as the related income, gift, estate, and generation skipping transfer tax issues. With respect to assisting clients in estate planning, he counsels clients in developing estate plans that fit their family and financial situations, including drafting wills and trust agreements from the simple to the complex. With respect to probate related matters, he works with all aspects of decedents’ estates from probate procedure and litigation to preparation of complex estate tax returns and representation of fiduciaries, heirs and beneficiaries in probate court and before the Internal Revenue Service. With respect to assisting clients in tax related matters, he counsels clients in methods to minimize income, gift, estate and generation skipping transfer tax liabilities over multiple generations through the use of multiple transfer techniques. He also works with clients in business matters, including organization, mergers and acquisitions, and tax audit and litigation matters, both before the Internal Revenue Service as well as the Tax Court and Federal court system.

Mr. Fry was born in Wichita, Kansas. He attended Kansas State University and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He attended Southern Methodist University Law School in Dallas, Texas as a recipient of the Hatton W. Sumners Scholarship. After graduation from law school, Mr. Fry practiced law in Houston, Texas for 10 years with the law firm now known as Locke Lord. Mr. Fry is rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, and has been selected for inclusion as a “Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyer” for the years 2006 to present.

Chambers High Net Worth (HNW) Guide for Private Wealth Law-Kansas has included the following comment: Theron Fry of Triplett Woolf Garretson, LLC is well regarded, with a “good reputation” in Kansas. Fry acts on estate planning, income and gift tax issues and the drafting of wills and trusts. Fry is described by a local source as a “very good attorney” who “works with a lot of high net worth individuals.”

Triplett Woolf & Garretson LLC.
2959 N Rock Road
Suite 300
Wichita, KS 67226
316-630-8100
[email protected]

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Melvin A. Warshaw

Melvin A. Warshaw, Esq.

InterActive Legal Advisor Emeritus

InterActive Legal extends our heartfelt congratulations to Melvin Warshaw, on his remarkable career and retirement! With more than 40 years of experience in U.S. estate and international tax planning, Melvin has been a guiding force in cross-border wealth transfer for clients around the globe.

From his early days at the IRS to senior roles at McDermott Will & Emery and JP Morgan, Melvin’s leadership and insight have shaped the field. His continued solo practice has supported clients worldwide with exceptional care and expertise.

We’re honored to have worked alongside Melvin and wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement.

Melvin A. Warshaw has more than 40 years experience as a U. S. estate planning and tax lawyer. He currently represents U. S. and non-U. S. high net worth individuals, families and companies on a wide range of personal and business tax matters, especially in connection with cross-border income and estate tax planning and compliance in the U. S. He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the U.S.

Mr. Warshaw’s legal career has included a variety of different roles in the field of sophisticated international wealth transfer and estate planning. He is a past partner of McDermott Will & Emery’s highly regarded Private Client Department, having established the Boston office practice in 1997. He also served as a senior wealth advisor in JP Morgan Private Bank’s Boston and Greenwich CT offices. He was also formerly general counsel to a large national brokerage that focused on delivering liquidity planning strategies and he has a strong understanding of the array of onshore and offshore life insurance products. Mr. Warshaw began his legal career in the Office of the General Counsel at the Internal Revenue Service National Office in Washington, D.C.

At present, Mr. Warshaw is in sole practice working from his home offices in Wellesley and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. His clients reside throughout the world from India, Singapore, China and Hong Kong to the Caribbean and throughout Europe and in Israel.

Mr. Warshaw is a Fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, an Academician of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, a Fellow of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, a longtime member of the American Bar Association Real Property and Probate Section, International Committee of the Income and Transfer Tax Planning Group, a Full Member (TEP) of the Society of Trust and Estate Professionals (STEP), a current member of the Boston Probate and Estate Planning Forum and a current member if the International Bar Association (IBA) Private Client Tax Committee.

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Amy C. O’Hara, Esq.

InterActive Legal Advisor

Amy C. O’Hara is a partner with the law firm of Littman Krooks LLP, a firm she has been a part of for nearly 20 years. Her New York practice focuses in the areas of trusts and estates, elder law, and special needs planning. Amy lectures to advocacy and professional organizations and families on the importance of proper planning for families of children with special needs and elder law matters and regularly publishes articles relating to elder law, estate and special needs planning.

Amy is President of the Board of Directors of the Special Needs Alliance (SNA), a national organization comprised of attorneys committed to the practice of disability and public benefits law. The SNA is an invitation-only organization and membership is based on a combination of relevant legal experience in the disability and elder law fields, active participation with national, state and local disability advocacy organizations, and professional reputation.

She is President of the Board of Directors of Westchester Disabled on the Move, Inc., not-for-profit community organization whose focus is to enable individuals with disabilities to live independently in the community. The organization serves over 2000 consumers annually at no cost to the consumer and includes connecting consumers with affordable and accessible housing and applying for free or low-cost health insurance, including Medicaid.

Amy is Certified as an Elder Law Attorney (CELA) and a member of National Elder Law Foundation (NELF), a non-profit organization dedicated to the nationwide development and enhancement of the professional competence and expertise of lawyers who practice law affecting issues relating to elder law and special needs law. NELF is the only national elder law organization fully accredited by the American Bar Association to certify qualified elder lawyers with the CELA designation, identifying them as among the most accomplished, experienced elder law attorneys with the highest level of expertise and integrity.

Amy is a member of the American Bar Association, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section and serves as Vice Chair of Special Needs Planning Committee under the Elder Law and Special Needs Planning Group.

She is a member of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), Elder Law and Special Needs Section where she serves as Vice-Chair of the Special Needs Planning committee and a member of the NYSBA Trusts & Estates Section. Amy is also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Westchester County Bar Association.

Amy received her Juris Doctor degree from University at Buffalo Law School and received her Bachelor of Science degree from Binghamton University. She is married and the mother of two college-aged boys.

Littman Krooks, LLP
800 Westchester Ave, S-436
Rye Brook, NY 10538
914-684-2100
[email protected]

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Gideon Rothschild

Gideon Rothschild, Esq.

InterActive Legal Advisor Emeritus

InterActive Legal extends our heartfelt congratulations to Gideon Rothschild on his retirement (2022)!

While we’ll miss having Gideon around, we’re thrilled for him as he embarks on this new chapter. Gideon is still providing services as an expert witness for trust and estate and asset protection matters, consultations on trust, estate and asset protection matters, and providing “Directed Trustee” services for asset protection trusts under CT law. Gideon can be reached through his website: https://www.gideonrothschild.com/.

Gideon Rothschild, former Co-Chair of the Private Client practice group and now Senior Counsel at Moses & Singer, focuses on domestic and international estate planning and asset protection. He is a nationally-recognized authority on the use of offshore trusts and estate planning strategies for wealth preservation and succession planning. His practice also includes estate administration and the representation of clients in taxpayer disputes at the federal, state and local levels.

Gideon serves high-net-worth individuals with assets ranging from $5 million to more than $1 billion. His clients include professionals, entrepreneurs, real estate developers and owners, closely-held business owners and directors of publicly-held companies.

Gideon distinguishes himself from many of his peers in that his estate planning recommendations are integrated with asset protection objectives. By educating his clients on the non-tax benefits available with trusts and other vehicles and how they can be drafted in a flexible manner, his clients can achieve both tax savings and wealth preservation. Such benefits include protection from divorce, creditors or litigation exposure.

Gideon is a former Chair of the ABA’s Real Property Trust & Estate Law Section, a Fellow of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel, an Academician of the International Academy of Estate & Trust Lawyers and a Director of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP) – US Region.

Clients describe Gideon as “one of the top asset protection attorneys in the country” and is regarded by peers as “a leading authority on asset protection.” Since 2006, Gideon has been listed in New York Super Lawyers®, appearing as one of the “Top 100 New York Super Lawyers” – the only Trusts and Estates lawyer who received the highest point totals in the New York Metro area. He’s consecutively ranked in Chambers USAeach year while the directory acknowledges him as “a very accomplished attorney” who is “preeminent in the trusts and estates field.” Gideon has been peer-recognized by Best Lawyers in America for over 10 years. In 2017 and 2018, Gideon has been selected as New York City’s Lawyer of the Year for his outstanding contributions in Trusts & Estates. He further has the distinction of being an AV® Preeminent™ Rated lawyer and one of New York’s Top Rated Lawyers in his field by Martindale-Hubbell.

Gideon is the co-author of BNA Tax Management Portfolio on “Asset Protection Planning” and is a member of the Advisory Boards of BNA Tax Management and Trusts & Estates magazine. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Law and New York Law School Graduate Programs. He lectures frequently on asset protection and advanced estate planning strategies to professional groups.

Gideon is active in numerous charitable organizations including the Anti-Defamation League where he serves as National Planned Giving Chair and is a board member of the Anti-Defamation League Foundation. He also serves on the professional advisory committees of the NY Historical Society (Co-Chair) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Gideon is also licensed as a Certified Public Accountant.

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