Megan E. Wernke

Megan E. Wernke is Of Counsel to Caplin & Drysdale's Private Client practice group in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Wernke advises wealthy individuals and the fiduciaries of large estates and trusts (both domestic and foreign) on a wide range of sophisticated tax and estate planning matters. She specializes in achieving tax efficiency and compliance while also ensuring that clients’ non-tax objectives are met. Ms. Wernke's practice includes designing and implementing estate and lifetime gifting plans, succession planning for clients with businesses large and small, achieving creditor protection for clients and their heirs, and helping clients come into compliance with U.S. tax requirements.

With her significant experience in tax controversies and litigation, Ms. Wernke advises clients with respect to substantial gift tax, estate tax, generation-skipping tax, and fiduciary income tax issues at all stages of controversy: voluntary disclosures, ruling requests, audits, IRS Appeals, and in court.

Ms. Wernke also assists existing clients with probate and trust administration.

Professional Activities

• Member, American Bar Association: Section of Taxation; Section of Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law
• Member, D.C. Bar Association: Taxation Section; Estates, Trusts, and Probate Law Section

Recent News

• Caplin & Drysdale Welcomes Former IRS Nonprofit Senior Technical Adviser and Strengthens Tax Controversies and Private Client Groups, Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered, January 16, 2018

Click here for a full list of media coverage.

Recent Speaking Engagements

• Presenter, Estate Planning Under H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, STEP Mid Atlantic, January 31, 2018
• Panelist, Estate Planning Issues, 2017 Advanced Tax Institute (ATI), November 14, 2017
• Speaker, Basics of Fiduciary Income Taxation, Estate Planning Council of Montgomery County, November 1, 2017
• Panelist, Recent Developments In Federal Case Law, Legislation, and Regulations, Maryland State Bar Association, November 3, 2015
• Speaker, A Brave New World: The Changing Landscape of Estate Planning, American Bar Association, The Day After Tax Day, April 16, 2015

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Recent Publications

• "2018 Ushers In New Estate Planning Opportunities and Pitfalls," with Beth Shapiro Kaufman, Anne J. O'Brien, and Alison F. Egan, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, January 18, 2018
• "Possible Repeal of the Estate Tax in 2017," with Beth Shapiro Kaufman, Anne J. O'Brien, and William D. Fournier, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, December 5, 2016
• "Allocating Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Exemption," with Beth Shapiro Kaufman, California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, December 30, 2015
• "2016 Federal and State Estate Gift Tax Exemptions for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia," with Beth Shapiro Kaufman, Anne J. O'Brien, and William D. Fournier, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, December 28, 2015
• "Maryland Estate Tax Exemption Set to Rise," with Anne J. O'Brien, Beth Shapiro Kaufman, and William D. Fournier, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, May 16, 2014

Click here for a full list of publications.