Job Description

Estate and Tax Planning Sr. Legal Counsel

Dalio Family Office

Dalio Family Office Overview:

The Dalio Family Office (DFO) supports Barbara and Ray Dalio and their family in their ventures, investments, and philanthropic efforts under Dalio Philanthropies, which includes OceanX, Dalio Education, Endless Network, and the Beijing Dalio Foundation. The core of the DFO’s culture is built around meaningful work and meaningful relationships and the family’s commitment to giving back. The office is headquartered in Westport, CT with regional offices in New York City, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi.

Estate and Tax Planning Pillar Overview:

The Estate and Tax Planning (ETP) Pillar is responsible for delivering innovative solutions to help the Dalio family achieve their financial, philanthropic, and personal goals. ETP is a cross-disciplinary pillar whose initiatives frequently involve partnership with internal Trust, Investment, Finance, Legal, and other pillars as well as with external counsel and advisors.

Our Estate and Tax Planning Pillar is seeking an Attorney to support the design and implementation of estate and tax planning strategies including best in class estate plans. The Legal Associate will manage a diverse portfolio of planning projects and work closely with the Pillar Head on tax and planning matters.

Day-to-day responsibilities would include a combination of the following:

• Work closely with the Pillar Head to develop and implement sophisticated estate and tax planning strategies for family members, trusts and other related entities
• Liaise with outside counsel and other external advisors to develop and implement a diverse portfolio of estate and tax planning projects, including:
  • Preparing project charters, managing risk and providing regular status updates to Pillar leadership and stakeholders
  • Review documents prepared by outside counsel to ensure accuracy and alignment with client goals
  • Manage budgeting and related spend along with ensuring engagement letters are fully executed in coordination with Legal Pillar
  • Drive the implementation of ETP strategies across various other pillars in the organization
• Ensure that each family member has executed estate planning documents that are regularly updated
• Lead the administration of any estate planning strategies, such as annual gifts, GRATs and other wealth transfer techniques, and the administration of any estates, including coordination with Trust pillar, trustees, CPAs, attorneys and financial advisors
• Manage the planning needed to incorporate life events, including births and marriages
• Serve on cross-disciplinary teams for special projects, bridging tax planning, tax compliance, finance and accounting, and other business considerations
• Manage library of summaries of significant estate documents, entities or related structures
• Monitor changes in relevant laws and regulations; advise internal teams of potential impact and strategic changes needed to respond to changes

Apply for this role if you:

• Are inquisitive and proactive in identifying legal issues & risks and proposing creative and effective solutions which effectively balance risk
• Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced, dynamic and demanding environment
• Are comfortable with ambiguity, articulate with explanations, and not afraid to call balls and strikes
• Have a high level of integrity, discretion, and professionalism

Illustrative Benefits:

• 100% company paid medical premiums
• 17 company paid holidays
• Friday summer hours
• Monthly community happy hours
• Hybrid work environment
• Free catered food services for in-office days
• Generous PTO offering
• Casual dress code
• 150% 401(k) match up to $7,500 and 100% match above $7,500 ($15k match limit)
• Gym reimbursement, back up childcare services, insurance, financial, and legal services, and much more!

Qualifications:

• J. D. from an accredited law school and admitted to practice law in one or more states and in good standing
• At least 7 years of experience in sophisticated estate and tax planning, including strategy for ultra-high net worth individuals, gained in a law firm and/or related environment
• Strong understanding of estate, gift and income tax principles, trust law, and entity structures
• Experience drafting complex wills and trusts, preparation of client presentations, tax calculations and analysis and administration of estates from probate through closing
• Ability to understand complex legal frameworks, synthesize them for clients and recommend resulting planning strategies
• Exposure to cross-border planning preferred
• Effective at managing outside counsel, including specialized and highly sophisticated providers
• Strong project management experience providing oversight and management of multiple medium-sized projects; critical thinking; strong organizational and prioritization skills
• Collaborative and adaptable team player with a client service mindset
• Bachelor’s Degree

Compensation:

Compensation for the role includes a competitive salary in the range from $325,000 -$425,000 (inclusive of a merit-based bonus, dependent on years of experience, level of education obtained, as well as applicable skillset) and an excellent benefits package, including  paid time off ranging from 15 to 25 days based on years of service, paid sick and safe leave, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, paid parental time off, birth mother recovery pay, sick family member pay, parental ramp back up program, gym reimbursement and generous employer match for 401k. 

Please note we are unable to provide immigration sponsorship for this position.

At the DFO, we believe our biggest asset is our people. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, hiring and developing individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to add to our collaborative culture. The DFO treats all candidates and employees with respect and does not discriminate in our recruiting, hiring, and promoting processes and general treatment during employment, including on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, veteran status, or disability