Sarah Meyer

Sarah Meyer
Attorney
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Phone: (952) 476-6382
Fax: (952) 476-8523

“Drawing from my own upbringing in a large extended family with a multi-generational business, and my brother having special needs, I uniquely understand the delicate balance of navigating sensitive family dynamics while preserving one’s legacy.  I am grateful to be part of a firm that feels like a family and treats its clients as such.”

Sarah Meyer, attorney, grew up in Minnesota and graduated from William Mitchell School of Law.  During law school, she spent a remarkable summer in Nice, France studying Comparative Constitutional Law under Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Earlier immersion in Spanish culture, studying in Venezuela and Spain, honed her fluency in the language and appreciation for educational travel. Interning for an Estate planning attorney, she discovered her calling in this specialized field and for two decades post-law school, she worked as a solo practitioner from her home. Alongside her husband, Chris, an orthopedic surgeon, she raised an active family engaged in their community and schools.  Sarah served on the board of the Jungle Theater for many years and is passionate about the fine arts, especially ballet.  Playing piano and guitar and savoring time outdoors running or hiking rejuvenate her and she cherishes time with her husband and kids at their Montana ranch and home on Christmas Lake.

Education
  • J.D., William Mitchell College of Law
  • B.A. Spanish, B.A. Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Bar Admissions

Minnesota

Community Boards and Engagement

  • Council Member of the Probate, Trusts, and Estates Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association, Hennepin County Bar Association, and Ramsey County Bar Association
    • “Dead-Hand Writing Award” Committee Co-chair, 2022-present
  • Executive co-chair of the Hennepin County Bar Association Probate and Trust Law Section, 2018-2021
  • Minnesota Wills for Heroes Program Volunteer, 2015-present
  • Breck School Parent Ambassador, 2018-present
  • Co-Chair of Breck School Parent Association, 2019-2022
  • Jungle Theater Board member, 2013-2019
    • Co-Chair Jungle Theater Annual Gala, 2013-2019
  • PTA President Deephaven Elementary School, 2013-2014
    • Board Member, 2010-2016
    • Veterans’ Day Chair, Deephaven Elementary School, 2013-2017
  • Faith Formation teacher, St. Therese of Deephaven, 2013-2014
Areas of practice and representative clients
Estates & Trusts Planning and Wealth Transfer Planning
  • Comprehensive and specialized estate plans, including wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trust, powers of attorney, health care directive and more.
  • Providing for family members with disabilities.
  • Providing for children through bequests, trusts, and appointment of guardians for minor children.
Estate Tax, Gift Tax & Generation Skipping Transfer Tax Planning
  • Sophisticated and tax-efficient wealth transfer plans.
  • Lifetime gifting strategies (including outright and in trust) that leverage exclusions and exemptions.
Retirement Benefits Planning
  • Planning for disbursement of IRAs, 401(k)s or other qualified retirement assets.
  • Tax-efficient methods and vehicles for transferring retirement assets following death.
  • Achieving lifetime charitable goals using Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs and more.
Income Tax Planning
  • Creation of trusts and transfer of trusts to more favorable income tax jurisdictions.
  • Achieve income tax goals for high-net-worth individuals, such as cost basis planning to reduce income tax liability for beneficiaries.
  • Other income tax-efficient trust structures and vehicles, such as Grantor Trusts.
Trust Administration
  • Work to ensure correct trust administration and that the trust’s purposes are being achieved.
  • Work with trust officers, trust companies, trustees, beneficiaries, investment advisors and others throughout the administration of the trust.
  • Assist in modifying existing irrevocable trusts, so that they best address current needs and circumstances and changes in the law.
Charitable Planning
  • Achieve charitable goals through gifting strategies.
  • Create charitable organizations, such as private foundations and charitable trusts.
  • Coordinating clients’ estate plans with charitable organizations.
Ante and Post-nuptial Agreements
  • Assess rights upon termination of a marriage, either by dissolution or death.
  • Negotiating and drafting Antenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements to achieve all goals.
Business & Corporate Law
  • Forming closely held business, including corporation, limited liability companies and limited partnerships.