Chad A. Carr
Partner
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Phone: (952) 476-6382
Fax: (952) 476-8523

“Whether simple or complex, my desire to learn propels me to work as hard as I can until I find the best solution for my clients’ issues.”

Chad A. Carr, attorney, grew up in Manitoba, Canada. Before law school, he worked as a Training and Research Associate for 5 years with the Rural Crime and Justice Center of Minot State University. In his practice, Chad focuses on using his knowledge and experience to help his clients achieve their estate and wealth transfer planning goals by providing specialized attention to build strong, trusting attorney-client relationships. As a child in Canada, Chad learned the love of hockey. He played college hockey for all four years of his undergraduate education, has served as a youth hockey coach and continues to play recreationally. Married to Brenda, a primary grade teacher, Chad enjoys golfing, hiking, travel and he is on the Board of Theatre in the Round in Minneapolis.

Education
  • J.D., magna cum laude, Hamline University School of Law
  • M.S., Criminal Justice, Minot State University
  • B.A., cum laude, Sociology, Minot State University
Bar Admissions
    • Minnesota
    • North Dakota
    • South Dakota
    • United States Tax Court
    Member of the MN Probate and Trust Legislative Committee
    Member of 2024 Probate and Trust Conference Planning Committee
Publications and Presentations
  • 2023 Minnesota CLE Presentation: Trusts A to Z: Various Approaches to Trust Modification
  • 2023 MN Probate and Trust Conference: “Complete” vs “Incomplete” Transfers for Gift and Estate Tax Purposes: Strategies for Keeping Your Cake Without Giving a Piece to Uncle Sam
  • Helping Paws: Legacy Giving Panel Discussion
  • 2021 MN Probate and Trust Conference: The Power of Change: Comparing the Various Approaches to Trust Modification.
  • Comment, To Impound or Not to Impound: Why Courts Need to Define
    Legitimate Impoundment Purposes to Restore Fourth Amendment
    Privacy Rights to Motorists, Hamline Law Review: Vol. 33: Iss. 1 (2010).
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 directives and more.
  • Guidance through the complex family dynamics following the death of key family members.
  • Coordination of multi-generational goals during estate planning relating to the transfer of wealth.
  • Planning for large-scale family real estate assets: homes, vacation properties, and farmland.
  • Creation of unique planning tools, such as Asset Protection Trusts, for the protection of heirs.
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.
  • Dynastic strategies and tax-efficient vehicles for multi-generational wealth transfer.
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.
Business Transfer and Succession Planning
  • Guidance for tax-efficient strategies for transferring closely held family businesses to future generations or for sale.
  • Advisement to business owners with development of tax-wise giving strategies using business interests.
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, Incomplete Non-Grantor Trusts and Special Spousal Trusts.
Estate and Probate Administration
  • Assist throughout the issues and intricacies of the probate administration process.
  • Advise of post-mortem planning to best achieve goals even after the death of a loved one.
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.
  • Creating and using Special Purpose Entities for estate planning and trust administration.
  • Preserving and protecting client entity structures.