Bennett S. Keller

Mr. Keller serves on the firm’s Executive Committee.  He concentrates his practice in estate planning, probate and general business, corporate law and succession planning. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Washington University School of Law in the Master’s of Taxation Program where he teaches a class in Business Succession Planning.

Mr. Keller is a frequent lecturer and speaker on estate planning, business succession planning and tax issues. He has authored articles for such publications as the Journal of Taxation, Estate Planning, and the St. Louis Business Journal.

Representative experience:

• Handled tax court controversy - preferred stock recapitalization and family estate freezes;
• Worked with many family businesses nationwide regarding business succession and generational planning;
• Handled numerous shareholder disputes.

Court Memberships

• Illinois
• Missouri
• U.S. Tax Court

Honors

• Selected among The Best Lawyers in America®, 2008-2012
• Selected for Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers, 2005-2006, 2008-2011
• Martindale-Hubbell® “AV” Rating
• Beta Alpha Psi
• Delta Theta Phi
• Note and Comment Editor, Missouri Law Review
• Outstanding Young West Countian

Professional Affiliations

• Estate Planning Council of St. Louis
• The Missouri Bar, Durable Power of Attorney Subcommittee Member
• The Missouri Bar, Advisory Committee of the Supreme Court of Missouri, Current Panel Member
• Illinois State Bar Association
• American Bar Association, Real Property, Probate and Trust and Taxation Sections
• Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Past Chairman, Probate and Trust Law Steering Committee
• Missouri Region X Disciplinary Committee, Former Chair
• Alzheimer Association, Former Board Member
• St. Louis Quarterback Club, Former Board Member
• The Lupus Foundation, Former Board Member
• AMC Cancer Research, Former Board Member

Publications

• Co-Author, Planning for the Allocation of Administration Expenses to Income Under Hubert, Journal of Taxation, Vol. 84, No. 4, April 1996
• Co-Author, Sales, Mortgages, Leases and Exchanges, Chapter 6 of The Missouri Bar CLE Handbook, Estate Administration
• Co-Author, Hard to Handle Assets in Probate, The St. Louis Bar Journal, Vol. 1, Winter 1992
• Co-Author, S Corporations in Missouri, Professional Education Systems, Inc.
• Co-Author, IRS Makes It Harder to Use GRITS, But Provides a Safe Harbor to Avoid Gift and Estate Taxes, Estate Planning, Vol. 17, No. 1, 1990
• Co-Author, Valuation of Closely Held Business Interests, Current Application of Minority Discount and the Control Premium, 5 The Journal of Taxation of Estates and Trusts, Vol. 2, No. 3, Spring 1990
• Co-Author, Treatment of Estate Freezes Revised by TAMRA, But Many Questions Remain, Estate Planning, Vol. 16, No. 2, March/April 1989
• Co-Author, Deferral Can Still be Combined with Corporate Redemptions to Provide Liquidity, Tax Benefits, Estate Planning, Vol. 14, No. 5, 1987

Presentations

• Speaker, Right to Die After Cruzan, The Missouri Bar Fall Probate Institute, 1990
• Speaker, The Probate Tool Box - Federal and Missouri Estate and Income Taxes, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, 1988