T: (314) 613-2806
F: (314) 613-2801

Download V-Card

Assistant
Nancy Neske
(314) 613-2814

Pierre Laclede Center
7701 Forsyth Boulevard, Suite 400
Clayton, MO 63105

Practices
Wealth Strategies
Corporate & General Business


Additional Information
Publications
Presentations
Professional Affiliations
Honors


Print Page Email Page
Bennett S. Keller

Experience
Mr. Keller is a member in our wealth strategies and corporate practice areas.  He concentrates his practice in estate planning, probate and general business, corporate law and succession planning.  Mr. Keller 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.

Education
  • University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, J.D., 1984
  • University of Missouri-Columbia, B.S.B.A., cum laude, 1981
Admissions
  • Missouri, 1984
  • Illinois, 1992
Court Memberships
  • U.S. Tax Court
Honors
  • Selected among The Best Lawyers in America®, 2008-2009
  • Selected for Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers, 2005-2006, 2008
  • 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
In The News
05/27/2008 St. Louis TV Network Features Ben Keller on Estate Planning

Press Releases
10/23/2008 52 Lathrop & Gage Attorneys Named Super Lawyers
09/22/2008 National Best Lawyers Roster Includes 50 Lathrop & Gage Attorneys
02/20/2008 St. Louis Magazine Includes Three Lathrop & Gage Attorneys as "Best Lawyers"

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




Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee future results. Every case is different and should be judged on its own merits. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements.

Lathrop & Gage LLP, 2345 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri 64108