Estate Planning Partner, UHNW (Orange County)

Mercer Advisors•Irvine, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Mercer Advisors is seeking an exceptional Estate Planning Partner - Regis to serve as a primary strategic advisor, team leader, and subject matter expert for their Regis families. Regis is Mercer Advisors’ offering designed for ultra-high net worth families with complex, multi-generational wealth, requiring a deeply integrated wealth management experience with the highest level of service, coordination, and sophistication. The Estate Planning Partner will lead engagements alongside senior wealth advisors and other Regis team members, with direct accountability for the estate planning client outcomes and experience of their most complex families. This role requires credibility, judgment, and gravitas expected from trusted advisors entrusted with a family’s financial wellbeing. The position is hybrid with a strong preference for applicants in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Orange County.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school; LL.M. in Taxation or Estate Planning strongly preferred.
Licensed to practice law in at least one state.
15+ years of legal experience in estate planning, with the majority spent advising clients with balance sheets of $25M or greater; meaningful experience with $100M+ families required.
Deep technical mastery of federal transfer tax law, trust and estate administration, and advanced wealth transfer planning techniques.
Ability to interpret and convey complex estate planning topics clearly to wealth management teams and clients.
Experience advising on business succession, liquidity events (IPOs, M&A exits, ESOP transactions), and the estate planning implications of closely held business interests.
Prior experience in a private wealth department at an AmLaw 100/200 firm or a nationally recognized estate planning boutique.
Comfort operating in a team-based, financial advisory environment and within a regulated RIA structure; prior experience at a family office, wealth management firm, or multi-family office is a differentiating asset.

Responsibilities

Lead client relationships alongside senior wealth advisors and serve as the in-house estate planning strategic partner and subject matter expert to Regis families.
Maintain and grow a book of Regis clients, families with balance sheets that often exceed +$100M.
Manage a select team of UHNW-focused estate strategists, and other operational support specialists to drive excellent client outcomes.
Partner with Mercer’s broader team of in-house, interdisciplinary experts or a client’s outside advisors to integrate advanced estate planning strategies within the broader financial plan.
Support new client development through participation in prospective client meetings, industry conferences, and contributions to thought leadership content and publications.
Serve as a key partner to Regis leadership in efforts to improve and grow the platform – encompassing enhancements to our service and operating model, technology stack, as well as talent or organizational design.
Design and implement comprehensive estate plans incorporating advanced wealth transfer techniques, including irrevocable trusts (GRATs, IDGTs, ILITs, SLATs, CRTs, QPRTs), revocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and funding-related documents.
Lead multi-generational planning conversations, including family governance structures, wealth education for heirs, trustee selection, and succession design for closely held businesses.
Advise on complex estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax strategies; proactively identify planning windows and legislative risk.
Design and implement complex FLLCs and other business structures, including formation, entity selection, succession planning, buy/sell agreements, and business tax planning.
Advise on trust administration matters, trust modification and decanting strategies, and trustee/beneficiary conflict navigation.
Prepare and review deeds, real property transfer documents, and federal and state estate and gift tax returns.

Benefits

Company Paid Basic Life & AD&D Insurance
Company Paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
Supplemental Life & AD&D; Short-Term Disability; Accident; Critical Illness; and Hospital Indemnity Insurance
Three Cigna medical plans offerings including two High Deductible Health Plans and a Traditional Co-Pay medical plan.
Kaiser Medical plans available in California
Health Savings Account (HSA) with company contributions if enrolled in either HDHP medical plan.
Two comprehensive Dental Plans
Vision Insurance Plan
Dependent Care Savings Account for child and dependent care.
14 Company Paid Holidays including a full week off at Thanksgiving.
Generous paid time off program for vacation and sick days
Employee Assistance Plan
Family Medical Leave
Paid Parental Leave (8 weeks)
Maternity benefits utilizing company paid STD, any supplemental STD, plus Parental Leave (8 weeks) to provide time for recovery, baby bonding, and enjoying your family time.
Adoption Assistance Reimbursement Program
Company Paid Concierge Services for you and your loved ones for the spectrum of caring needs for your aging parents, young children, life’s challenges and more.
401(k) Retirement Plan with both Traditional and Roth plans with per pay period match as well as an after-tax option
Pet Insurance
Personalized financial planning and guidance from Mercer Advisors professionals, offered at preferred employee pricing