Estate Planning under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act & Using Trusts for Income Tax Savings
Program Summary
Recent changes to estate planning through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and ways to save on tax with the use of trusts
Leon Rittenberg III
Leon Rittenberg III is a New Orleans native. His practice focuses on serving the needs of businesses and their owners; including taxation, finance, private equity, estate planning, probate, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, maritime and vessel transactions, philanthropy and non-profit law, and related matters. Leon represents the interests of a number of private investors, oil service businesses, family offices, marine transportation companies and physician groups. He is a Board Certified Tax Specialist and Board Certified Estate Planning & Administration Specialist, as certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal
Specialization. He frequently lectures in areas such as taxation, estate planning and maritime transactions.
Leon is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel. He has been recognized by Chambers USA (Louisiana Marine Finance – 2021; Louisiana Corporate/M&A: Tax section – 2017), Louisiana
Super Lawyers (Tax, Estate Planning & Probate and Business/Corporate), and the Best Lawyers in America (Non Profit/Charities Law and Trusts & Estates), and by New Orleans Magazine as one of their “Top Lawyers of New Orleans” for his work in Equipment Finance Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law and Tax Law. New Orleans City Business selected him for their Leadership in Law class of 2014, which “identifies and honors 50 outstanding legal professionals whose successes in law and contributions to the community have set the pace for the legal community.”
Leon is active in the New Orleans community, serving on the Boards and Executive Committees of numerous non-profit organizations. In 2015, he served as chairman of the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization’s Tax Law Advisory Committee. Leon also contributes to many philanthropic efforts. He and his family opened the “Rittenberg Family Food Pantry” in 2024 at the Ochsner Cancer Institute in New Orleans to provide free, healthful meal options to cancer patients and their families. He is also a recipient of the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana’s 2024 Young Family Award for Professional Excellence, which is awarded for outstanding leadership within the community.
Leon attended the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania where he studied economics and graduated magna cum laude. He returned home to attend Tulane University School of Law where he graduated magna cum laude. Leon was a summer associate at the Internal Revenue Service’s Office of Chief Counsel in Washington, D.C., and also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Will Garwood of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal.
Prior to joining Liskow, Leon was a partner at Baldwin Haspel Burke & Mayer.
Caroline Lafourcade
Caroline Lafourcade is a Board-Certified Tax Law Specialist—as certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization—and leader in the Louisiana tax law bar. With nearly 30 years of experience, Caroline advises individuals and businesses on federal taxation and Louisiana state and local tax matters. She works with clients in various industries, including construction, energy, real estate development, and chemical, industrial, and manufacturing sectors.
Caroline’s extensive experience includes navigating federal tax disputes at every stage, from examinations to administrative appeals and litigation with the Internal Revenue Service. She represents clients in state and local tax audits, administrative appeals, and litigation before the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals and state courts. Her experience covers a wide range of tax types, including income tax, sales and use tax, severance tax, and ad valorem property tax.
Caroline also assists clients with business formation and planning and provides guidance on estate planning to safeguard and manage assets, as well as advising on the administration of complex estates and successions.
Caroline serves as chair of the 2023-2024 Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization Tax Law Advisory Commission, where she is charged with maintaining the integrity and standards of tax practice for specialists in Louisiana. She was also selected by the Louisiana Department of Revenue as the tax law delegate for the S.R. 22 Misclassification of Employees Task Force, established to study and make recommendations for changes to state laws to minimize worker misclassification in Louisiana, where she drafted the legislation that was ultimately enacted. Caroline also previously served as chair of the Tax Section of the Louisiana State Bar Association.
