Wendy Goffe has more than 30 years of experience counseling clients on estate planning issues, including representing and collaborating with private collectors, foundations, museums, and art advisors needing legal counsel related to the purchase, sale, gifting, and recovery of fine art and other creative works. Wendy has advised clients on probate and trust administration, estate and gift taxation, charitable giving and nonprofit entities, and issues concerning unmarried couples. She has extensive experience preparing prenuptial, postnuptial, and cohabitation agreements.
Wendy is a Fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a member of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law. She is a member of the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils’ Estate (NAEPC) Planning Hall of Fame and a recipient of the NAEPC Accredited Estate Planner (Distinguished) designation.
Wendy is a regular speaker at local, regional, and national events addressing a variety of estate planning topics. She has also been interviewed by and written for many national publications.
Education
- J.D., University of Washington School of Law
- B.A., University of Washington, cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa
Association Memberships
- Washington State Bar Association
- Oregon State Bar Association
- United State Tax Court
Accolades
- Listed in Chambers High Net Worth Guide (Private Wealth Law—Washington), 2016–present
- Included in The Best Lawyers in America® (Trusts and Estates), 2007–present
- Listed in Washington Super Lawyers® (Estate Planning & Probate, Nonprofit Organizations), 2001–present
- Listed in Washington Super Lawyers® in Top 50 Women Lawyers, 2006–2019, 2021–present
- Listed in Washington Super Lawyers® in Top 100 Lawyers, 2008–2014, 2018, 2021–present
- “League of Justice,” Washington CEO, 2006
Professional and Community Activities
Professional
- The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Fellow; Family Law Task Force, Chair; Digital Property Committee, Member; Fiduciary Administration Task Force, Member
- Professional Advisor on Estate Planning Law to the American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education (ALI CLE), Professional Advisor
- National Association of Estate Planners & Councils’ Estate Planning Hall of Fame; Recipient, NAEPC Accredited Estate Planner (Distinguished) designation, Member
- ACTEC Liaison to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, Member
- Nonprofit Corporations Committee, Washington State Bar Association, Member
- Estate and Gift Tax Committee, Taxation Section, Washington State Bar Association, Member
- Washington Women in Tax, Member
- Seattle University Law School, former Adjunct Faculty Member
- Community Property Comment Project, ABA Taxation Section, former Member
- Estate Planning Council of Seattle, Executive Committee, former Member
- Washington State Bar Association, Executive Committee, Real Property, Probate and Trust Section, former Member
- Washington State Bar Association, Real Property Probate and Trust Newsletter, Editorial Board, former Member
Community
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Planned Giving Advisory Council, Member
- The Seattle Foundation, Professional Advisory Council, Member
- African Parks Advisory Council, Member
- Children’s Hospital Foundation, Children’s Legacy Council, Member
- Girls on the Run of Puget Sound, Coach
- The Nature Conservancy, Planned Giving Committee, former Member
- YWCA, Planned Giving Committee, former Member
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater Washington Chapter, Board of Directors, former Member; Chair, Executive Committee; Member, Planned Giving Committee
- Board of Directors; Co-chair, Grants Committee, Jewish Women’s Endowment Fund, former Member
- Jewish Federation Professional Advisory Committee, former Member
- Acquisition Committee, Tacoma Art Museum, former Member
- Professional Advisory Committee, Northwest Giving Project, former Member
- Advisory Committee, Woodland Park Zoo, former Member
- Ethics Committee, Northwest Hospital, former Member
Speaking Engagements
- View Wendy Goffe’s Social Science Research Network (SSRN) publications at http://ssrn.com/author=471238
- The Tools & Techniques of Estate Planning for Modern Families, 4th Edition (co-executive editor and contributing author), National Underwriter Company, January 2024
- “Tax Aspects of Collecting Fine Art,” 72nd Annual Tulane Tax Institute, New Orleans, LA, December 2023
- “Problematic Provisions in Prenuptials, and Settlement Agreements", 68th Annual Estate Planning Seminar, Seattle, WA, November 2023
- “Planning for Beneficiaries with Addiction and Mental Illness Issues,” AICPA ENGAGE+, September 2023
- “Problematic Provisions in Prenuptials and Settlement Agreements,” New York Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, The Harvard Club, New York, NY, May 2023
- “Planning for Beneficiaries with Addiction and Mental Illness Issues,” Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Orange County, Newport Beach, CA, February 2023
- “Planning for the Transgender Adult,” 52nd Annual Estate Planning Seminar, Portland, OR, February 2023
- “Agreements by Estate Planning and Family Law Lawyers,” Trust and Estate Talk podcast, ACTEC Foundation, April 2022
- “Drafting Trusts for Beneficiaries with Addiction Issues” (co-author), WSBA Real Property, Probate & Trust Section Newsletter, Spring 2021
- “Opinion: Is now the time to make a large gift?” Puget Sound Business Journal, March 2021
- “Drafting Trusts for Beneficiaries with Addiction Issues,” Steve Leimberg’s Estate Planning Email Newsletter, November 2020
- “Planning for the Unmarried Couple,” Chapter 17, WSBA Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Administration Deskbook, March 2020
- “Do I Really Have to Have it Appraised?” 44 Tax Management Estates, Gifts, and Trusts Journal 1, July 2019
- “INSIGHT: When Cannabis and Estate Planning Intersect: Make Sure Your Client’s Plan Doesn’t Go Up in Smoke,” Daily Tax Report®, Bloomberg Tax, March 2019
- “Planning For Unique And Regulated Assets: Wine And Planes (With Form),” 25 Est. Plan. Course Mat’l J. 3, 2019
- “Alcohol, Guns and Cannabis: Planning With Regulated Assets,” Estate Planning Council of Portland, Portland, OR, May 2018
- “Planning for Unmarried Couples,” ALI-CLE Estate Planning in Depth, Madison, WI, June 2017
- “Planning for Cabins to Cannabis—Identifying the Issues and Creative Solutions,” Alaska Chapter, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, September 2016
- Panelist, “Practical Planning for Truly Unique Assets: From Snowflakes to Marijuana,” 2016 RPTE Spring Symposia, Boston, MA, May 2016
- “Estate Planning for Unmarried and Non-Traditional Families,” Northern Trust Master Series, Santa Barbara, CA, March 2016
- Quoted in “Keeping a Vacation Home in Your Family,” AARP Magazine, March 2016
- “Regulated Assets: What Do You Do When You Find Out Grandma Had a Gun Collection, Wine, Planes and Marijuana,” North Central Washington Estate Planning Council, Wenatchee, WA, December 2015
- Panelist, Wrap Up Panel, 60th Annual Estate Planning Seminar, Seattle, WA, November 2015
- “Do I Have to Get Artwork Appraised? Art as an Asset Class,” 60th Annual Estate Planning Seminar, Seattle, WA, November 2015
- “Nascar Condominiums to Private Mausoleums: Planning for Family Cabins and Vacation Homes,” Denver Estate Planning Council, Denver, CO, May 2015
- Quoted in “What Every Investor Needs to Know About Basis,” Morningstar.com, March 2015
- “Estate Planning for Premarital, Cohabitation, Tax and Estate Planning Matters,” Portland Estate Planning Council Annual Seminar, Portland, OR, January 2015
- “Estate Planning for Non-Traditional Families,” Advanced Wealth Management Conference, San Diego, CA, October 2014
- “Planning for Same-Sex Couples,” Skills Training for Estate Planners, ABA Section of Real Property, Trust & Estate Law, New York, NY, July 2014
- “The Fall of DOMA: Now What, After Windsor and Referendum 74?” WSBA Real Property Probate and Trust Mid-Year, Tulalip, WA, June 2014
- “Changing Laws Complicate Planning For Gay Couples,” Puget Sound Business Journal, March 21–27, 2014
- “Ways to Leave Your Loved One—And What You Might Want to Leave Behind,” Probate Practice Reporter, March 2014
- “50 Ways To Leave Your Loved Ones,” MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal, January 2014
- “Estate Planning for “Things with Wings,” LISI Estate Planning Newsletter, January 2014
wgoffe@omwlaw.com