BALTIMORE ESTATE PLANNING COUNCIL

2 CFP Credits Approved

Sponsored by PNC Private Bank.

AGENDA
07:00 - 08:00 Breakfast and Networking
08:00 - 10:00 Program

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
Surprise! Re-defining Family in the Wild West of DNA Test Kits and Assisted Reproductive Technology
This presentation will discuss the impact of DNA test kit surprises and assisted reproductive technology on estate planning, including inheritance rights of newly-discovered heirs, posthumously conceived children, and children born of donated sperm, eggs or embryos; estate planning concerns for gestational carriers and intended parents; and the changing definitions of family. We will also look at how tried and true rules of document construction and modification can affect a plan gone awry by an unexpected twist in the family tree.

Learning Objectives:

1. Current developments in assisted reproductive technology techniques and the affect they can have on existing estate plans. 
2. Status of adopted children and half-siblings under intestacy laws, case law, and uniform laws. 
3. How to draft class gifts to avoid unintended inclusion of surprise family members.
4. The parental rights and responsibilities of gamete or embryo donors, gestational carriers, surrogates and their spouses.
5. Property considerations for cryopreserved gametes and embryos in estates.
6. Inheritance rights of posthumously conceived children. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Sarah Moore Johnson is the Washington, DC Office Managing Partner for Harrison LLP, a national private wealth law firm. Her practice focuses on estate planning and estate administration for ultra-high net worth clients in DC, Maryland and Virginia. Ms. Johnson is a leader in the Washington, DC estate planning community, having chaired the Estate Planning Committee of the DC Bar Taxation Section, served on the Steering Committee of the DC Bar Estates, Trust and Probate Law Section, and as President of the Washington, D.C. Estate Planning Council. She is also an active Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and has been ranked as a top wealth planning attorney by Chambers and Partners, Best Lawyers, and the Washingtonian magazine.
Ms. Johnson is a frequent and award-winning speaker on tax and estate planning topics. She has presented at the Heckerling Estate Planning Institute and at national meetings of ACTEC and the ABA Taxation and RPTE Sections, as well as to local estate planning councils and regional symposiums across the country. She was recognized by the American Bar Association Taxation Section as a Nolan Fellow in 2008 for her leadership as a young lawyer. Ms. Johnson is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Georgia School of Law. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Greater Washington Community Foundation and uses her positions of influence to advocate for racial equity, diversity and inclusion in the estate planning industry to help close the racial wealth gap.

Two Meeting Requirement: To maintain membership in the Baltimore Estate Planning Council, active members are required to attend at least two (2) IN-PERSON educational meetings annually.

Cancellation Policy: Reservations must be canceled in writing or by e-mail and received no later than Friday, May 2, 2025.