Lisa McLaughlin has over 40 years of experience in complex estate and trust planning for multi-generational families, wealth planning, probate and trust administration, fiduciary litigation and related tax and closely-held business areas of law. She also devotes much of her practice to charitable, nonprofit and tax-exempt entity law. The depth and breadth of Lisa’s expertise allows her to serve the needs of individual clients with the full range of sophisticated estate planning techniques. She works with both individual clients and tax-exempt organizations to create, administer and provide advice regarding governance for charitable trusts, nonprofit corporations, private foundations, endowments and planned giving programs.

Within the Missouri legal community, Lisa has earned a reputation as a “lawyer’s lawyer” who understands the tax and technical complexities of the estate planning and charitable planning field and can effectively guide less experienced or more general practitioners. She presently serves as Chair of the Technology in the Practice Committee of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. She is a frequent speaker to both professional and lay audiences on estate planning and charitable planning topics.

An active volunteer leader in charitable and civic service for many years, Lisa currently serves as a Trustee and Immediate Past Chair of the Board of the Missouri Historical Society,  Treasurer of the Saint Louis Woman’s Club and Member of the Vanderbilt Law School Board of Advisors.

Vanderbilt Law School Winter Magazine 2021
(download pdf)

Estate & Wealth Planning
Advice for Trustees and Personal Representatives
Trust and Estate Administration
Tax Advice
Estate Tax, Gift Tax, Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax and Fiduciary Income Tax Law
Charitable and Nonprofit Advice
Tax-Exempt, Charitable, Nonprofit, Endowment, Religious and Fraternal Entities
Post Death Administration
Advanced Planning
Closely Held Businesses, Succession Planning
Premarital and Post-Marital Agreements
Fiduciary Litigation
Taxation of Individuals, Corporations, Partnerships
Guardianships and Conservatorships

• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel – Fellow, Elected 2003
  • Member, Charitable Planning Committee
  • Chair, Technology in the Practice Committee
    
• American Bar Foundation – Fellow, Elected 2014
• Missouri Bar
  • Member, Estate Planning and Probate Administration Committee
  • Member, Charitable Giving Committee
  • Member, Fiduciary Litigation Committee
• Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
  • Former Chair, current Member, Probate and Trust Law Section
  • Former Chair, Tax-Exempt Organization and Non-Profit Law Committee
• Estate Planning Council of St. Louis
  • Former President
• Planned Giving Council of St. Louis

• The Top 100 Attorneys Magazine – 2021

• The Best Lawyers in America® – 2021-2024
  St. Louis, Trusts & Estates                                                                                                                              
• Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers – 2005–Present
  Top 100 Lawyers 2014–2017
  St. Louis Top 50 Lawyers 2015–2017
  Top 50 Women Lawyers 2005–2020
  
• AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Best Lawyers In America 1995–Present
• Professional Advisor Legacy Award
  Planned Giving Council of St. Louis, 2013
• Charles A. Dukes Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service
  Duke University, 1995

• Vanderbilt Law School, Board of Advisors
• Missouri Historical Society, Trustee, Immediate Past Chair of Board, Executive Committee Member, Development Committee Member, Joint Budget & Operations Committee Member, Governance and Nominating Committee, Capital Campaign Steering Commitee
• Missouri United Methodist Foundation, Past Trustee
• Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity, National Archivist, Past Foundation Trustee
• Central Institute For The Deaf Board Member, Past Board Member, Former Chair of Development Committee and Capital Campaign Steering Cabinet
• Youthbridge Community Foundation, Past Board Member, Past Chair of Governance Committee
• Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church, Past Chancellor
• Girl Scouts Of Eastern Missouri, Past Member of Fund Development Committee
• Hatebreakers, Past Board Member
• Starkloff Disability Institute, Past Board Member
• Campbell House Foundation/Museum, Past President, Emeritus Board Member
• Mary Institute & Saint Louis Country Day School, Past Executive Committee Member, Chair of Planned Giving Committee
• St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers And Accountants for the Arts, Past Board Member
• Ready Readers, Past Board Member, Advisory Board Member
• American Red Cross St. Louis Chapter, Past Treasurer
• Noonday Club Of Saint Louis Past President
• Webster Hills United Methodist Church, Past Chair of Trustees
• Great Circle (Formerly Boys & Girls Town Of Missouri), Past Board Member
• Epworth Children’s and Family Services, Past Board Member

Instructor, Non-Profit Law and Non-Profit Management
Washington University 2012 – 2014