The Advanced Tax Institute exists to help high-performing lawyers and CPAs bring the best advice to their clients and their firms. Access in-depth updates on NEW tax laws and regulations across a variety of focus areas.
Kick off your Tax Week strong with a comprehensive session designed for high-performing CPAs, tax attorneys, and advisory professionals aiming to sharpen their edge.
There will be a $25 fee for changing from IN PERSON format to Virtual after October 31, 2025.
Please note – materials for this event will be provided electronically ONLY. Please feel free to bring your own device to view the materials. We recommend that you download them prior to the event date rather than on-site.
Nicole practices in the area of Estate Planning and Estate Administration, Elder Law, Special Need Planning, Business Planning, and Title and Real Estate Transactions, with an emphasis on the tax aspects of each area. She represents individuals, business owners, young families, individuals reaching retirement, and the elderly in connection with planning to meet their estate, tax and medical assistance planning goals. In addition, Nicole works with individuals and families with special needs, including trusts and adult guardianships.
Prior to co-founding HWK Law Group, Nicole was a senior tax associate with two Big 5 accounting firms, an associate with a large prominent Baltimore law firm, served as both General Counsel and Executive Director to a national mortgage lender/broker, and was a co-owner of an affiliated multi-state title company.
Nicole resides in Lutherville with her husband and three children. She enjoys her frequent trips to Florida, playing tennis, traveling, skiing, and spending time with her family and friends.
Admitted
Court of Appeals of Maryland
Supreme Court of Florida
Education
Georgetown University School of Law, LL.M in Taxation
University of Baltimore School of Law, J.D. (Concentration Certificates in Estate Planning & Business Law)
Loyola University of MD, B.A.Political Science
Maryvale Preparatory School
Licenses
Maryland Title Insurance Producer – License No. 64153
Notary Public for the State of MD
Pennsylvania Non-Resident Title Agent — License No. 986885
Professional Affiliations
Maryland State Bar Association
Florida Bar Association
Palm Beach County Bar Association
Community Affiliations
Maryvale Preparatory School – Presidents Advisory Council, 2015 – 2018
Maryvale Preparatory School – Board of Trustees, 2018 – 2024
Maryvale Preparatory School – Chair of Governance Committee, 2020 – 2024
Baltimore Estate Planning Council, Member
Catholic Business Network of Baltimore, Member
National Aging in Place (NAIPC) – Baltimore Chapter, Member
Learn strategies to prevent and manage disputes in estate and trust matters, from drafting techniques to effective administration approaches when family conflict arises.
Beth Shapiro Kaufman is a Partner in the Washington D.C. office of the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler, practicing in the areas of estate planning, estate, gift and
generation-skipping tax, and income taxation of trusts and estates. At Lowenstein, Ms. Kaufman is the National Chair of the Private Client Services Group, where she assists wealthy
individuals with their estate planning and tax controversies. She also advises lawyers and other professionals on complex issues regarding estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes in both planning and audit contexts. She is frequently retained by counsel to advocate a taxpayer's position before the Internal Revenue Service, and has been particularly active in obtaining
relief for failed generation-skipping transfer tax exemption allocations. From 1995 to 2001, Ms. Kaufman was an Associate Tax Legislative Counsel in the U.S. Treasury Department’s
Office of Tax Policy. In that capacity, she was responsible for estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax issues, as well as income tax issues relating to trusts and estates. Ms. Kaufman is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, where she currently chairs the Estate and Gift Tax Committee and serves on the Board of Regents. Ms. Kaufman received her B.A. from Pomona College and her J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Meghan Federman counsels high-net-worth individuals, families, and family offices on sophisticated estate planning and wealth transfer strategies tailored to preserve and grow multigenerational wealth. She works closely with clients to develop integrated estate and business succession plans, and she guides fiduciaries and beneficiaries through all aspects of trust and estate administration, including probate proceedings, tax filings, and asset distribution.
With a background in corporate law, Meg brings a strategic and business-savvy perspective to her work with corporate executives – including principals of private equity, venture capital, and hedge funds – as well as founders and owners of closely held businesses. She regularly assists clients with:
The panelists will discuss the year’s important developments in the federal estate and gift tax areas. The discussion will include an analysis of relevant provisions in OBBBA, as well as any new proposed or final regulations, other IRS guidance, and new case law.
Emily Plocki is a Partner in Venable's Private Wealth Planning Group in Washington, DC.
Her practice focuses primarily on assisting high-net-worth individuals, multigenerational families, and owners of family corporations, both domestically and internationally, with tax planning and wealth preservation. Emily handles a variety of matters, including estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax planning, trust and estate administration, planned charitable giving, and business succession strategies.
Emily earned her LL.M. in Taxation, with distinction, from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a note-writing mentor for The Tax Lawyer Journal. She received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Toledo College of Law and has a B.A. from Kenyon College.
Emily is a Fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). Emily is also a current Board Member of the Washington, D.C. Estate Planning Council and Group Chair of the ABA Real Property, Trust and Estate (RPTE) Section’s Business Planning Group. She previously was a 2018-2020 RPTE Trust and Estate Fellow and a 2020-2022 Dennis I. Belcher ACTEC Young Leader.
Jenna Reifler is an associate in Venable Private Wealth Planning Group in Washington, DC.
Jenna assists individuals, families, and business owners with estate planning, wealth preservation strategies, and trust and estate administration. Prior to joining Venable, Jenna practiced as an associate at a Maryland law firm specializing in trusts and estates, where she drafted documents that included revocable trusts, wills, advanced healthcare directives, durable financial powers of attorney, and operating agreements. Jenna’s background also includes her creative and collaborative work as a media strategist at a global advertising agency.
Jenna received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law and has a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University.
In light of the OBBBA signed into law on July 4, 2025, and the continuation of the increased Federal transfer tax exemptions, fewer taxpayers will be affected by the imposition of estate tax liability. However, trusts are powerful tools in estate planning and the creation of a trust isn’t always motivated solely by achieving and leveraging tax benefits. Rather, the use of trust structures remain a vital component to estate plans for several non-tax motivated reasons – they provide security, control, privacy, and the ability to plan for the long-term welfare of a taxpayer’s family, business, and philanthropic missions. This presentation will explore in greater detail the non-tax benefits for the continued use of trusts.
The Honorable Byron E. Macfarlane was first elected Register of Wills for Howard County in 2010. He is the 18th Register and first openly gay elected official in Howard County history. From 2013 to 2016, Byron served as President of the Maryland Register of Wills Association.
Byron is a county native and attended Howard County public schools. He credits his public school education for inspiring his passion for government and public service. Byron has worked at the county, state, and federal levels of government, for County Councilman Guy Guzzone, Circuit Court Judge Richard Bernhardt, State Senator Edward J. Kasemeyer, and United States Senator Edward M. Kennedy. From 2004 to 2006, Byron served as Legislative Director to Delegate Peter Franchot, now the Comptroller of Maryland. In 2006, Byron was elected to serve on the Howard County Democratic Central Committee.
Byron earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he concentrated on public and governmental service. Prior to earning his law degree, Byron attended the University of Maryland, College Park, receiving his bachelor’s degree in government and political science, with Citations in Public Leadership and Communication. He is an Honorary Alumnus Member of the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society.
A strong believer in lifetime learning, Byron is a graduate of the Leadership Howard County Premier Class of 2017 and the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance’s “Transportation 101” Course of 2017. From 2015 to 2017, he served as an adjunct faculty member at Howard University School of Law. Most recently, he was named a 2018 Bohnett Leaders Fellow and completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Byron values community involvement. He is a member of several local, state, and national organizations: Howard County Bar Association; Maryland Bar Association; National College of Probate Judges; Howard County Estate Planning Council (Founding Member); Maryland Student Legislature Board of Advisors; Columbia Democratic Club; Thurgood Marshall Democratic Club; PFLAG of Howard County; League of Women Voters of Howard County; Howard County NAACP, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland; American Civil Liberties Union; Sierra Club and Human Rights Campaign. In 2013, Byron was selected by the Baltimore Business Journal as a “40 Under 40” Honoree.
Learn how to streamline your Maryland estate tax filings with practical tips and documentation best practices. This session will cover key submission requirements for MET-1, guidance on portability elections, and common pitfalls to avoid when working with the Comptroller’s Office. Gain valuable insights to help you navigate complex filings with greater accuracy and confidence.
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