John R. Latourette

Overview

John Latourette, a senior partner of the firm, is Chair of the Trusts and Estates Group, and a member of the firm’s Tax Group and Philanthropic & Non-profit Group. He has for many years represented both prominent high net worth individuals and major philanthropic foundations with respect to their estate, gift and income tax planning and contract negotiations. He currently is trustee of several trusts with assets that in the aggregate exceed $400 million, including trusts of one of Pennsylvania’s most prominent, nationally recognized families. John served as General Manager of two major charitable foundations, as Executor of the Estates of Walter H. Annenberg and Leonore Annenberg, and represents several large charitable foundations, and Chief Executive Officers of nationally renowned non-profit organizations.

Utilizing his more than forty years of experience, John’s practice includes income, gift and estate tax planning and tax litigation, preparation of revocable (living) and irrevocable trusts, complex estate administrations, life insurance trusts, trusts for minors, wills, creation of and administration of charitable trusts and foundations, foundation executive employment agreements, foundation governance, durable powers of attorney for health care decisions and for financial decisions, custodianships, conservatorships and guardianships. Further, he has served as an expert witness regarding trust administration issues in a variety of trust and estate matters. John’s diverse practice also encompasses a broad array of business matters such as corporate shareholder agreements, and personal matters such as marital agreements.

John received his law degree from Rutgers School of Law in 1973, where he was a member of Rutgers Law Journal, his LL.M degree in Taxation from New York University School of Law in 1976, and his B.S. degree in 1970 from New York University. He served as law clerk to the Honorable John J. Kitchen, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. He is admitted to practice law in New Jersey (1973), Pennsylvania (1974), and New York (2014). John served for many years as a member of Dilworth Paxson’s Executive Committee, the firm’s governing body. John is a member of the Editorial Board of the Philadelphia Orphans Court Newsletter and was a member of the Executive Committee of the Probate Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association.