About Cindy D. Brittain

Cindy helps international families who often have global business operations to avoid tax traps as the family or the children consider relocating to the United States. The global family requires a succession plan that incorporates a cross-border perspective, which Cindy brings to her work. She has lived and practiced in London, Hong Kong and California, and her advice bridges individual and corporate tax issues with elegant cross-border strategies. Clients call Cindy to optimize foreign and multi-state techniques to mitigate US income, estate and California state taxes. Cindy also assists start-ups, at inception and as they consideration foreign jurisdictions.

Versatile transactional counsel

Cindy has vast experience in international cross-border planning and advising large global families on wealth transfer strategies. Based in Los Angeles, she frequently works with entrepreneurs, for whom she provides creative solutions through advanced planning techniques. She counsels all of her clients on the effective use of multi-state jurisdictions for effective California state income tax planning. She also addresses fiduciary issues that arise during trust administration and currently represents both domestic and international financial services firms with trust-related matters.

Before joining Katten, Cindy served as the director of inbound wealth at a top-tier international financial institution. There, she administered foreign trusts with interposed foreign corporations and advised internally on international compliance issues. Cindy worked as an international corporate tax consultant at a Big Four accounting firm where she advised on international mergers and acquisitions. She implements pre-immigration strategies, such as check-the-box elections and defective section 351 transactions with possible non-qualified preferred stock, for cost-basis step-up. Interestingly, Cindy began her career as a financial crimes prosecutor in a large market.

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Practice Focus

  • Transactional tax and corporate cross-border design
  • Pre-immigration strategies for corporate assets
  • Multi-generational succession and entity planning
  • Trust and legacy design
  • Multi-state trust strategies to mitigate California state income tax
  • Charitable planning for effective tax and philanthropic goals
  • Family governance and family retreats for NextGen Education

News

Publications

Presentations and Events

Practices
Industries
Education
  • University of San Diego, LLM (Taxation)
  • California Western School of Law, JD
  • The University of North Carolina, BA
Bar Admissions
  • California
Community Involvements
  • Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Orange County, Board of Directors
  • Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), Los Angeles
  • Santa Barbara County Bar Association, Tax Committee, Co-Chair
  • Beverly Hills Bar Association
  • Opera Santa Barbara, Gifting Committee, Board Member Legal Committee, Chair
  • Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, Westmont College, Advisory Board Member
  • National Association of Women Business Owners, Santa Barbara Chapter, Former Pro Bono Attorney
  • Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara, Former Board Member and Audit Chair
  • Domestic Violence Solutions, Former Pro Bono Attorney
  • Ventura County Estate Planning Council, Past President