About Kathryn von Matthiessen

For ultra-high-net-worth individuals, Kathryn von Matthiessen offers sophisticated yet practical counsel on income and transfer tax optimization. She provides estate and business succession planning for domestic and international private clients, and has extensive experience in cross-border issues.

Expansive international private client background

Kathryn's international private client experience is particularly broad. For clients coming to the United States she provides pre-residency planning. For foreign families with US members, she uses a number of tools to facilitate tax-efficient wealth transfers to US family members while minimizing US gift and estate tax liability for foreign settlors. Kathryn also advises clients leaving the United States on outbound planning matters. For international clients everywhere, she helps to structure global succession plans and assists them in selecting appropriate jurisdictions.

Kathryn advises domestic and international families that own many different asset classes, from operating businesses to hedge fund interests to real estate to intellectual property and artwork. In her estate planning for them, she uses a variety of techniques (both charitable and non-charitable) to minimize taxes and achieve her clients' goals.

Kathryn advises fiduciaries including trust companies on administering complex estates and trusts. She also has a broad background in business succession planning through the use of trusts, private trust companies, buy-sell agreements and shareholder agreements.

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"Kathryn is an excellent lawyer. She is extremely responsive, she is extremely knowledgeable and also very proactive. She is imaginative in her solutions. I really enjoy working with her." "She is really hard-working and gifted on technical tax issues. She is very practical and really knows her stuff. She is a go-to on international matters."

Chambers High Net Worth 2022
(New York, Private Wealth Law) survey response

Practice Focus

  • Estate planning
  • Tax planning
  • Private client services
  • Trust and estate administration
  • Business succession planning

News

Publications

Quick Reads

Presentations and Events

Practices
Industries
Education
  • New York University School of Law, LLM (Taxation)
  • Columbia Law School, JD
  • Carleton College, BA, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
Bar Admissions
  • New York
  • Florida
Community Involvements
  • American Bar Association
  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
  • Florida Bar Association
  • International Bar Association
  • New York State Bar Association
  • Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), Chair of STEP New York
  • The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law (IAETL)
Recognitions
Recognized or listed in the following:
  • ALM/Law.com
    Private Client Global Elite, 2017–2019, 2021–2022
  • Best Lawyers in America
    Trusts and Estates, 2019–2025
  • Chambers High Net Worth
    New York: Private Wealth Law, 2019–2024
  • Citywealth Magic Circle Awards
    Woman of the Year (Gold), 2022
  • Citywealth Powerwomen Awards
    Woman of the Year
    Inspirational Woman of the Year, Silver Award, 2025
    USA, Gold Award, 2024
    North America Gold Award, 2020
    North America Silver Award, 2019
    International Powerwomen Top 100, 2019, 2025
    IFC Powerwomen Top 200, 2018
  • Latinvex
    Latin America's Top 100 Female Lawyers, 2016, 2018–2019
  • Lexology Index
    Private Client, 2024
  • Spear's 500
    Best Tax Lawyers, Recommended, 2023-2024
  • Super Lawyers
    New York, 2022-2023
Award Methodologies