Private Client Forum Americas 2026

Two Katten attorneys will speak on Thursday, June 4, during the Private Client Forum Americas 2026. At 9:45 a.m., Partner and Private Wealth Chair Joshua Rubenstein will speak on "The Great Re-Shuffle: UK and North American Tax Change and the Mobility of Wealth." The session will examine how political and fiscal developments in the United States are contributing to outbound migration among high-net-worth individuals, including the practical implications of exit tax regimes and cross-border restructuring. It will also consider recent UK reforms, the factors driving both emigration and inbound relocation, and the broader impact these trends are having on the movement of private wealth, family offices and internationally connected entrepreneurs.

At 11:30 a.m., Private Wealth Partner Bonnie Chmil will speak on "Global Families, Conflicting Laws: Making Cross-Border Estate Planning Work," where panelists will discuss succession planning's increasing vulnerability to conflicts between civil law and common law systems as global families increasingly hold assets, structures and family members across multiple jurisdictions. The session will explore the practical challenges that arise when trusts, foundations, matrimonial regimes and forced-heirship rules intersect internationally. Speakers will focus on prenuptial and succession agreements, the cross-border recognition of trusts and foundations, and the tensions between forced heirship and common law planning structures. Considering different jurisdictions, they will share practical approaches to making international estate plans more "dispute-proof," including governance mechanisms, trustee selection, protectors and no-contest clauses designed to reduce future litigation risk.

Learn more about the Private Client Forum Americas 2026.