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Joshua HillgerJoshua Hillger
Joshua C. Hillger
Attorney
60 South Sixth Street
Suite 2700
Minneapolis, MN 55402
P 612.341.9737
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Josh practices in the areas of Estate Planning and Estate Administration. He works closely with his clients as a trusted advisor to accomplish their estate planning goals and objectives, as well as to administer estates and trusts efficiently and effectively. Josh has experience working with clients and families at a large national trust company where he settled multi-million-dollar, complex estates, and trusts across the country.

Josh has had experience working with a variety of different estate-planning techniques as well as administering estate accounts with a variety of different assets including art collections and other collectibles, on-going business entities, development land, closely-held businesses, oil & gas interests, international real estate and race horses. He has also worked in many contested estate and trust matters where he played an active role in resolving conflicts among beneficiaries.

Experience
  • Advised client on estate planning and estate administration involving foreign real estate holdings to ensure smooth administration during lifetime and at death.
  • Advised fiduciary on the management and sale of unique assets in various estate administrations including management and sale of a significant art collection, racehorses, ongoing business interests and development land.
  • Submission and negotiations on Private Letter Ruling to the IRS on an old Generation Skipping Trust modification question.
  • Prepared and managed Generation Skipping Transfer Tax Severance of existing Trust to ensure best taxes for beneficiaries of the Trusts.
  • Developed and implemented strategy for management of unsustainable insurance policy held in irrevocable life insurance trust allowing the family to maintain the insurance in a financially viable manner.
  • Advised charitable fiduciary on ongoing management of trusts.
  • Representation of many individual and corporate fiduciaries on contested estate and trust matters involving disputes related to estate plan terms, estate administration and distributions of assets.
  • Represented corporate and individual fiduciaries with the drafting and use of Non-Judicial Settlement Agreement to interpret estate planning document term.
  • Modified and terminated existing irrevocable estate plans to accomplish initial grantor intent.
  • Petitioned for the creation of minor custodial accounts to hold funds for minor beneficiaries inherited from grandparent.
  • Represented individual and corporate fiduciaries related to income, gift and estate tax issues before the Minnesota Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service.
Related Practices
Education
William Mitchell College of Law, 1999, J.D., cum laude
University of St. Thomas, 1996, B.A.
Admissions
State of Minnesota
State of Arizona
Language(s)
Firm News
Professional Associations
  • Minnesota State Bar Association, Probate and Trust Law Section Council Member, Probate and Trust Law Section Diversity Committee Co-Chair
  • Tri-Bar County Bar Association, CLE Oversight Committee, Member
Community Associations
  • Minneapolis Uptown Rotary, Member and Past President
  • Rotary District 5950 Foundation Board Member, Board Secretary
  • 1006 Summit Avenue Society, Member
Seminars & Publications
  • Presenter, “Succession Planning Techniques for Closely-held Business” – 2022 Probate and Trust Section Conference, Minnesota CLE, June 14, 2022
  • Co-Presenter, “Drafting for Incapacity:  The Trustee’s Perspective on Trust Administration Challenges when Capacity is at Issue” – 2022 Probate and Trust Section Conference, Minnesota CLE, June 14, 2022
  • Presenter, “Estate Planning Strategies for Business Owners – for the non-Estate Planner” – Minnesota CLE, February 24, 2022
  • Presenter, “What is a Creditor Claim Anyways?  Tips, Traps and Tribulations of Estate and Trust Creditor Claims” – Ramsey County Bar Association, February 10, 2022
  • Co-Presenter, “To Modify or not to Modify an Irrevocable Trust is not the Question, but How to do it Right Is…” – Ramsey County Bar Association, May 14, 2020
  • Presenter, “Elective Shareholder Rights/Effect of Divorce” – The Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law 50, Minnesota CLE, February 21, 2020
  • Presenter, “Flaunting Flexibility – Keeping Your Options Open in a Temporary World” – Large Estate Panel, 2018 Probate and Trust Section Conference, Minnesota CLE, June 4, 2018
  • Co-Presenter, “The Non-Probate Roadmap – Administering the Non-Probate Estate” – Minnesota CLE
  • Co-Presenter, “Asset Identification and Collection, Valuation and Transfer” – Minnesota CLE
  • Co-Presenter, “Administering the Illiquid Estate” – Minnesota CLE
  • Presenter, “Trusts and Estate Basics” – Ramsey County Bar Association
  • Presenter, “Resolving Liquidity Issues in Estates” – Chicago Bar Association and Las Vegas Nevada Estate Planning Council
Awards & Recognition
  • Honoree, Minnesota Super Lawyers, 2024

After Hours

Outside of work, I love spending time with our English Golden Retriever.  Traveling is a passion that started in Europe and has spread to other continents throughout the world including a number of scuba diving adventures.  When I’m not traveling and in Minnesota you might find me hanging out in Hawaii, one of my favorite places!