Kristen E. Simmons
Kristen is a founding partner of Simmons Freeman/NV Trust Lawyers. For more than 19 years, she has been counseling clients in the areas of estate planning and asset protection planning. Kristen is well respected in the estate planning community and has been named as 2023's "Lawyer of the Year" in Trusts and Estate by The Best Lawyers in America®, and previously as 2021’s “Lawyer of the Year” in Tax Law by The Best Lawyers in America®. While she enjoys designing an estate plan to meet a client’s tax and asset protection objectives, her favorite part of her practice is being a trusted advisor to multiple generations of families.
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Awards, Recognition, Certifications
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2023's "Lawyer of the Year" for Trusts and Estates Law by The Best Lawyers in America®
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2021's "Lawyer of the Year" for Tax Law by The Best Lawyers in America®
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Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Trusts & Estates and Tax Law since 2020
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Estate Planning Law Specialist (EPLS), a certification by the Estate law Specialist Board, Inc., an organization accredited by the American Bar Association and affiliated with the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils
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Accredited Estate Planner (AEP®), designation by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils
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AV® Rating from Martindale-Hubbell
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Super Lawyer in Estate Planning and Probate – 2016-Present, Mountain States Super Lawyers
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2023: Top 50 Women Mountain States Super Lawyers
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Rising Star in Tax and in Estate Planning and Probate – 2008-2015, Mountain States Super Lawyers
Bar Admissions
Nevada Bar, 2004
Florida Bar, 2005
Professional Involvement
Southern Nevada Estate Planning Council (Past President)
Nevada Lawyer Magazine Editorial Board
Legislative Committee – Probate and Trust Section of the Nevada Bar
Speaker, AICPA – Advanced Estate Planning Conference
Education
University of Florida, Levin College of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2004
Estates and Trusts Practice Certificate
Pro Bono Certificate for work in probate court
President – Estates, Trust and Elder Law Society
Clerk – Honorable Judge Stephan Mickle of the U.S. District Court, Northern Jurisdiction
University of Florida, B.A in English, minor in Business Administration, cum laude, 2001
Phi Beta Kappa
Fighting Gator Marching Band
Articles
Nevada Lawyer, January 2020 - Basis Bumping: A "Gift" from the Grave
Nevada Lawyer, April 2014 - Shifting Income Tax through the Use of Trusts
Nevada Lawyer, May 2013 - Did the American Taxpayer Relief Act put a Nail in the Coffin of Estate Planning? Uses of Traditional Estate Planning for Non-Tax Purposes
Nautilus Navigator, July 2020 - Decanting: Quelling Qualms about Irrevocability