Cara Koss focuses her practice on advising high net worth individuals, both domestically and internationally, on a wide range of sophisticated matters including estate planning, trust and estate administration, lifetime gifting, family office formation and counseling, asset protection, business succession planning, and tax compliance. Ms. Koss specializes in structuring tax-efficient wealth transfer strategies for clients designed to preserve family legacies through the generations, protect assets from potential creditors, and incorporate clients' philanthropic and other non-tax objectives. Ms. Koss also has expertise in the settlement of complex estate matters, including disputes between family members and audits with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Ms. Koss is nationally recognized for her cutting-edge expertise on the use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) and estate planning. She is a frequent lecturer on these and other topics, having presented to local and national professional organizations including the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning and the American Bar Association. Ms. Koss has also been recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and as a Top Attorney in Chambers and Washingtonian magazine.
Perspectives
Recognition
"Top Financial Advisers" (2019, 2025)
Credentials
Education
- LL.M., Taxation, New York University, 2011
- J.D., Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, 2008
- M.S., Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, 2006
- M.A., Biomedical Ethics, University of Virginia, 2005
- B.S., Bioethics, Washington and Lee University, 2003, magna cum laude
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- New York
- Texas
- Virginia
Activities
- Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
- Co-Chair, Non-Tax Committee, American Bar Association (2018-present)
- Co-Chair, Bioethics Committee, American Bar Association (2010-2017)