Foley & Lardner LLP

Darin I. Zenov

Partner

Darin I. Zenov is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP, where he focuses his practice on domestic and international estate planning; pre-immigration tax planning; expatriation tax planning, inbound tax planning, prenuptial, postnuptial and domestic partnership agreements; charitable planning and giving; international transactions and taxation; tax-exempt entities and charitable organizations; asset protection; and probate and guardianship administration. Mr. Zenov is a member of the firm’s Estates & Trusts and Taxation Practices. He is a member of the firm's National Pro Bono Committee, and chair of the Miami office's pro bono committee.

His experience includes:

  • Designing estate and financial plans for high net worth individuals integrating income tax planning, estate tax planning, philanthropy, asset protection and family succession
  • Developing estate plans for high net worth individuals, including structures established for the purpose of minimizing transfer taxes over the course of several generations by taking advantage of various techniques, while ensuring that the desires of the clients for the transfer of wealth to the succeeding generations are met using multitude of unique dispositive provisions
  • Advising families with respect to establishing family foundations and other charitable vehicles　
  • Assisting foreign clients regarding estate planning and pre-immigration planning
  • Developing estate plans for non-traditional couples
  • Counseling individuals on the taxation and structuring of domestic and offshore trusts
  • Administering estates, guardianships, trusts and private foundations
  • Assisting domestic taxpayers in structuring investments abroad
  • Assisting taxpayers in expatriation
  • Advising foreign taxpayers in structuring investments domestically and designing vehicles for the secure maintenance of wealth during their lifetimes, and thereafter, transfer such wealth to the succeeding generations in a private and orderly manner
  • Preparing and negotiating prenuptial, postnuptial, cohabitation and domestic partnership agreements
  • Assisting both individual and corporate clients by developing plans for domestic and offshore asset protection
  • Preparing and negotiating a variety of corporate documents and structures, including, but not limited to, shareholder agreements, buy-sell agreements and asset purchase agreements. Establishing and maintaining a multitude of both domestic and international entities such as limited partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations.

Mr. Zenov has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system. He was the recipient of the Put Something Back Pro Bono Award of Merit in 1994 for acting as a guardian ad litem in highly contested divorce cases, the Put Something Back Pro Bono Award of Merit in 2007 for assisting not for profit entities, the Put Something Back Champion of Justice Award in 2009, a certificate of Merit presented by Dade County Bar Association in 2011 for his volunteer work, and 24 Put Something Back Exceptional Participation Pro Bono Service Awards for his pro bono work in a variety of areas of law, including probate, guardianship, estate planning and representing the best interests of children in highly contested divorce cases. Mr. Zenov has been honored by being selected for inclusion in the Florida Super Lawyers® lists in 2006 - 2009 and 2011 - 2013. He has also been listed among Florida Trend magazine’s Florida Legal Elite® in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Mr. Zenov was further listed by the South Florida Legal Guide as one of Florida’s "Top Lawyers" in the 2010 (mid-year edition), and 2011 – 2012 editions, as well as "Top Up and Comer" in the 2005 – 2010 editions. In addition, Mr. Zenov was listed by Miami Metro magazine’s South Florida Legal Guide as one of South Florida's top lawyers in 2001. He was recognized by his peers for his work in tax law in The Best Lawyers in America® (2013).

Mr. Zenov earned an LL.M. - Tax (with certificate of specialization in international tax, 1997) and his J.D. (1991) from the University of Miami. He received his B.A. (1988) from Brandeis University, where he majored in economics.

Mr. Zenov is admitted to practice in Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the United States Supreme Court and the United States Tax Court.

Some highlights of Mr. Zenov’s charitable activities include board memberships with the Humane Society of Greater Miami where he also has served as a member of its executive committee, financial committee and secretary; the University of Miami School of Law Alumni Association; the Museum of Contemporary Art; and the Planned Giving Council of Miami-Dade County. He has been involved in numerous leadership roles with the Foundation of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Leave a Legacy. Mr. Zenov has served on committees with the Miami Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Mount Sinai Hospital, and the Miami-Dade Metro Zoo and Zoological Society of South Florida. He currently serves as chair of the Fiduciary Income Taxation Committee of The Florida Bar. He is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, as well as the Dade County Bar Association, the Estate Planning Council of Greater Miami, and The Florida Bar – Tax Section.

Having grown up in Mexico D.F., Mr. Zenov is fluent in Spanish.

Publications:

  • "Instructor's Manual for Anatomy of a Trial – A Contracts Case" (West Publishing Company)
  • "Instructor's Manual for Anatomy of a Trial – A Product Liability Case" (West Publishing Company)
  • "Instructor's Manual for A Supreme Court Case – Federal Trade Commission v. American United Tobacco Company" (West Publishing Company)
  • "Pet Trusts" – Buchanan & Ingersoll PC, Tax Advisory (December 2005)
  • "The Charitable Remainder Trust" – Miami Children’s Hospital / The Children’s Gazette
  • "The Charitable Remainder Trust" – Mocazine
  • "Repeal of Florida’s Intangibles Tax" – Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, Tax Advisory (October 2006)　
  • "Repeal of Florida’s Intangibles Tax" – Practical US / Domestic Tax Strategies (September 2006)
  • "Trusts for Pets – 2nd Chance Rescue" – Dog Times Newsletter (January 2006)
  • "Trusts for Pets – E-Tails" / News and Events from the Humane Society of Greater Miami / Adopt-A-Pet (June 2006)
  • "Trusts for Pets" – Pet Parade (Fall 2006)
  • "Trusts for Pets" – The Florida Bar Journal (December 2005)

Presentations:

  • "Transfer and Income Taxes Now, And Where Do We Go From Here," South Dade Chapter of the FICPA, co-presented with partner Guillermo Fernández-Quincoces, December 4, 2010
  • "Estate Planning for Non-Traditional Couples," Avant Resources, 2010
  • "Estate Planning for Non-Traditional Couples," Lorman Education Services, 2010
  • "The Fundamentals of Estate Planning For Pets," Lorman Education Services, 2009
  • "Income and Estate Tax Planning for the International Person / Pre-Immigration Tax Planning and Expatriation," Daily Business Review International Roundtable, 2008
  • "Advanced Trust Planning," FICPA, 2002
  • "Basic Estate Planning," American Express Financial Advisors, 2000, 2001, 2003
  • "Basic Estate Planning," Titanium Financial Group, 2003
  • "Essential Drafting Skills for the Estate Planning Paralegal in Florida," Institute of Paralegal Education, 2003
  • "Estate Planning and Probate for the Paralegal/Legal Assistant in Florida," Institute for Paralegal Education, 2001, 2003
  • "Planning for Pets," The Florida Bar, 2006
  • "The Probate Process for Florida Paralegals: From Start to Finish," Institute for Paralegal Education, 2001
  • "The Probate Process From Start to Finish," The National Business Institute, 2004
  • "United States Transfer Taxes," American Express Financial Advisors, 2000, 2001, 2002
  • "United States Income Taxation," American Express Financial Advisors, 2000, 2001, 2002

Media:

  • "Pet Provisions," Mr. Zenov was featured in an article on pet trusts in The Miami Herald, November 19, 2010
  • En Efectivo / CNN - Live appearance on Spanish language television station discussing the importance of having a living will, March 30, 2005
  • Hoy En El Mundo / Telemundo (NBC / Universal) - Live appearance on Spanish language television station discussing the importance of having a last will and testament, October 27, 2004
  • "La Opinión, Las Finanzas Después De La Muerte," October 26, 2004
  • "Giving 101 – A Beginner’s Guide To Philanthropy," Latin Trade, January 2005
  • "Transition Time," Realtor Magazine, October 1, 2004
  • Rumbo / San Antonio, "Un Traje Financiero A La Medida," January 1, 2007
  • Rumbo En Internet, "Un Traje Financiero A La Medida," January 16, 2007
  • "Lawyer Watches Over Children In Bitter Divorces," The Miami Herald, December 13, 2003
  • Tu Dinero, "Planeacion Patrimonial," November 2006
  • "Masks Of Intrigue," Quorum Magazine, July 2004
  • Vanguardia, "Finanzas Después De La Muerte," November 1, 2004

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