North Texas Dentistry Volume 5 Issue 5 | Page 33

legal news LIMITED LIABILITY Jason T. Hirst is an attorney with McGregor & Oblad’s Dental Law Group, and handles dental transitions, startups, and commercial leases. Jason also has a special focus on tax, estate planning, and asset protection for dentists. He graduated cum laude from BYU Law in 2014. V MANAGING RISK EXEMPT ASSETS LIMITED LIABILITY $ GIFTS, TRUSTS & CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS Texas also has very favorable laws for limiting an owner’s liability for the liabilities of the company. You probably already have an entity of some type set up to run your dental practice, and while this won’t shield you from malpractice liability, it does protect you from other liabilities and lawsuits that may arise as a result of being a business owner. Additionally, it protects the assets within the company from liabilities that attach to you personally. The limited liability company (LLC), in particular, is a favorite choice among attorneys because assets within the LLC, if the LLC is properly set up and maintained, are particularly difficult for a creditor to use to satisfy a judgment. This means that almost any non-exempt assets can benefit from being held in an LLC, whether or not such assets are considered “toxic” (such as real estate). GIFTS, TRUSTS & CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS Finally, you are most likely building and protecting your wealth to not only benefit yourself, but to also benefit others. The proper use and timing of gifts and charitable contributions can help reduce your taxes and take those assets out of the reach of future creditors. Trusts can be used to protect those assets from the creditors of those that you care about, while also ensuring your assets are properly managed. Ultimately, you want to make sure that your hard-earned money ends up where you want it to go, and not to someone else who could take it from you. Proper planning and taking advantage of laws enacted for this purpose can ensure that your money is preserved for those who matter most. www.northtexasdentistry.com | NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY 33