Biography
Mr. Nickell was experienced in all aspects of trust and estate planning. He represented numerous families and individuals in structuring estate and succession plans that meet their personal needs while avoiding and deferring estate and income tax liability to the maximum extent possible.
Mr. Nickell’s trust and estate planning practice included preparation of traditional estate planning documents such as revocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney, irrevocable life insurance trusts and designing and implementing more sophisticated estate planning techniques such as qualified personal residence trusts, charitable remainder trusts, family limited partnerships, gifting programs, generation-skipping planning, and private foundations.
Mr. Nickell’s trust and estate administration practice included assisting personal representatives with the probate court process and advising individual and corporate trustees on proper trust administration in accordance with the terms of the applicable trust documents and federal and state laws. Mr. Nickell’s practice included families with small estates that need assistance with retitling assets and the administration of complex trusts that utilize sophisticated tax avoidance and reduction strategies. Mr. Nickell was experienced with preparing estate and gift tax returns and resolving tax controversies with the Internal Revenue Service.
Mr. Nickell frequently lectured on trust and estate planning issues for The Missouri Bar and The University of Missouri’s continuing legal education programs. For consecutive years, including 2025, the publication of the same name has named him to “The Best Lawyers in America®” list.
EDUCATION
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, J.D., 1980
University of Central Missouri, B.S., 1977
PRACTICE AREAS
Wealth Strategies
Biography
Mr. Nickell was experienced in all aspects of trust and estate planning. He represented numerous families and individuals in structuring estate and succession plans that meet their personal needs while avoiding and deferring estate and income tax liability to the maximum extent possible.
Mr. Nickell’s trust and estate planning practice included preparation of traditional estate planning documents such as revocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney, irrevocable life insurance trusts and designing and implementing more sophisticated estate planning techniques such as qualified personal residence trusts, charitable remainder trusts, family limited partnerships, gifting programs, generation-skipping planning, and private foundations.
Mr. Nickell’s trust and estate administration practice included assisting personal representatives with the probate court process and advising individual and corporate trustees on proper trust administration in accordance with the terms of the applicable trust documents and federal and state laws. Mr. Nickell’s practice included families with small estates that need assistance with retitling assets and the administration of complex trusts that utilize sophisticated tax avoidance and reduction strategies. Mr. Nickell was experienced with preparing estate and gift tax returns and resolving tax controversies with the Internal Revenue Service.
Mr. Nickell frequently lectured on trust and estate planning issues for The Missouri Bar and The University of Missouri’s continuing legal education programs. For consecutive years, including 2025, the publication of the same name has named him to “The Best Lawyers in America®” list.
EDUCATION
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, J.D., 1980
University of Central Missouri, B.S., 1977
PRACTICE AREAS
Wealth Strategies
