Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Skip to content
Skip to content

Formerly Carnahan, Evans, Cantwell & Brown, P.C.

Douglas R. Nickell

bar slanted 1C White

Biography
Mr. Nickell is experienced in all aspects of trust and estate planning. He has represented numerous families and individuals in structuring estate and succession plans that meet their personal needs while at the same time avoiding and deferring estate and income tax liability to the maximum extent possible.

Mr. Nickell’s trust and estate planning practice includes 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 includes 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 includes families with small estates that simply need assistance with retitling assets as well as the administration of complex trusts which utilize sophisticated tax avoidance and reduction strategies. Mr. Nickell is experienced with the preparation of estate and gift tax returns and the resolution of tax controversies with the Internal Revenue Service.

Mr. Nickell is a frequent lecturer for The Missouri Bar and the University of Missouri continuing legal education programs on trust and estate planning issues. Including 2025, he has been named to “The Best Lawyers in America®” list by the publication of the same name for consecutive years.

EDUCATION
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, J.D., 1980
University of Central Missouri, B.S., 1977

PRACTICE AREAS
Wealth Strategies

Douglas R Nickell web
Slanted Bar Support Graphic
Douglas R. Nickell   Triangle Support Graphic
Senior Counsel   Triangle Support Graphic
Print Bio   Triangle Support Graphic
Douglas R Nickell web
Slanted Bar Support Graphic
Douglas R. Nickell   Triangle Support Graphic
Senior Counsel   Triangle Support Graphic
Print Bio   Triangle Support Graphic

Biography
Mr. Nickell is experienced in all aspects of trust and estate planning. He has represented numerous families and individuals in structuring estate and succession plans that meet their personal needs while at the same time avoiding and deferring estate and income tax liability to the maximum extent possible.

Mr. Nickell’s trust and estate planning practice includes 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 includes 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 includes families with small estates that simply need assistance with retitling assets as well as the administration of complex trusts which utilize sophisticated tax avoidance and reduction strategies. Mr. Nickell is experienced with the preparation of estate and gift tax returns and the resolution of tax controversies with the Internal Revenue Service.

Mr. Nickell is a frequent lecturer for The Missouri Bar and the University of Missouri continuing legal education programs on trust and estate planning issues. Including 2025, he has been named to “The Best Lawyers in America®” list by the publication of the same name for consecutive years.

EDUCATION
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, J.D., 1980
University of Central Missouri, B.S., 1977

PRACTICE AREAS
Wealth Strategies