Biography

Mark Weaver is the chair of the Business Department at Farella and past chair of the Family Wealth Group. Mark assists individuals and families with estate and business succession planning, and guides family members through the trust and estate administration process. His practice is founded on a deep understanding of both the unique needs of families and multi-generational family businesses and ever-changing federal, state, and international tax laws.

His experience is both as a personal and tax attorney, and includes a full spectrum of income, gift, estate, and property tax issues. He regularly leverages sophisticated wealth preservation techniques, including the formation and administration of irrevocable trusts, business entities, sole purpose entities, and charitable vehicles, to implement his clients’ objectives. Mark also advises winery and vineyard owners on a broad range of business, tax, and succession issues.

A key aspect of Mark’s practice is counseling clients on cross-border issues. He provides estate planning advice for clients with beneficiaries and/or assets that are located in multiple countries, as well as for individuals planning to enter or leave the United States. He also advises clients on reporting requirements in connection with foreign trusts, bank accounts, and other foreign assets, including the benefits and risks associated with the offshore voluntary disclosure and streamline programs.

Mark also engages in privacy planning to limit publicly available information about clients and their holdings, and asset protection planning to protect clients and their families from potential liabilities.

Distinctions

  • Best Lawyers in America, Trusts and Estates (2021-2023), Tax Law (2023-2024)
  • Chambers High Net Worth Guide, Private Wealth Law, Northern California (2022-2023)

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Society of Trust and Estates Practitioners (STEP), San Francisco Branch, Member and Past Chair
  • California State Bar Association, Section of Trusts and Estates, Section of Taxation
  • Bar Association of San Francisco, Section of Estate Planning, Probate and Trust
  • San Francisco Estate Planning Council
  • Regional Parks Foundation, Planned Giving Committee

Firm Highlights

Publication

Nonprofit Quick Tip: State Filings in North Carolina and South Carolina

Welcome to  EO Radio Show - Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . Episode 75 is the tenth in a series of Quick Tip episodes focusing on the details of state registration of nonprofit corporations. With...

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Publication

Corporate Transparency Act: A Guide on Beneficial Ownership for Nonprofit Executives

The Corporate Transparency Act, enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, represents a significant shift in regulatory requirements for entities across the United States. This act, set to...

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Publication

Employment Law Update for Nonprofits With Holly Sutton

Welcome to  EO Radio Show - Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . Charities, foundations, and their founders often request help addressing employment practices and compliance questions. In this episode, host Cynthia Rowland is joined by Holly...

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News

Farella Braun + Martel Earns San Francisco Green Business Recertification

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News

JPMorgan Chase Accuses TransUnion of Stealing 'Trade Secrets'

Intellectual property practice chair Eugene Mar provided expert commentary to American Banker for the article "JPMorgan Chase Accuses TransUnion of Stealing 'Trade Secrets'." In the article, he said: "By filing this as a trade...

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Publication

Insurance Market Crushes Wineries and Wine Country Homeowners

We keep hearing about how difficult it is for winery and vineyard owners to get property insurance these days, both for their homes and their wine businesses in California’s wildfire-prone areas. Those who have...

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News

North Coast Industry Insiders Weigh In on Why California Cannabis Tax Revenue Slipped in 2023

Jeff Hamilton spoke to Susan Wood with the North Bay Business Journal for the article "North Coast Industry Insiders Weigh In on Why California Cannabis Tax Revenue Slipped in 2023." Read the article with Jeff's...

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Publication

Corporate Transparency Act: State of the Law and Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements

Key Points: Despite ongoing legal challenges, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) generally remains in effect and enforceable. Clients should continue to abide by its regulations. Initial reports for entities formed in 2024 are due within...

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News

Scraping Battles: Meta Loses Legal Effort to Halt Harvesting of Personal Profiles

Alex Reese spoke to Matt Fleischer-Black of  Cybersecurity Law Report about the Meta v. Bright Data decision and its impact on U.S. scraping case law. Read the article here (paywall or trial).

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News

Farella Announces 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Pathfinders: Taylor Rottjakob and John Ugai

Farella Braun + Martel is proud to announce that senior associates  Taylor E. Rottjakob and John M. Ugai have been named 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Pathfinders. Pathfinders have been identified as...

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