Barbara C. Sherland
Experience
Barbara Sherland is a senior counsel practicing in the areas of estate planning and
administration and tax-exempt organizations. Her practice includes family wealth
transfer, closely held business planning, fiduciary representation, prenuptial planning,
charitable giving and representation of nonprofit organizations.
Barbara interned with the Honorable Eugene Wright, United States Court of Appeals
for the Ninth Circuit (1984).
Representative Work
Barbara represents nonprofit organizations, including public charities, private
foundations and private operating foundations. She has advised nonprofit clients on
the creation, structure and termination of nonprofit entities; best practices for
nonprofit governance; tax filings and qualification procedures, including audit
representation; grant-making agreements and strategies; fundraising registration;
registrations for multistate activities; compliance with lobbying restrictions;
collaboration and joint venture agreements, including strategic alliances with other
Senior Counsel
Seattle, WA
(206) 386-7691 direct
(206) 386-7500 fax
exempt organizations; structuring executive compensation; and board size and
structure.
barbara.sherland@stoel.com
Barbara represents individuals and families in all aspects of their personal estate
Education
planning. Her work includes development of fundamental estate planning documents

University of Washington School of
such as wills and revocable living trusts that include both tax and family objectives.
Law, J.D., 1984
She also develops pre- and postnuptial agreements and domestic partner planning
Notes and comments editor,
where applicable. She also prepares many different types of trusts, including qualified
Washington Law Review
personal residence trusts, insurance trusts, dynasty trusts, generation-skipping trusts,

gift trusts, annuity trusts, charitable trusts, special needs trusts and others.
Barbara represents trustee and personal representatives in the administration and
settlement of trusts and estates, including handling all aspects of probate
proceedings. She also assists in resolving family disputes over probate matters.
Professional Honors and Activities

Listed in Best Lawyers in America® (currently: Trusts & Estates), 1994-2015

Named one of Seattle's Top 100 Lawyers and Top 50 Female Lawyers by Seattle
Magazine (2001-present)

Listed in Washington Super Lawyers® (Estate Planning & Probate, Nonprofit
Organizations), 2003-2014

Listed in Washington Super Lawyers® in Top 100 Lawyers, 2014

Listed in Washington Super Lawyers® in Top 50 Women Lawyers, 2009-2012, 2014
Hood College, B.A., 1974, magna cum
laude
Admissions

Washington

U.S. District Court, Western District of
Washington
Barbara C. Sherland

State chair, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel

Past chair, Estate Planning Council of Seattle

Past chair, Real Property, Probate & Trust Section, Washington State Bar Association

Member, Legislative Committee, Washington State Bar Association

Member and author, Steering Committee for Estate Planning Deskbook for Washington State Bar Association

Adjunct professor, Graduate Tax Program, University of Washington School of Law
Presentations

"Homestead & Family Support" and "Creditors' Claims Against Probate and Non-Probate Assets," University of Washington Basic
Washington Estate Planning Skills, December 2006

"Community Property Agreements & Separate Property Agreements: Estate Planning instrument? Family Law Tool? Neither or
Both?" (with Teresa McNally), WSBA CLE, November 2006

"Ethics with Ease — Ethics for Estate Planners" (panel presentation), WSBA CLE, October 2006

"Estate Planning for Small to Medium-Sized Estates," WSBA CLE, Program Chair, February 2006

"When Death and Divorce Collide" (with Teresa McNally), WSBA CLE, December 2005

"Prenuptial Agreements," WSBA 50th Annual Estate Planning Seminar, November 2005

"Ethics and Philanthropy: Ethical Issues in Charitable Planning," WSBA CLE (The Charitable Giving Toolbox), December 2004

"Drafting Premarital Agreements – Contracting Perspectives of Estate Planning and Dissolution Attorneys," coauthored
presentation to WSBA Real Property, Probate and Trust Section Midyear Meeting, June 2004

"Practitioner's Guide to Creditors' Claims Against Non-Probate Assets" and "Provisions for Family Support," University of
Washington Basic Estate Planning Skills, May 2004

"Management and Voluntary Disposition," WSBA CLE (The Essentials of Community Property), November 2003

"Nonprobate Transfer Procedures," WSBA CLE, October 2002

"Estate Planning in the Real World," Washington Law Institute CLE, September 2002

"Charitable Giving in Light of Shifting Tax Laws - The Tax Basics," WSBA CLE, August 2002

"Estate Planning for the Second Marriage," WSBA 46th Annual Estate Planning Seminar, November 2001

"Nonprobate Transfer Procedures," University of Washington, October 2001

"Practitioner's Guide to Creditor's Claims Against Nonprobate Assets" and "Provisions for Family Support," University of
Washington, May 2000

"Planning and Drafting Techniques for Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts," WSBA 44th Annual Estate Planning Seminar, October
1999
Barbara C. Sherland

"Not So Basic Procedures and Issues in Estate Administration" and "Nonprobate Transfer Procedures," University of Washington,
April 1999

"1997 Tax Relief Act - Estate and Gift Tax Opportunities for Family Businesses," WSBA CLE (Estate Planning for the Mid-Sized
Estate and Small Business Owner), May 1998

"Non-Trust Alternatives to Probate," WSBA, Best of CLE, December 1997

"Probate Update - What You Don't Know Could Hurt You," Washington Bankers Association, Northwest Trust Conference,
September 1997

"New Probate Legislation," WSBA Probate & Estate Planning Seminar, September 1997

"Non-Trust Alternatives to Probate," WSBA, Real Property, Probate and Trust Section Annual Mid-Year Meeting, June 1997

"Creditors' Claims in Probate," University of Washington, Basic Washington Estate Planning Skills Certificate Series, March 1997

"To Probate or Not to Probate - The Alternatives and the Arcane," WSBA CLE, December 1996
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"Family Partnerships," Seattle Pacific University, November 1996
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"Revocable Living Trust as Will Substitutes - Is What You See What You Get?," Washington Bankers Association, Northwest Trust
Conference, September 1996
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"Exploring the Use of Trusts," WSBA, July 1996
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"Estate Tax Returns - The 706," chair of WSBA seminar, July 1996

"Estate Planning Introduction," AARP Presentation at Emerald Heights Retirement Center, May 1996

"Practitioner's Guide to Creditors' Claims Against Nonprobate Assets" and "Provisions for family Support," University of
Washington, Basic Washington Estate Planning Skills Certificate Series, March 1996
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"Critical Will Drafting Issues," WSBA and Seattle Estate Planning Council Annual Conference, October 1995

"Probate and Trust Reforms in Washington," Washington Bankers Association and Corporate Trustees' Association Annual Trust
Forum, September 1995
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"Protective Estate Planning," Creditor/Debtor Section Meeting, KCBA, July 1995

"Practitioner's Guide to Creditors' Claims and Nonprobate Assets," WSBA, Real Property, Probate & Trust Section Annual Mid -Year
Meeting, June 1995

"Provisions for Family Support" and "Creditors' Claims Against Nonprobate Assets," University of Washington Estate Planning
Certificate Program, January 1995

"Charitable Lead Trusts - Pitfalls and Possibilities," Washington Planned Giving Council Annual Conference, June 1994

"Planning Under the 1994 Probate and Trust Bill," WSBA, Real Property, Probate and Trust Section Annual Mid-Year Meeting,
June 1994
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"Protective Estate Planning," Everett Estate Planning Council, March 1993
Barbara C. Sherland

"Protective Estate Planning," Seattle Estate Planning Council, April 1992

"Asset Protection: Now They See It, Now They Don't (Or Do They?)," WSBA, Best of CLE, December 1991
Publications

"Nonprobate Transfers," Chapter 4, WSBA Probate Deskbook, October 2005

"Preliminary Techniques for Nonprobate Transfers," Chapter 7, WSBA Estate Planning Deskbook, October 2005

"Creditors' Claims," Chapter 7 of WSBA Estate Planning & Probate Deskbook, October 2005

"Your Other Will: Beneficiary Designations for Retirement Plans," coauthored article for Puget Sound Business Journal (written
with Marianne Jones), March 2003

"Basics of Charitable Giving," Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Planned Giving Committee, May 1998

"To Probate or Not to Probate - The Alternatives and the Arcane," Washington State Bar, December 1996; December 1995;
December 1994; January 1993; January 1992; and January 1991

"Practitioner's Guide to Creditors' Claims and Nonprobate Assets," WSBA Real Property, Probate & Trust Newsletter, January
1996

"A Second Look - Planning, Drafting and Resolving Problems under 1994 Probate and Trust Bill," WSBA, April 1995

"Planning to Protect Assets Affected by Joint and Concurrent Ownership" and "Offshore Transfers - Now They See It, Now They
Don't (Or Do They?)," NBI, October 1994

"Creditors' Claims: New King County Probate and Guardianship Policy Manual," KCBA, September 1994

"Planning and Drafting Wills Under 1994 Probate and Trust Bill," WSBA, August 1994

"Preservation of Assets Through the Use of Exempt Assets and Interspousal Transfers" and "Offshore Transfers," WSBA, February
1994
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"How to Probate an Estate and Handle Post Mortem Matters," WSBA, January 1994

"Alternatives to Probate and an Overview of Title 11," Washington State Bar, 1994 1990
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"Selected Issues in Probate," NBI, August 1993
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"An Overview of Asset Protection," WSBA, June 1993

"Asset Protection: Now They See It, Now They Don't (Or Do They?)," Washington State Bar, May 1991

"How to Probate an Estate and Handle Post-Mortem Matters," WSBA, January 1991

"The Functions of Consumer Reporting Agencies Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act," Washington Law Review, 1983
Civic Activities
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Member and past chair, Puget Sound Blood Center