News & Press

The Council is now accepting nominations for the 2020 Distinguished Estate Planner. The award will be presented at an upcoming program.

The purpose of the Distinguished Estate Planner Award is to honor an individual for outstanding contributions in the field of estate planning in the Delaware Valley area. The recipient must be an attorney, an accountant, an insurance professional, trust officer or related professional engaged in, or retired from, the practice or teaching of estate planning. The recipient must have been involved in the field of estate planning for a minimum of 15 years.

Criteria for the award include creativity (new services or products and solutions to estate planning problems), service (teaching and encouragement of others, promotion of the estate planning team, authorship of books/articles or public speaking) or leadership in estate planning related activities.

Click here to download the nomination form.

Click here to download the February 2020 Current Events Report.

Click here to download the January 2020 Current Events Report.

Click here to download the November 2019 Current Events Report.

The Philadelphia Estate Planning Council will present its 2019 Distinguished Estate Planner Award to Thomas M. Forrest at the November 19, 2019 luncheon meeting at The Union League of Philadelphia. The purpose of this annual award is to honor an individual for outstanding contributions in the field of estate planning.

Thomas M. Forrest, is President & CEO of U.S. Trust Company of Delaware. Tom is past President and founder of the Personal Trust Division for Charles Schwab Bank in Wilmington, Delaware. He opened and staffed the Schwab personal trust office in 2007. Before joining Charles Schwab, Tom was co-founder, President and CEO of U.S. Trust Company of Delaware. Tom joined U.S. Trust Company in 1999 and opened the U.S. Trust office in Delaware in 2000, where he managed the office through 2007. Tom returned to U.S. Trust Company of Delaware in 2012.

Tom was Vice President and Manager of the Trust Tax and Financial Planning Division for Wilmington Trust for 18 years. Mr. Forrest is a past President of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, past President of the Delaware Estate Planning Council, past Treasurer of the Delaware Society of CPA’s and past Chairman of the Tax Committee. Tom is a past board member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, Delaware Chapter and has served as a board member of the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council. He is also a past President of the Bank and Trust Tax Association of Mid-Atlantic States, a member of the American Institute of CPAs, The Delaware Society of CPAs, and The Wilmington Tax Group. Tom is past board member of Autism Delaware and past Chairman of The Mary Campbell Center Foundation. Tom is a member of the board and executive committee of The Delaware Bankers Association.

Mr. Forrest assisted the IRS with the development of fiduciary income tax returns on magnetic media and became the first bank in the country to file fiduciary income tax returns on magnetic media. Mr. Forrest has lectured to professional groups on a variety of tax and estate planning topics at numerous meetings and seminars around the country including the National Graduate Trust School, ABA Tax Compliance Seminar, Financial Planning Association, American Bar Association Tax Section Meetings, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Bank Administration Institute, and The National Association of Estate Planners and Councils.

Tom graduated from the University of Delaware in 1982 with a B.S. in Accounting, and received his M.S. in Taxation from Widener University in 1985. He received his Certified Public Accountant Certificate in 1986 and Accredited Estate Planner in 1995. Tom received the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils 2005 Distinguished Accredited Estate Planner award.

Previous PEPC Distinguished Estate Planner award winners include: (2018) Mark Blaskey; (2017) Cliff Schlesigner; (2016) Nina Stryker; (2015) John A. Terrill, II; (2014) Daniel B. Evans, Evans Law Office; (2013) Charles K. Plotnick, Plotnick & Ellis, P.C.; (2012) Robert J. Weinberg, Pepper Hamilton LLP; (2011) Martin A. Heckscher; (2010) Beverly R. Budin, Esq. - Ballard Spahr LLP ; (2009) Francis J. Mirabello - Morgan Lewis; (2008) Edward M. Watters, III - Pepper Hamilton LLP; (2007) Joseph E. ("Jeb") Bell, Jr., MBA, LLM (Tax), (2006) Eugene H. Gillin, Esq., Harkins and Harkins; (2005) Albert E. Gibbons, CLU, ChFC, AEP - AEG Financial Services; (2004) Samuel N. Rabinowitz, Esq. - Blank Rome LLP; (2003) Matthew H. Kamens, Esq. - Wolf Block; (2002) John J. Lombard, Jr. - McCarter & English LLP; (2001) Selwyn A. Horvitz, Esq. - Horvitz PC; (2000) Martin J. Satinsky, CPA/PFS - Smart and Associates, LLP; (1999) Robert L. Freedman, Esq. - Dechert LLP; (1998) Pam H. Schneider, Esq. - Gadsden Schneider & Woodward LLP; (1997) Morey S. Rosenbloom, Esq. - Blank Rome LLP; (1996) Paul C. Heintz, Esq. - Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel; (1995) Stephan R. Leimberg, Esq. - Leimberg Information Services, Inc.; (1994) J. Thomas Dunlevy - The Glenmede Trust Company; (1993) William T. Walsh - Equitable Life Assurance Society; (1992) Edward N. Polisher, Esq. - Cozen & O'Connor; (1991) M. Paul Smith, Esq. - Smith Aker Grossman & Hollinger; and (1990) Davis W. Gregg - Boettner Institute.

Click here to download the October 2019 Current Events Report.

The Council is now accepting nominations for the 2018 Distinguished Estate Planner. The award will be presented at a future luncheon meeting at the Union League.

The purpose of the Distinguished Estate Planner Award is to honor an individual for outstanding contributions in the field of estate planning in the Delaware Valley area. The recipient must be an attorney, an accountant, an insurance professional, trust officer or related professional engaged in, or retired from, the practice or teaching of estate planning. The recipient must have been involved in the field of estate planning for a minimum of 15 years.

Criteria for the award include creativity (new services or products and solutions to estate planning problems), service (teaching and encouragement of others, promotion of the estate planning team, authorship of books/articles or public speaking) or leadership in estate planning related activities.

Click here to download the nomination form.

Click here to download the September 2019 Current Events Report.

Click here to download the March 2019 Current Events Report.

The Philadelphia Estate Planning Council will present its 2018 Distinguished Estate Planner Award to Mark S. Blaskey at the March 19, 2019 luncheon meeting at The Union League of Philadelphia. The purpose of this annual award is to honor an individual for outstanding contributions in the field of estate planning.

Mark S. Blaskey is a partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP in the Tax and Estates Practice Group, and chair of the Trusts and Estates practice, resident in the Philadelphia office. He concentrates his practice on estate planning and business and succession planning.

Mr. Blaskey is active in several civic and charitable organizations. He currently is the treasurer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and a member of its Board of Directors. He is a past president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia Endowments Corporation. He formerly chaired Temple University’s Planned Giving Advisory Council and now serves on the Kimmel Center Planned Giving Council. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Madlyn and Leonard Abramson Center for Jewish Life, American Jewish Committee of Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey, and a member of AIPAC Greater Philadelphia Leadership Council, and the Philadelphia Scholars Advisory Committee. He is a past president of Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Blaskey was the recipient of the 2011 Edward N. Polisher award presented to a distinguished estate planning professional who also provides distinguished service to the Jewish Federation and its endowment program.

He has served on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council and on the Council of the Tax Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Mr. Blaskey has been a frequent lecturer, course planner and moderator at meetings and seminars sponsored by the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and other professional and civic groups.

Previous PEPC Distinguished Estate Planner award winners include: (2017) Cliff Schlesigner; (2016) Nina Stryker; (2015) John A. Terrill, II; (2014) Daniel B. Evans, Evans Law Office; (2013) Charles K. Plotnick, Plotnick & Ellis, P.C.; (2012) Robert J. Weinberg, Pepper Hamilton LLP; (2011) Martin A. Heckscher; (2010) Beverly R. Budin, Esq. - Ballard Spahr LLP ; (2009) Francis J. Mirabello - Morgan Lewis; (2008) Edward M. Watters, III - Pepper Hamilton LLP; (2007) Joseph E. ("Jeb") Bell, Jr., MBA, LLM (Tax), (2006) Eugene H. Gillin, Esq., Harkins and Harkins; (2005) Albert E. Gibbons, CLU, ChFC, AEP - AEG Financial Services; (2004) Samuel N. Rabinowitz, Esq. - Blank Rome LLP; (2003) Matthew H. Kamens, Esq. - Wolf Block; (2002) John J. Lombard, Jr. - McCarter & English LLP; (2001) Selwyn A. Horvitz, Esq. - Horvitz PC; (2000) Martin J. Satinsky, CPA/PFS - Smart and Associates, LLP; (1999) Robert L. Freedman, Esq. - Dechert LLP; (1998) Pam H. Schneider, Esq. - Gadsden Schneider & Woodward LLP; (1997) Morey S. Rosenbloom, Esq. - Blank Rome LLP; (1996) Paul C. Heintz, Esq. - Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel; (1995) Stephan R. Leimberg, Esq. - Leimberg Information Services, Inc.; (1994) J. Thomas Dunlevy - The Glenmede Trust Company; (1993) William T. Walsh - Equitable Life Assurance Society; (1992) Edward N. Polisher, Esq. - Cozen & O'Connor; (1991) M. Paul Smith, Esq. - Smith Aker Grossman & Hollinger; and (1990) Davis W. Gregg - Boettner Institute.