Practice Areas

Estate Planning

Trusts & Estates Administration

Federal Estate & Gift Taxation

Charitable Giving

International Tax Planning

Education

J.D., Columbia University School of Law, 1986

B.A., University of Arkansas, 1983

Bar and Court Admissions

California

New York

United States Tax Court

Other Professional Affiliations

Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners

State Bar of California (Member, Trusts and Estates Section)

Los Angeles County Bar Association (Member, Trusts and Estates Section)

New York State Bar Association (Member, Trusts and Estates Law Section)

Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Former Member, Trusts, Estates and Surrogate's Court Committee)

American Bar Association (Member, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law)

Walter Killmer joined Rodi Pollock Pettker Christian & Pramov, A Law Corporation, as a principal in September, 2006. For twenty years, Walter has represented individuals, families, fiduciaries and nonprofit organizations in the areas of estate and trust planning, fiduciary administration and charitable giving. He has also advised individuals on charitable giving and nonprofit organizations on planned giving, endowment and corporate governance issues.

Before moving to Los Angeles, he practiced in New York at two large international law firms, serving at the latter as head of the trusts and estates practice for seven years. Walter's clients include business owners, corporate executives, professionals, artists, families with dynastic wealth, and executors and trustees.

In additon, Walter advises clients in the area of international estate and tax planning. In his international practice, Walter has represented non-U.S. persons seeking to invest in the U.S. or who own U.S. assets; Americans living abroad; Americans who live in the U.S. but own property in another country, and U.S. residents who are nationals of another country and may have assets in multiple jurisdictions.

Walter has lectured on international and domestic estate and trust topics to banks, investment advisors and bar and community audiences. In his prior firm he was also editor of the firm trusts and estates newsletter.

Walter's activities outside the office are many and diverse. He served as Secretary of the Columbia Law School Association between 1992 and 2002. He is a current board member and Vice President of The Sorel Organization, a foundation that promotes the role of women in music. He served for twelve years as a board member and officer of Voices of Ascension, one of the premier professional choruses in the United States. He is active as a lay leader in the Episcopal Church and recently completed six years as warden of his congregation.