Is the Estate Tax Lapse Good for Estate Lawyers?

"The lapse is creating new demand for a specialty that has slowed in recent years," writes Lynne Marek. Yet estate lawyers may be hustling for nothing:

Max Gutierrez, a Morgan, Lewis & Bockius partner in San Francisco, laments that some clients will end up rearranging their plans only to have those changes become obsolete or prove needless if Congress acts this year. "It's going to create a windfall, but I hate to take money from clients for no real purpose," he said.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has called for the estate tax to be reinstated retroactively.