Managing Partner, Estate Planning - UHNW (Orange County)

Why Work at Mercer Advisors?

For more than 40 years, Mercer Advisors has been helping families amplify and simplify their financial lives by integrating financial planning, investment management, business management, tax, estate, insurance, and more, all managed by a single team. We deliver the kind of comprehensive care once reserved for only the wealthiest households.

Today, we serve over 42,800+ families across 110+ cities across the U.S. Ranked the #1 RIA Firm in the nation by Barron’s for two consecutive years, Mercer Advisors is an independent fiduciary legally bound to act in our clients’ best interests — always.*

Mercer Advisors offers a workplace that stands apart in the financial industry. More than half of our employees and client-facing professionals are women, reflecting the clients we serve. With a flexible, national footprint, we build our teams around exceptional talent — wherever they are.

Join us and help families amplify and simplify their financial lives with confidence.

• Mercer Advisors was ranked #1 for RIA firms with up to $70 billion in assets. The Barron’s top RIA ranking is based on a combination of metrics – including size, growth, service quality, technology, succession planning and others. No fee was paid for participation in the ranking, however, Mercer Advisors has paid a fee to Barron’s to use the ranking in marketing. Please see important information about the ranking criteria methodology  here .

 

 

Job Summary:

At Mercer Advisors, our purpose is to amplify and simplify our clients' financial lives through a fully integrated family office offering. We bring together fiduciary professionals across disciplines to do the best work of their careers — as one unified team committed to doing what's right for clients. We continue to reinvest in our people and platform so that our growth creates more opportunities for teammates and more value for clients.

Regis is Mercer Advisors' multi-family office offering designed for ultra-high net worth families with complex, multi-generational wealth. Regis clients often have the means to build their own family office, and they require a deeply integrated wealth management experience with the highest level of service, coordination, and sophistication. We are a team of world-class fiduciary professionals delivering integrated advice across investments, financial planning, estate strategy, tax strategy, and more with the aim of making every client feel like our only client.

We are seeking an exceptional Managing Partner, Estate Planning - Regis to lead and grow our UHNW-focused estate planning practice. This is a senior practice leadership role responsible for building and directing an elite team of estate planning strategists dedicated to serving our most complex families. You will serve as the firm's highest-level technical authority on estate planning matters, set the standard for planning excellence, and personally engage on the most sophisticated client situations. This is not a review or oversight role. You will bring the deep technical expertise, professional credibility, and collaborative leadership that UHNW families and top-tier estate planning professionals expect from a leader of this caliber.

 

Essential Job Functions for this role include:

 

Lead and grow the Regis estate planning practice, setting the technical standard, practice philosophy, and quality bar for the team.

Build, lead, and mentor an elite team of UHNW-focused estate planning strategists, fostering a culture of technical excellence, intellectual curiosity, and continuous development.

Serve as the firm's senior-most technical authority on estate planning, personally engaging on the most complex and high-stakes client situations.

Design and implement comprehensive, advanced estate plans for Regis families, incorporating sophisticated wealth transfer strategies tailored to multi-generational, high-complexity balance sheets.

Partner with senior wealth advisors, tax strategists, and Regis leadership to ensure estate planning strategies are fully integrated within each client's broader financial plan.

Own and deepen relationships with a select portfolio of Regis families, with balance sheets that often exceed $100M+.

Collaborate with clients' outside advisors, including independent attorneys, CPAs, trustees, and family office consultants, to ensure cohesive, comprehensive planning outcomes.

Lead and represent Regis in prospective client development, industry conferences, and thought leadership initiatives to enhance the firm's profile in the UHNW estate planning market.

Partner with Regis leadership on practice development, talent strategy, and operational improvements that strengthen the estate planning team's capabilities and client outcomes.

 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

 

Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school; LL.M. in Taxation or Estate Planning strongly preferred.

Licensed to practice law in at least one state.

20+ years of legal experience in estate planning, with the majority spent advising clients with balance sheets of $50M or greater; significant experience with $100M+ families required.

Demonstrated track record of building and leading high-performing estate planning teams in a wealth management, family office, or private wealth legal environment.

Deep technical mastery of federal transfer tax law, trust and estate administration, and advanced wealth transfer planning techniques.

Proven ability to design and implement sophisticated multi-generational estate plans that address the full complexity of a UHNW family's balance sheet — across entities, jurisdictions, and family dynamics.

Experience advising on business succession, liquidity events (IPOs, M&A exits, ESOP transactions), and the estate planning implications of closely held business interests.

Prior leadership experience at an AmLaw 100/200 firm, nationally recognized estate planning boutique, multi-family office, or equivalent private wealth platform.

ACTEC Fellowship strongly preferred.

AV Preeminent® Martindale-Hubbell rating preferred.

Comfort and credibility operating within a regulated RIA structure and a team-based financial advisory environment.

Ability to travel up to 20%.

Location: This is a hybrid role with a strong preference for applicants in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Orange County.

Work Schedule:

This professional role requires availability during standard business hours of Monday through Friday from 8AM to 5PM.  At times, the role may have early or late hours to meet business tasks and deadlines for external and internal client needs.    

All roles classified as a non-exempt are required to record working time into the timekeeping system daily at the start and end of each workday plus a 30-minute unpaid lunch period.

 

Working Conditions:

This position may be in a professional office environment or a dedicated home office workspace which is free of interruptions.  Whether position is in a dedicated office space or home office workspace, basic technology needs will be provided to satisfy position requirements.  Routinely sitting and standing for periods of time. No heavy lifting over 10 lbs.

Application Deadline : The initial deadline for applications is 9/14/2026. Applications submitted after this date may still be considered on a rolling basis until the position/program is filled. We encourage all interested candidates to apply as early as possible. If a final decision has not been made by the initial deadline, subsequent applications will be reviewed as they are received.

  The annualized compensation range for this role is based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skillset, and geographic location where work is performed. The cash compensation range includes both base salary and an annual bonus. The total compensation package may include additional cash bonus amounts and other incentive compensation.

Total expected cash compensation range $255,000 — $300,000 USD

Benefits:

Mercer Advisors offers a competitive and robust benefit package to our employees.   Our benefit programs are focused on meeting all of our employees and their eligible dependents health and welfare needs. We offer the following:

Company Paid Basic Life & AD&D Insurance

Company Paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance

Supplemental Life & AD&D; Short-Term Disability; Accident; Critical Illness; and Hospital Indemnity Insurance

Three Cigna medical plans offerings including two High Deductible Health Plans and a Traditional Co-Pay medical plan.

Kaiser Medical plans available in California

Health Savings Account (HSA) with company contributions if enrolled in either HDHP medical plan.

Two comprehensive Dental Plans

Vision Insurance Plan

Dependent Care Savings Account for child and dependent care.

14 Company Paid Holidays including a full week off at Thanksgiving.

Generous paid time off program for vacation and sick days

Employee Assistance Plan

Family Medical Leave

Paid Parental Leave (8 weeks)

Maternity benefits utilizing company paid STD, any supplemental STD, plus Parental Leave (8 weeks) to provide time for recovery, baby bonding, and enjoying your family time.

Adoption Assistance Reimbursement Program

Company Paid Concierge Services for you and your loved ones for the spectrum of caring needs for your aging parents, young children, life’s challenges and more.

401(k) Retirement Plan with both Traditional and Roth plans with per pay period match as well as an after-tax option

Pet Insurance

Personalized financial planning and guidance from Mercer Advisors professionals, offered at preferred employee pricing

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from agencies and/or search firms for this job posting.

Mercer Advisors is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Mercer Advisors participates in E-Verify and complies with federal employment eligibility verification requirements.

If you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process, please email  PeopleTeam@merceradvisors.com . This inbox is for accommodation requests only.

For information about applicant rights, required employment notices, E-Verify participation, and state specific disclosures, please review our  Applicant Notices and Employment Rights .

If you are a resident of California, learn more about Mercer's California Consumer Privacy Policy  here . CCPA Notice at Collection

If you are a resident of Washington State, learn more about your rights under the Washington Fair Chance Act  here .