About Susan

Susan Beckert Bock counsels clients from Stoel Rives’ Portland and Boise offices in the administration of estates and trusts, as well as estate, corporate, tax and financial planning. Susan’s practice includes advising clients in the areas of income, estate, and gift taxes, counseling trustees and beneficiaries, charitable planning, international estate planning and trust administration, and working with families and closely held businesses to achieve business succession planning and the creation of small family businesses.

Susan has successfully represented numerous clients before the IRS and U.S. Tax Court regarding valuation of closely held business interests. Susan also represents tax-exempt organizations, including Oregon Recovery High School Initiative and Harmony Academy, the first high school in Oregon for students in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction disorder.

Prior to joining the firm, Susan was an associate and of counsel with Arnold Gallagher, P.C. in Eugene, Oregon; Vorys, Sater, Seymor & Pease LLP in Cincinnati, Ohio; Moore & Van Allen, PLLC in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Stradley, Ronon, Stevens and Young in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Honors & Activities

Included in The Best Lawyers in America^® (Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Trusts and Estates), 2022–2024

Executive Committee, Estate Planning & Administration Section of the Oregon Bar

Editorial Board, Estate Planning & Administration Section of the Oregon Bar Newsletter

Member, Estate Planning Council of Portland

Member, Oregon Bar Association

President, Bryn Mawr Club of Portland

Member, Bryn Mawr College Alumnae Association Executive Board

Board Member and secretary, Oregon Recovery High School Initiative

Board Member and secretary, Harmony Academy

Board Member, Portland Duke Alumni Association

Volunteer, Legal Aid Services of Oregon Elder Law Clinic

Volunteer, Catholic Charities (Refugee Resettlement and Guardianship Clinics)

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Insights & Presentations

“FDIC Changes Deposit Insurance Regulations for Accounts Owned By Trusts,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, October 30, 2023
“Fixing Broken Irrevocable Trusts,” Basic Trust Administration, Estate Planning and Administration Section, Oregon State Bar CLE, November 18, 2022
“Power of Attorney (ID),” Trusts and Estates (ID), Thomson Reuters Practical Law, 2022–present
“Probate: Oregon (State Q&A),” Trusts and Estates (OR), Thomson Reuters Practical Law, 2022–present
“Advance Directive for Health Care Decisions (OR),” “Power of Attorney (OR)” (sections co-author), Trusts and Estates (OR), Thomson Reuters Practical Law, 2018–present
“Making Gifts this Year and Next,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, October 5, 2022
“Planning for College Kids and Young Adults,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, July 18, 2022
“Gift Planning in 2022,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, January 21, 2022
“Gifts to Irrevocable Trusts Under Proposed Tax Legislation,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, September 24, 2021
“Proposed Legislation to Change Estate and Gift Tax Planning,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, September 22, 2021
“Oregon Legislature Adopts New Form Advance Directive for Health Care,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, September 17, 2021
“Opinion: Is now the time to make a large gift?” Puget Sound Business Journal, March 6, 2021
“Post-Inauguration Estate Planning: Should Large Gifts Be Made Now?” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, January 29, 2021
“After Passage of Prop 19, Consider Transferring California Real Property to Avoid Property Tax Reassessment,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, November 20, 2020
“Gift-Giving and Other Planning Under the New Political Landscape,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, November 20, 2020
“Estate Planning with relationship Agreements,” Oregon State Bar Advanced Estate Planning Seminar, November 13, 2020
“Time to Plan for Year-End Gifts,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, September 29, 2020
“Using Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts to Lock in High Estate Tax Exemption Amounts,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, August 26, 2020
“Four Weeks to Undo Your RMD,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, August 4, 2020
“College Kids and Young Adults—What Planning Documents Do They Need?” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, August 3, 2020
“Is Now the Time to Use Your Lifetime Exemption?” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, June 30, 2020
“Planning for Your Estate in a Time of Social Distancing,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, May 21, 2020
“Low Interest Rates Create Planning Opportunities,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, April 22, 2020
“Estate Planning and Income Tax Updates You Need to Know,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, March 31, 2020
“CARES Act Provides Required Minimum Distribution Relief,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, March 30, 2020
“Top five considerations for estate planning,” Idaho Business Review, February 5, 2020
“Advanced Gifting,” Estate Planning Seminar, December 2018
“Advanced Testamentary Planning,” Estate Planning Seminar, December 2018
“Oregon Rule against Perpetuities,” Administering Trusts in Oregon (Oregon Bar, 2018 Ed.)
“Tax Issues in Postmortem Administration,” Administering Trusts in Oregon (Oregon Bar, 2018 Ed.)
“Revocable Living Trust,” Estate Planning from A to Z, December 2017
“Trusts Used for Tax Reduction,” Estate Planning from A to Z, December 2017
“State Tuition Plans, Cincinnati Bar Association Advanced Estate Planning Institute, 2001
Contributor to North Carolina Will and Trust Manual, 1998 ed.
“Generation Skipping Transfer Tax,” Wake Forest University School of Law Estate Planning & Practice Seminar, 1997
“Case Studies on the Use of GRATs and GRUTs in a Family Gifting Program,” 17^th Annual Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Seminar (NC Bar Foundation) 1996