Suzanne R. Galyardt
Practice Areas
Industries
Education
- The Ohio State University, Michael E. Moritz College of Law, J.D., 2005, with Honors
- The Ohio State University, B.S.B.A., 2002, summa cum laude
Bar & Court Admissions
Suzanne is of counsel in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the trusts, estates, and wealth transfer group. Her practice focuses on tax-exempt organizations, estate planning, estate and trust administration, and litigation involving gifts, estates, and trusts.
Immediately prior to joining Vorys, Suzanne spent four years serving as associate general counsel for Advancement and Tax in The Ohio State University Office of Legal Affairs. Prior to her work at The Ohio State University, she worked as a tax associate at Vorys.
Suzanne advises tax-exempt organizations with respect to corporate governance, business transactions, and tax and gift matters, including qualification for tax exemption, unrelated business income tax (UBIT), cause marketing, qualified sponsorships, affinity agreements, Form 990 reporting, intermediate sanctions, the use of affiliated and subsidiary entities, lobbying and political activities, sophisticated planned and illiquid gifts, endowment administration and UPMIFA compliance, charitable solicitation and fundraising, grant and gift agreements, gift processing and receipting, donor benefits, donor-advised funds, private and operating foundation requirements, mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, dissolutions, and gift-related litigation. She assists her clients with ongoing compliance, best practices, conflicts of interest, and policy development.
In addition to her tax-exempt organizations practice, Suzanne works on a wide variety of wealth transfer matters for clients, including estate planning designed to protect clients’ assets and minimize estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes, strategic philanthropy, business succession planning, representation of corporate and individual fiduciaries on various trust and estate administration issues, and litigation involving estates and trusts.
Suzanne participates in – and Vorys is an advisor member of – the Family Office Exchange, an authority on matters related to legacy wealth management.
Suzanne received her J.D. with honors from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law where she was a Public Service Fellow and attended the summer law program at the University of Oxford in England. Suzanne graduated summa cum laude from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business with a bachelor of science degree in finance.
Suzanne has presented on a variety of estate planning and tax-exempt organization topics for the Ohio State Bar Association and other organizations and previously taught business law at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business.
Professional and Community Activities
- Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Franklin County, Board Member
- The Ohio State Bar Association, Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section
- The Columbus Bar Association
- The Columbus Foundation Professional Council
- The Columbus Catholic Foundation Professional Advisor Group and St. Martha Giving Circle
- The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Mentoring and More Program
- The Ohio State University Foundation, Assistant Secretary, 2014 - 2016
- Green Lawn Cemetery and Green Lawn Cemetery Foundation, Inc., Secretary, 2007 – 2012
- Nationwide Children’s Hospital Volunteer, 2008 – 2011
- Estate Planning for First Responders Volunteer, 2008 Franklin County Probate Court Initiative
Honors & Awards
- Public Service Fellow, The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law, 2005
News
- 11/2/2016Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP announced that Suzanne Galyardt has joined the firm’s Columbus office as of counsel in the trusts, estates, and wealth transfer group.
Events
- 6/20/2017Vorys attorneys Michelle Clemons, Suzanne Galyardt, Colleen Laux and Emily Pan were speakers at the Ohio State Bar Association Estate Planning Seminar on June 20, 2017.
- 4/6/2017Vorys attorneys Robin Amicon and Suzanne Galyardt were speakers at the 2017 Ohio Provider Resource Association Spring conference on April 6, 2017.
- 7/6/2011Vorys attorney Suzanne Galyardt was a speaker for the Tax Exempt Organizations: Effective Governance and Legal Compliance presentation hosted by Heritage Ohio on July 6, 2011.
- 3/15/2011
Insights
- 1/27/2020In late December, 2019, the “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act,” or the “SECURE Act,” was enacted.
- 11/22/2019The Section 7520 rate is used in connection with the valuation of long-term or future property interests, such as annuities, life estates, remainder interests, and reversionary interests.
- 6/3/2019Whether you’re planning early for your child’s future or contemplating how your youngest grandchild’s education will be covered after you’re gone, there are several tax-favorable mechanisms for funding growing education expenses.
- 4/16/2019Generally, a trustee is required to provide certain information and accountings to the beneficiary of an irrevocable trust.
- 1/22/2019If you’ve recently updated your estate plan, there may be outstanding tasks that require your attention.
- 12/20/2018In the 2017 Tax Act, the “basic exclusion amount” was doubled from $5,000,000 to $10,000,000.
- 11/15/2018The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was signed into law at the end of 2017 made sweeping changes to many laws affecting donors.
- 11/12/2018The significant increase in the federal estate/gift/GST tax exemption amount to $5,000,000 in 2011, which was made permanent in 2013, and then again increased to $11,180,000 in 2017, has substantially changed the focus of estate planning for many clients.
- 10/1/2018Gone are the days of going on vacation to get away. As technology continues to advance, society has not only become increasingly dependent on the ability to remotely handle routine tasks, but also on the capability to deal with more complicated tasks such as reviewing and signing involved legal documents.
- 8/1/2018Vorys attorneys Tom Fusonie, Suzanne Galyardt, and Jeff Miller co-authored an article for Ohio Farmer titled “Considerations When Faced With Eminent Domain.”
- 6/18/2018
- 4/18/2018The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Act) was signed into law on December 22, 2017 and made sweeping changes to many laws affecting tax-exempt organizations.
- 4/16/2018Family office investment vehicles often are organized as limited partnerships or LLCs treated as partnerships for federal income tax purposes.
- 1/29/2018If you have not looked at your estate plan recently, it’s time to do so.
- 1/24/2018While tax reform garnered much attention at the end of 2017, the IRS also released a proposal relating to donor-advised funds that will significantly impact donors and charities.
- 1/18/2018Vorys is pleased to announce it has become an Advisor Member of Family Office Exchange (FOX).
- 12/28/2017On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (referred to herein as TCJA or the Act). Although the most discussed provisions of the Act concern income tax changes, the new tax law also contains provisions that directly or indirectly affect estate planning.
- 11/20/2017The U.S. Tax Court recently determined that the IRS can re-examine the deceased spouse’s estate tax return that reported the unused exclusion, without regard to any statute of limitations.
- 11/9/2017The latest and growing trend for high net worth families involves the formation of a Family Office.
- 10/12/2017It is very satisfying to finally complete your estate plan. Looking over the binder containing copies of your Will, Trust(s), Power of Attorney and ancillary documents, you feel quite accomplished.
- 9/15/2017After years of anticipation, sponsors of 403(b) plans have finally received guidance from the IRS regarding preapproved 403(b) prototype and volume submitter documents.
- 8/21/2017One of the many reasons that clients consider trusts in their estate planning is to protect assets from the creditors of their beneficiaries.
- 7/6/2017Last Fall, Ohio joined several other states in enacting legislation that permits high net worth families to form their own family trust company, commonly referred to as a private trust company (PTC).
- 6/2017Vorys attorneys Mark Vannatta and Suzanne Galyardt authored an article in the May/June 2017 edition of the Probate Law Journal of Ohio.
- 5/31/2017Recently, the Ohio Legislature passed House Bill 432, which became effective on April 6, 2017.
- 5/16/2017Cause marketing has become ubiquitous in bringing charities and for-profit companies together to mutually benefit each other and their communities. Cause marketing comes in many varieties. Sometimes a portion of sale proceeds is donated to charity, or other point-of-sale transactions permit customers at check-out to either donate a dollar or round-up their purchase to the next dollar with a donation. Campaigns often involve social media, and sometimes sharing or liking a message results in a corporate donation. An example of cause marketing is the Yoplait “Save Lids to Save Lives” campaign, in which Yoplait donates ten cents for every pink lid that is returned to it to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Also, the Whole Foods Nickels for Nonprofits campaign allows customers to either receive or donate five cents for each reusable bag they provide.
- 1/12/2017President-elect Donald Trump has promised major tax reform in 2017. With Republicans retaining majorities in both houses of Congress, there is now a real possibility that the federal estate tax and the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax may be repealed.
- 12/19/2016Last week, Governor Kasich signed into law Senate Bill 232, which makes changes to Ohio’s statutes on intestacy, wills, and trusts.
- 12/6/2016Choosing a trustee is one of the most important and, often times, the most difficult decision for clients when creating a trust.
- 3/21/2016Mr. Smith, a widower, died survived by his three children. At the time of his death, Mr. Smith had the following assets: Residence (valued at $250,000), Checking/Savings Accounts (valued at $50,000) and Investment Account (valued at $600,000).
- 3/17/2015For decades, estate planners have been using trusts to help their clients save estate taxes.
- 1/26/2015As the new year is in full swing, you may or may not have ditched your resolutions by now.
- 1/28/2011
- 1/14/2010The federal estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes were repealed effective Jan. 1, 2010.