Jill S. Dodd
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Recognized since 2006
San Francisco, California
Litigation - Trusts and Estates
Nonprofit / Charities Law
Tax Law
Trusts and Estates


Jill Dodd chairs the firm’s estate planning and personal representation practice, focusing on gift, estate and philanthropic planning for very-high-net-worth individuals and families.
Jill counsels very-high-net-worth individuals in all aspects of gift, estate and philanthropic planning. She has extensive experience designing and implementing a variety of sophisticated structures, including family limited partnerships, grantor retained annuity trusts, insurance trusts, complex grantor trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, charitable lead trusts and charitable remainder trusts, all designed to transfer assets to heirs and to charities in a tax-efficient manner that respects the values of the families. Jill routinely represents individuals in gift and estate tax audits before the IRS. She also counsels clients on all aspects of trust administration.
In her not-for-profit practice, Jill acts as outside general counsel to charitable organizations of all types, including community foundations large and small; operating charities, such as museums and schools; and private family foundations. She has extensive experience in all aspects of a charity’s activities, including structuring start-ups and obtaining exemptions; advising on compliance issues with respect to local, state and federal law; advising on governance issues, including conflict of interest and fiduciary duties; and working with charities to structure subsidiaries and joint ventures. She has successfully represented charities in audits before the California Attorney General, the Franchise Tax Board and the IRS.
Contact & Links
- Lawyer Page: https://www.manatt.com/Jill-S-Dodd
Location
- One Embarcadero Center, 30th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
Education
- University of California, Berkeley, graduated 1987
- Harvard University, graduated 1977
Bar Admissions
- California, State Bar of California
Affiliations
- Bar Association of San Francisco, Taxation Section - Member
- Board of Directors of the Northern California Planned Giving Council - Past President
- Golden Gate University School of Law LLM Program, “Tax Aspects of Charitable Giving,” Summer 2009 - Adjunct Professor of Law
- Leadership Institute of PPP - Member
- Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (PPP) - Member and Past Director
- Professional Advisory Committee, San Francisco Jewish Community Federation - Member
- San Francisco Estate Planning Council - Member
73 The Best Lawyers in America® awards
16 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America awards


Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
- Nonprofit / Charities Law, San Francisco (2021)
- Litigation - Trusts and Estates, San Francisco (2017)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2022 for work in:
- Nonprofit / Charities Law
- Litigation - Trusts and Estates
- Tax Law
- Trusts and Estates
Special Focus
- Business and Succession Planning
- Charitable Gift Planning
- Income Tax
- Nonprofit Organizations and Charitable Giving
- Private Foundations
- Tax Planning
- Tax-Exempt Organizations
- Trusts and Estates
Awards:
- Ranked in the Chambers and Partners 2016 High Net Worth Guide for Private Wealth Law – Northern California
- Daily Journal, “Top Women Lawyers in California,” 2011
- Awarded the 2011 Phil Hoffmire Service Award, The Northern California Planned Giving Council
- Worth magazine, “Top 100 Lawyers Advising High-Net-Worth Clients,” 2007, 2008
- California Super Lawyer, 2007-present
- Named Best Lawyers Trusts and Estates Litigation “Lawyer of the Year,” 2017
Publications
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