Business Succession Planning

Business Succession Planning in South Jordan

30+ Years of Estate & Elder Law Experience Behind Every Succession Plan

A succession plan determines who takes over your business, how that transfer is funded, and whether your employees, clients, and family emerge from the transition intact. For small and family-owned businesses, it’s also one of the most consequential documents in an owner’s entire estate plan. Without one, even a well-run business can unravel quickly when an owner retires, becomes incapacitated, or passes away.

At Sandberg, Stettler, & White, we bring more than 30 years of combined legal experience in estate planning and elder law to business succession planning in South Jordan, UT. We’ve helped thousands of Utah clients protect assets, navigate probate, and secure public benefits from Medicaid, Social Security, and the VA. That background shapes every succession plan we build.

Schedule a free consultation today, available in person or virtually. Call (385) 481-5276 to get started.

Why South Jordan Business Owners Choose SSW Law

Most attorneys who handle succession planning focus on the business transaction itself: the buy-sell agreement, the ownership transfer, the governance documents. What they don’t typically address is how that transaction can affect a business owner’s long-term care planning, Medicaid eligibility, or veterans benefits. That gap can be costly.

Sandberg, Stettler, & White is positioned differently. Our attorneys have litigated Medicaid policy cases against the state of Utah and prevailed, and our firm is VA-accredited to handle applications, representation, and appeals for veterans and surviving spouses. When we build a succession plan for a South Jordan business owner, we look at the full picture: the business structure, the estate plan, and the public benefits landscape.

We also handle probate, trust administration, and guardianship matters in-house, so clients don’t need to bring in a second firm when a succession plan intersects with estate administration. Our attorneys lecture before the Utah State Bar and professional organizations throughout the state, and clients consistently describe our approach as patient, thorough, and responsive.

What Business Succession Planning Covers

Business succession planning is the process of documenting what happens to your business when you step away, whether by choice or circumstance. A well-built plan addresses ownership transfer, leadership continuity, and the financial mechanics of the transition. It should be reviewed and updated as your business grows and your personal circumstances change.

Long-Term vs. Emergency Succession Plans

Long-term succession plans are built for planned transitions, typically retirement or a voluntary ownership change. They give business owners time to identify and develop successors, structure the financial terms of a transfer, and update governance documents in an orderly way.

Emergency succession plans address sudden changes: an unexpected death, a disabling illness, or a partner dispute. These plans identify interim leadership, establish decision-making authority, and provide a bridge while a longer-term transition is arranged. Both types are worth having. Most business owners focus on the long-term plan and leave the emergency scenario unaddressed.

Core Elements of a Succession Plan

A complete succession plan typically includes several coordinated components:

Strategic plan: Defines the business’s direction and how that direction continues after ownership changes
Financial plan: Addresses how the transfer is funded and what the departing owner receives
Ownership transition terms: Documents how shares or ownership interests are transferred and under what conditions
Successor identification: Names who will lead the business and may involve a multi-year mentorship process
Governance structure: Establishes decision-making authority, especially critical for family-owned businesses with competing interests

Key Legal Documents in Business Succession Planning

Several legal instruments form the foundation of most succession plans. The right combination depends on your business structure, the number of owners, and how you intend to fund the transition. Business valuation is a necessary starting point: the value assigned to your business affects buy-sell agreement terms, tax exposure, and the financial feasibility of any transfer option you choose.

Buy-Sell Agreements
A buy-sell agreement governs how an owner’s share is distributed when they retire, step down, or die. It sets the price, the buyer, and the terms, and it’s the foundational document in most succession plans.

Entity Purchase Agreements
With an entity purchase arrangement, the business itself holds life insurance policies on each owner so that a death benefit funds the purchase of a deceased owner’s shares, keeping ownership within the existing structure.

Employee Stock Ownership Plans
An ESOP allows employees to purchase the departing owner’s interest through shares, making the workforce the successor rather than a single buyer or family member.

Management Buyout Plans
These plans allow the management team to acquire the business directly from the departing owner, which works well when leadership is already in place and capable of running the company independently.

Existing governing documents, including partnership agreements, operating agreements, and articles of incorporation, often need to be updated as part of any succession plan. Utah has no state estate tax, but the federal estate tax may apply to larger estates and should be factored into planning for business owners with significant assets.

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Why Choose Sandberg, Stettler, & White?

Empathy & Understanding

We'll treat you with compassion - your concerns are our priority, and we're here to listen and support.
Integrity & Experience

We uphold the highest ethical standards and bring a wealth of experience to every case.
Client-Centered Advocacy

Your success is our success. We tailor our strategies to you and your specific needs.
We Speak Your Language

We'll explain complex legal matters in plain language, ensuring you can make informed decisions.

Our Approach to Business Succession Planning in South Jordan, UT

We build every succession plan around the specific goals, business structure, and family circumstances of the owner we’re representing. There’s no standard template, because no two businesses and no two estate plans are identical.

Our work in asset protection, probate, and trust administration means we don’t treat a succession plan as a standalone document. We coordinate it with the owner’s will, trusts, powers of attorney, and any existing estate planning documents. A succession plan that isn’t aligned with those documents can create gaps that surface as probate complications or ownership disputes after the owner is no longer able to resolve them.

For business owners who also need to plan for long-term care, our Medicaid litigation background is directly relevant. We’ve argued asset protection strategies before the state and obtained significant Medicaid benefits for Utah clients as a result. Our VA-accredited attorneys bring the same integrated perspective to veteran business owners: how a business asset transfer is structured can affect VA Aid and Attendance Pension eligibility, and we account for that in the plan we build. Our team has obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in VA disability backpay for clients through the appeals process.

Start Your Succession Plan With a Free Consultation

Business succession planning in South Jordan works best when it starts early, before a health event, a partner dispute, or an unexpected opportunity forces the issue. Sandberg, Stettler, & White serves business owners throughout South Jordan and the Wasatch Front, with free consultations available in person or virtually.

We can review your current business structure, identify how succession planning fits within your broader estate plan, and outline the documents and strategies that make sense for your situation. Call (385) 481-5276 to schedule your free consultation with Sandberg, Stettler, & White.

The Cost of Having No Succession Plan

A business without a succession plan isn’t just unprepared for the worst case. It’s actively vulnerable. Clients and customers who lose confidence in continuity after an owner’s exit often don’t wait to see how things unfold. They move on.

Internally, the absence of a documented plan invites disputes. Family members, partners, and employees may disagree over who controls the business and how assets are distributed. Those disagreements rarely resolve quickly, and while they’re ongoing, competitors can capture the market share your business is too distracted to defend. Unplanned leadership transitions also tend to produce rushed appointments and accelerated turnover among the skilled employees the business most needs to retain.

Family-owned businesses face a distinct layer of complexity: competing visions for the company’s future, questions about which family members are qualified to lead, and potential tax liabilities from intra-family transfers. These dynamics are manageable with a plan in place and significantly harder without one.

When Succession Planning Intersects With Medicaid & Veterans Benefits

For many South Jordan business owners, succession planning isn’t only about the business. It’s also about what happens to them personally as they age, and whether an ownership transfer can create unintended consequences for long-term care planning or public benefits eligibility.

Medicaid’s asset rules include a lookback period, typically five years, during which asset transfers are reviewed for eligibility purposes. A business owner who transfers ownership without accounting for those rules may inadvertently disqualify themselves from long-term care benefits at exactly the moment they need them. Coordinating a succession plan with a Medicaid or long-term care plan requires legal fluency in both areas at once. Sandberg, Stettler, & White handles Medicaid long-term care planning, Medicaid crisis planning, and home asset protection as core services, which means that coordination happens within a single engagement rather than across two separate firms.

Veteran business owners face a parallel consideration. VA pension benefits, including Aid and Attendance, carry their own asset and income rules, and how an ownership transfer is structured can affect eligibility. Our VA-accredited attorneys understand those rules and factor them into the succession planning process for veteran clients throughout the Wasatch Front.

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5-Star Client Reviews

At SSW Law, You're Our First Priority

Read client testimonials in their own words and see the difference a compassionate and dedicated team of advocates can make.

"Patient and Thorough"
Casey Stettler came highly recommended and did not disappoint! He was incredibly patient and thorough with us as we talked through various scenarios for our will and trust.

- Nathaniel H.
"He Fights for What's Right"
Kelly is knowledgeable and fights for what is right. He keeps you grounded throughout the court process and is reassuring. If you need someone to fight for your children he’s the one.

- Cassie M.
"Knowledgable and Responsive"
They’re awesome. These guys were easy to work with and weren’t trying to bill me for every hour possible. They took care of my family issues like family and my business/contract stuff like efficient professionals.

- Ryan T.
"Simple and hassle-free estate planning."
SSW made our estate planning simple and hassle-free. Kohle was very patient and thorough, assuring that we fully understood all of our options. We will continue to use your firm for any changes to our estate.

- Jeff L.
"Very Responsive"
I worked with Casey for a VA pension application for my father. His analysis was thorough, delivered on time and helped me arrive at a data-driven decision. Casey was also simply nice to work with and very responsive.

- Former Client
"Polite staff, swift service."
I was able to get an appointment for my consultation right away. The office staff were very polite. Khole was great to work with, answered all of my questions and was very detail-oriented.

- Melissa F.
"Can't Say Enough Good Things"
SSW Law helped me to enforce my mother's will, set up a trust, deal with the IRS, cash in all her assets, and distribute them to all the heirs. I can’t say enough good things about these guys.

- John W.
"Just a great firm to work with."
He always was available and explained the legal terms and issues to where we could understand everything. No tricks, no problems, no hidden fees. Just a great firm to work with.

- Steven M.

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