Glossary

ILIT (Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust)

A type of irrevocable trust that is specifically designed to hold and own life insurance policies. Once the ILIT has been set up, you will transfer ownership of your life insurance policies to the Trustee of the ILIT. While you can't be a Trustee of the ILIT - otherwise you'll be deemed to have incidents of ownership in the life insurance - your spouse and/or children can be Trustees.

Once you've transferred ownership of the life insurance to the Trustee of the ILIT, you will have given up all of your incidents of ownership over the policies. Since you'll no longer own the policies, the proceeds can't be taxed in your estate when you die.

Motion to Compel

A motion asking the court to order an opposing party to produce information or documentation previously requested by a discovery request (i.e., interrogatories, request for production, request for admissions or depositions).

Discovery

The stage prior to trial in a lawsuit during which each party may obtain evidence (information) from the opposing party and independent witnesses through written discovery (interrogatories or written questions, requests for production of documents, and requests for admissions) or depositions. If written discovery is undertaken or depositions occur in your case, we will provide you with additional information about the processes.

Cummins & White > Cummins & White Law Practice Areas > Real Estate > Land Use

Land Use

Cummins & White, LLP’s land use lawyers provide strategic counsel on a wide range of environmental and land use issues that impact private and public entities. We advise clients on land use matters both in a regulatory/transactional setting and in adversarial administrative enforcements and litigation.

Our land use lawyers advise landowners, developers, home builders, business owners and public agencies on the entitlement, financing, and development of innovative projects. Our lawyers effectively team with, and manage where appropriate, technical consultants, engineers, and project managers to formulate and implement strategies to bring projects in on time and within budget.

Our areas of experience include:

Coastal Developments
Energy Projects (including green and renewable energy)
Infill/Redevelopment
Master Planned Communities
Affordable Housing Projects
Public Infrastructure Projects
Mixed-Use Projects
Multi-Family Projects
Office, Retail, and Industrial Projects
Telecom Facility Siting
Transportation Projects
Water Projects
Major League Sports Facilities Projects

Cummins & White, LLP’s land use lawyers has a unique understanding of the complexity of land use projects in California. This understanding is formed, in part, by the firm’s historic commitment to representing public agencies over the past 18 years. The recent addition of two lawyers with extensive background representing public agencies adds to Cummins & White’s already capable team of lawyers with public agency expertise. This depth of experience, and understanding of how public agencies operate, can be crucial to the successful entitlement of a project, whether that project is pursued by a private party, a public agency or jointly by public-private partnership.