The Architected Settlement Law Group
Document Download How a Tiered Trust Structure Protected the Client and Strengthened the Settlement Strategy
A proof-driven example showing how stronger structural planning can reshape the outcome before funds are distributed.
Michele P. Fuller
Founder & Attorney
The Settlement Architect
Special Assistant Attorney General for the Flint Water settlement distribution across three court jurisdictions.
Hawthorn counsel for 50+ minor claimants involving a §1396p(d)(4)(C) pooled special needs trust.
Fellow of the Academy of Court-Appointed Neutrals.
Conditional QSF practitioner.
A settlement can look complete once the number is reached. But if the legal structure underneath the recovery is too simple for what the funds need to do over time, the outcome can still weaken after distribution.
This case study shows how Michele Fuller stepped in as Settlement Planning Counsel, identified a structure that was too narrow for the client’s long-term needs, and reworked it into a tiered trust strategy designed to hold after the case was over.
The issue in this matter was not whether the attorney had secured a meaningful result. The issue was whether that result would remain protected, governable, and durable once the recovery moved into administration.
A one-layer solution would have looked clean on paper, but it would not have matched the different jobs the recovery actually needed to do over time. This case study shows how a stronger structural design changed the quality of the outcome.
Inside the briefing
- Why the original one-layer path looked simple, but was too narrow for the real needs of the case
- How Michele identified the structural weakness before distribution was locked
- What changed when the settlement was redesigned as a tiered trust structure
- Why the stronger structure improved protection, oversight, and long-term use of the recovery
- What trial attorneys should watch for when a settlement needs more than a single simplified solution
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A settlement is not just a number. It is a strategy across benefits, legal tax structures, and trusts.
