Alesia Pinney, former chief legal officer at Avalara, launched Legata, a Seattle-area startup helping affluent households create estate plans and navigate state tax complexities.
Pinney said the idea for Legata grew out of frustration with Washington’s estate tax and how little many families understand about the risk to their assets. “There are so many people who don’t really realize that they’re going to lose family wealth if they don’t plan,” she said.
Legata’s online platform walks households through creating wills, trusts, and related documents to preserve available exemptions and reduce potential estate tax exposure. The company aims to modernize what Pinney describes as an increasingly strained system with more affluent households, fewer estate planning attorneys, and complex state-by-state tax rules.
Washington is one of a handful of states with its own estate tax, separate from the federal estate tax, that applies to estates exceeding $3 million per person. Lawmakers passed a bill last year that increased the top rate to as high as 35%, among the highest in the country. Legislators are now moving a proposal to repeal that change amid fears of wealthy residents leaving the state. Pinney said she supports rolling back the estate tax hike “because we are losing entrepreneurs and will continue to do so if we aren’t more thoughtful about taxation.”
After launching last year with an initial focus on Washington state, Legata is now serving clients nationwide. The startup is aimed at households with roughly $1 million to $20 million in assets. The cost is $1,495 to create an estate plan, plus $195 per year for an ongoing subscription that includes document storage, updates when laws change, and reminders about retitling assets.
Pinney spent more than 12 years at Avalara, helping lead the company through its IPO and subsequent $8.4 billion private equity deal in 2022. Legata has raised $725,000 in funding and employs fewer than 10 people. The startup is under review by regulators in Washington state to provide legal services.
