Management Biographies

Al W. King III is the Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of South Dakota Trust Company, LLC (SDTC), South Dakota Planning Company, LLC (SDPC),  SDTC Services LLC (South Dakota) and SDTC Services of Wyoming, LLC. He is also a member of the management committee of the SDTC Related Companies. SDTC is a national trust boutique for the wealthy based out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota serving clients nationally and internationally. Mr. King is based in New York City.

Mr. King was previously the Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of Citicorp Trust South Dakota. Mr. King was also a Managing Director and the National Director of Estate Planning for Citigroup. Prior to that Mr. King was the Director of Financial and Estate Planning for Coopers and Lybrand in Stamford, Connecticut.

Mr. King is currently the Co-Vice Chairman of the Editorial Board of Trusts & Estates Magazine.  He has been a member of the Editorial Board for 30 years.  Mr. King has been inducted into the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) Estate Planning Hall of Fame as an Accredited Estate Planner (AEP), Distinguished. In addition, Mr. King previously served on the Board of Directors for NAEPC and was the Chairman of the NAEPC Foundation Advisory Board. He is also a member of several groups and organizations including the Society of Trust and Estate Professionals (STEP), the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy (AiP), the New York Philanthropic Advisors Network (NYPAN), the Fairfield County and the New York City Estate Planning Councils, etc. In addition, he is frequently published and quoted by several publications on various Estate Planning topics and addresses several professional organizations, special interest groups, and general audiences on the subject of trust and estate planning.

Mr. King received a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Holy Cross College, a Juris Doctorate from Syracuse University Law School and an LL.M. in Tax Law from Boston University School of Law.

Pierce H. McDowell III
Co-Chairman, Co-Chief Executive Officer 

Based in Sioux Falls, Pierce H. McDowell III is currently the Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of South Dakota Trust Company LLC (SDTC), South Dakota Planning Company (SDPC), SDTC Services LLC (South Dakota) and SDTC Services of Wyoming, LLC . He is also a member of the management committee of the SDTC Related Companies. SDTC is a national trust boutique for the wealthy based out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota serving clients nationally and internationally.

Mr. McDowell was formerly the Co-Founder and President/Chief Trust Officer of Citicorp Trust South Dakota. Prior to joining Citibank, Mr. McDowell practiced law with Woods, Fuller, Shultz and Smith of Sioux Falls, and was formerly a Vice President, Trust Administrator and Business Development Manager for both Norwest and First Banks.

Mr. McDowell is nationally known and frequently quoted by Forbes and other publications on the advantages of South Dakota trust law. Mr. McDowell received the Citibank outstanding sales awards for both 1996 and 1998 as well as the 1997 Epic Award for his Trusts & Estates magazine’s articles on South Dakota Trust planning.

Mr. McDowell serves on the Board of the South Dakota Planned Giving Council. He has been appointed to the Philanthropy Committee with the South Dakota State Bar Association. He is the Chairman of the South Dakota Bankers Association’s Trust Committee, a member of the South Dakota Bar Association’s Real Property, Probate & Trust Law section and serves on its Probate and Trust Committee as well as the Legislative Committee. Mr. McDowell is also a member of the University of South Dakota Foundation Board of Trustees and a former member of the Advisory Board for Trusts & Estates magazine.

Mr. McDowell received a Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota.

James Paladino
Managing Director/President of South Dakota Planning Company / Chairman of Management Committee of SDTC Related Companies

Based in New York City, Mr. Paladino is the Chairman of the Management Committee of the SDTC Related Companies and also a Managing Director and President of South Dakota Planning Company in New York City. South Dakota Planning Company (SDPC) is an estate planning and trust advisory/consulting firm for its sister company South Dakota Trust Company LLC. SDPC is responsible for sales, marketing and technical support, as well as, speeches, publications, trust planning and consulting to support South Dakota Trust Company (SDTC).

Prior to joining South Dakota Planning Company, Mr. Paladino was a Vice President and the Trust and Estate Counselor at Citibank/Citigroup working with the high net worth Private Bankers in New York. Mr. Paladino provided technical estate and charitable planning assistance to wealthy clients and their advisors.

Prior to joining Citigroup, Mr. Paladino served as an Associate in the Trust and Estates Department of the New York City law firm of Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, where he was responsible for estate and financial planning for high net worth individuals as well as estate administration.

Mr. Paladino received his Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York at Albany and his Juris Doctorate from St. John’s University School of Law. Mr. Paladino received his LL.M. in Taxation from New York University. Mr. Paladino is admitted to the State Bar of New York and New Jersey. He is also a member of the New York State Bar Association and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). In addition, Mr. Paladino currently serves as Corporate Counsel Liaison Officer to the Individual Tax & Private Client Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA).