Citywealth Leaders List, 60 second interview – Gerard F. Joyce, Perkins Coie, New York

Date: 18 Mar 2026

Karen Jones

This week’s 60 seconds Citywealth Leaders List interview is dedicated to Gerard F. Joyce, Senior Counsel at Perkins Coie, New York.

Tell Citywealth readers a bit about your role.

I am Senior Counsel at Perkins Coie based in their New York City office.  I advise successful individuals, family offices and financial services firms on anything from sophisticated wealth/mobility planning for both domestic and global clients, advising family offices on matters on various places of their life cycle, to helping families or financial firms create a private or licensed trust company.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I am building a practice brick by brick, so anything goes and no two days are alike.   I spend time with my colleagues in the office and around the firm and try to jump on any chance to be helpful from referrals to information on a topic or issue.  I am dealing with some complex multi-jurisdictional tax and legal issues, so thinking time is at a premium and so necessary so that our work product is creative but also well-grounded in its reasoning.

Tell us about some recent, interesting client instructions/requests you have received. 

Never wanting to be seen as viewing my clients as a source of anecdotes, let me answer by pointing out what I am observing in the marketplace from my perspective: 

                                                              i.      Clients are embracing global mobility and are looking to move people, assets and structures (or all three) to other jurisdictions.  For Americans, this means increased interest in citizenship by investment, but for non-US  clients, they continue to look to the U.S. as a place to deploy capital and their efforts.  Inside the U.S., the movement to low-tax jurisdictions has dramatically impacted where wealth is located.

                                                             ii.      I’m see new clients who say  “I did not understand” their plan or its important aspects because their previous advisor did not ensure that they had a “bottom line” understanding of what was being done.  I am struck that this is coming from clients whose capacity to understand is next level, but their advisor did not ensure that they would be informed consumers.

                                                           iii.      One catchphrase I hear more often is “professional trustee services” because from individuals, to investment firms to family offices, there is a convergence of wealth being left by the same generation that shepherded family investments and governance, leaving a vacuum as to who will fill this role.  Independence, judgment and even tax residence are critical factors that families are beginning to consider in a more programmatic way.

What challenges do your clients face and how are you helping your clients to overcome them?

As noted above, clients need help understanding their planning.  We are actively modifying our approach to help communicate about their plans by using visuals to drive home points or key considerations.  As a colleague retold me what a client said to them:  “Great presentation, but next time more pictures and less words.”  The acid test is do clients see the before and after as well as the important financial and personal consequences of a plan?  I urge clients not to focus on the details of the mechanics of a particular strategy or trust, but rather what does it help achieve.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

I think it is what I am doing now.  I practiced law at some big law firms for 12 or so years and then was a banker for 30 years.  Being able to join such a high level practice not only took some courage and determination on my part but it is likewise humbling to be surrounded by a group of top-notch professionals.

What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?

This could be a very long list, but I will go with a clear vision, determination, and being able to exhibit that you do not think you are better than others.  Being able to do that might be directional or an ambition, but you need to know where you want to go, have the tenacity to stay the course and also attract others to help you on the way to achieving the goals.

Who do you most admire and why?

I have gotten to know a few cancer researchers, whether medical doctors or scientists, and I am struck by their dedication to finding a cure to such a devastating and deadly disease that has touched virtually all of us.  They typically do this despite long hours and only modest pay.  In particular, I have worked with Dr. Samuel Waxman and his cancer research institute and I am struck by the fact that he has already been part of a cure of a deadly cancer already and spends his time working with others and advancing research through a collaboration among a number of the world’s leading cancer researchers.

Where was the last place you travelled to for work or pleasure?

I was recently in Palo Alto to meet with a new client and had the opportunity to have a good friend walk me around Stanford University for an hour.  Those 60 minutes at such a powerhouse institution smack in the middle of Silicon Valley underscores the great opportunities and promise that our tech sector and country offer.

If you weren’t in this industry, what else might you be doing?

I love animals—I’d be a veterinarian.  If not a vet, it would be a doctor for us humans.

How do you relax after a long day?

I’m a commuter, so I’ve learned to embrace my hour-long ride on a diesel train to Connecticut and unwind with a book or video (and occasionally finishing up what’s left to be done of the workday).  Despite the obvious repetition, something about coming home each evening feels anchoring (and our many pets seem to share that experience).

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