AUBURN — Bryan M. Dench, chairman of the board of directors of the law firm of Skelton, Taintor & Abbott, 95 Main St., authored a chapter in the recently published two-volume book “A Practical Guide to Estate Planning in Maine.”

The book, published by MCLE New England 2012, was compiled and edited from chapters contributed by a number of Maine attorneys and edited by Philip C. Hunt, Esq.

Dench’s chapter, “Lifetime Asset Transfers,” includes information about effective use of gifts to family members in order to reduce estate taxes and costs. He explains the main lifetime gift techniques used by estate planning experts and their legal and tax implications.