[Photo: by Todd Heisler / NYTimes]

Donald Trump will name son-in-law Jared Kushner a senior advisor to the president, a transition official told NBC News on Monday. Kushner, who is married to daughter Ivanka, has been in Trump's inner circle during and after the presidential campaign. Like his father-in-law, Kushner has no previous experience in government.

Washington law firm WilmerHale has advised Kushner on how to navigate the potential ethical problems of taking a position in his father-in-law's White House, according to The NYTimes. The firm contends that a law barring presidents from picking relatives for agencies they lead does not apply to the White House, though some experts disagree with that assertion.

"Mr. Kushner is committed to complying with federal ethics laws and we have been consulting with the Office of Government Ethics regarding the steps he would take," Kushner's lawyer said in a statement to NBC News.

The NYTimes also reported that Kushner plans to resign as Kushner Companies CEO and divest "substantial assets." An advisory role left the possibility that Kushner could have a say in White House policy that would affect his personal holdings.

NOTE:  It would be interesting to see how those issues play out, given Saturday's report in the NYTimes that Kushner met with Anbang Insurance Group after the election in November to discuss the redevelopment of 666 Fifth Avenue, a building owned by the Kushner family.

Anyway, Trump has so far taken few steps to address the potential that his presidency could benefit him or his family financially despite criticism. He has so far resisted calls to establish a blind trust and divest his holdings, but he is expected to give more information about those efforts at a news conference on Wednesday.

Trump has defended himself by saying the president is not subject to criminal conflict of interest laws. However, the Office of Government Ethics says presidents have always acted like they are bound by those laws.