General Info:
I help my estate planning clients arrange their affairs so that their assets are handled as they wish when the client dies or becomes incapacitated. I have a background in tax law that informs my estate planning practice. My estate planning clients range from the very modest to the very wealthy. I don’t “sell” one-size-fits-all estate planning forms. Each estate plan is customized to the client’s specific circumstances. Estate plans may range from a simple will-based estate plan for clients with modest estates to a complex estate plan involving family limited partnerships and tax-driven trusts for more wealthy clients. Because I use a value pricing model, my clients are able to weigh the cost against the benefit and choose the plan that is appropriate to their circumstances. My first priority in probate matters is to get the job done with as little expense and delay as possible. To keep this focus, I am selective about the probate clients that I accept. I do not usually represent heirs or beneficiaries in disputes involving probate and estate administration. This keeps me free to focus on efficiently moving uncontested estates through the probate process. I am also active in the charitable community and have represented nonprofit organizations in tax and corporate governance matters. My nonprofit practice involves helping nonprofits obtain and maintain tax exemption, comply with charitable registration laws, and structure their operations to remain compliant. I have served as general counsel for various 501(c)(3) organizations. I have served in various capacities with the Real Property, Trust & Estate Section of the American Bar Association. I was appointed by the Mississippi Secretary of State to serve on the Trust Laws Study Group of the 2009 Business Reform Study Group and selected by the Mississippi Business Journal as one of Mississippi’s Top 50 Attorneys for Leadership in Law “Class of 2010.” PRACTICE AREAS Taxation, estate planning, nonprofit law, exempt organizations, living trusts, revocable living trusts, wills, estates, Mississippi probate, Alabama probate, Florida probate, elder law, medicaid planning, asset protection planning, trust administration, trust funds, trust management, trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, testamentary trusts, special needs trusts, medicaid trusts, ancillary probate