His practice is best described as a “general tax practice”. Jim works with a broad spectrum of clients, from start-up and mid-market family businesses and their owners (especially with sales of or family succession for the business) to publicly traded entities, to corporate executives, and finally, retirees.

Jim’s practice encompasses the entire range of tax planning; he provides advice on mergers and acquisitions, tax structures for start-up businesses, asset protection, the tax aspects of business exit planning, business succession strategies, the design of tax-effective executive compensation packages and estates, trusts and wealth preservation. In addition, Jim assists clients in resolving disputes with the IRS and/or state Departments of Revenue. Finally, as the parent of a young adult on the autism spectrum, Jim assists families with special needs planning for a loved one with a disability.

Jim began his professional tax career in the ‘70s in public accounting. Following law school, he litigated tax cases for IRS as a member of the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice before broadening his tax practice to cater to the needs of small and family businesses. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a member of the Special Needs Alliance and has regularly been included in Super Lawyers lists in both Georgia and Tennessee as well as Best Lawyers in America in the practice areas of Estates and Trusts, Nonprofit/Charity Law, Tax Law and Tax Controversy-Litigation. Since returning to Georgia, Jim has been named by Best Lawyers of America as the 2017 Lawyer of the Year (Atlanta) – Litigation and Controversy – Tax, the 2018 Lawyer of the Year (Atlanta) – Nonprofits/Charities and the 2020 Lawyer of the Year (Atlanta) – Nonprofits/Charities. Along with his wife, Diane, Jim is active with numerous disability advocacy and family support organizations in both Tennessee and Georgia.

Selected Recent Publications

• “What the Federal Tax Overhaul Means for Families with Special Needs,” Parenting Special Needs Magazine (January 2019)
• “Beer, Wine, Alcohol and Taxes: A Most Excellent Recipe,” Law360 (July 2018)
• Georgia Poised to Require Out-of-State Online Retailers to Collect Georgia Sales Tax (a Burr Alert, April 2018)
• “The Impact of Tax Reform on Special Needs Planning,” Special Needs Alliance (March 2018)
• “Patent(ly) Unfair: Tax Reform’s Treatment of Self-Created IP,” Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal (July 2018)
• “Building the Best Strategies for Real Estate After Tax Reform,” The Real Estate Finance Journal (Spring, 2018)(July 13, 2018 Thomson Reuters)

Selected Recent Speaking Engagements

• “Where Do You Start? Special Needs and Divorce”, Academy of Special Needs Planners, Seattle, Washington (May 2022)
• “What Happens When My Child Turns 18?”, Griffin-Spalding County School Transition Program, Griffin, Georgia (February 2022)
• “Planning to Minimize Your Client’s Tax Burden in 2021”, Synovus Trust Company, N.A. (April 2021) (presented to its trust officers and financial advisors).
• “Guardianship Or What Happens When My Child Turns 18?”, Middle GA Parent Mentor Partnership (February 2021)
• “Estate Planning for Corporate Executives And Small Business Owners”, Stetson University College of Law 2020 Conference (October 2020)
• “Choice of Entity: Decision Points for Income Tax and Benefits Planning”, Stetson University College of Law 2020 Conference, (October 2020)
• “Leaving On That Midnight Train from Georgia: Tax Issues When Clients Start Crossing State Lines,” Kennesaw State CPE for CPAs, Kennesaw, Georgia (November 2018)
• “Providing A Continuum of Care: Helping Your Client Families When A Family Member Has A Disability,” Kennesaw State CPE for CPAs, Kennesaw, Georgia (November 2018)

Civic Involvement

• Chair, Government Affairs Committee (2017 to 2021), Treasurer (2021 to present) and member, The Fayette County (GA) Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (2014 to present)
• Member, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Disabilities Advisory Council, Region 6 (2018 to present)
• Chair, Advisory Board, The Arc Georgia (2014 to 2020)
• Honored as an “Attorney for Justice,” the Tennessee Supreme Court
• “50 Hour Star,” the Atlanta Legal Society
• Director, Autism Tennessee (f/k/a Autism Society of Middle Tennessee) (2007 to 2012)
• Director, The Arc of David County (2009 to 2012)
• Middle Tennessee Estate Planning Council (2007 to 2015)

Honors & Awards

• Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
• Member, Special Needs Alliance
• Best Lawyers
• Named in the categories of (Estate and Trusts, Tax Nonprofit/Charity and Litigation and Controversy – Tax), 2003-through the present
• Named the 2017 Lawyer of the Year – Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Atlanta Area (Best Lawyers) and 2018 and 2020 Lawyer of the Year – Non-Profit/Charities Law, Atlanta Area (Best Lawyers)
• Named 2017 Corporate Lawyer of the Year, Tennessee (Corp America Magazine)
• Named to Georgia Super Lawyers (Estate Planning), 2020 through the present
• Named to MidSouth Super Lawyers (Estate Planning), 2006-2017
• Trustee Emeritus, Vanderbilt’s Paul J. Hartman State & Local Tax Forum

Professional Associations

• American Bar Association
• Georgia Bar Association
• Tennessee Bar Association
• Missouri Bar Association
• Atlanta Bar Association and Nashville Bar Association