Jean’s practice focuses on estate planning and administration, tax-exempt organizations and charitable giving. She also regularly handles North Carolina tax matters.
She works with families and nonprofit organizations to create workable plans necessary to advance their economic and tax goals. For families this includes assisting with their estate planning and trusts, wealth transfers and estate administration needs. Further she works with tax-exempt, non-profit and charitable organizations, often as general counsel, but particularly with their tax and governance concerns, helping them handle effectively the complicated regulations and tax world they now face. She frequently handles North Carolina tax matters for individuals, corporations and other entities, often working with the North Carolina Department of Revenue.
Jean is a Certified Public Accountant and Board-Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate law.
She has been quoted in media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Reuters/CNBC and Best’s Review regarding tax and estate planning issues.
Advised on a full range of wealth transfer planning issues, including gift, estate, and generation-skipping taxes, trusts, charitable giving, and transfer tax leveraging and freezing.
Prepared numerous estate planning documents, including wills, living trusts, life insurance trusts, generation-skipping trusts, gifting trusts, trusts for minors, charitable trusts, GRATs, family limited partnerships and limited liability companies.
Advised numerous estates and trusts on administration, estate tax, fiduciary income tax, post-mortem and other planning.
Represented parties in will contests and fiduciary litigation.
Formed numerous charities, business leagues and other tax-exempt entities and secured federal, state and local tax exemptions and letter rulings.
Advised numerous tax-exempt entities, including public charities and private foundations, on private inurement, intermediate sanctions, excise taxes, unrelated business income tax, fundraising, planned giving, corporate governance, board responsibilities, board policies, endowments, and form 990.
Reorganized, including creating exempt and taxable affiliates, hospitals, trade associations and other exempt entities, and structured various joint ventures.
Advised on and litigated federal, North Carolina and local tax issues including property tax issues from local level through US Supreme Court.
Successfully lobbied various North Carolina legislative changes in tax and estates areas.
Fellow, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Member Digital Property Task Force, Charitable Planning Committee
Fellow, American College of Tax Counsel
Fellow, American Bar Foundation
Former Chair, Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section of North Carolina Bar Association
Former Board of Governors, North Carolina Bar Association
Chair, Duke University Estate Planning Council
Former President, Wake County Estate Planning Council
Leadership Council and Former Chair, Triangle Community Foundation
Former Chair, Girl Scouts ─ North Carolina Coastal Pines
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Named to "North Carolina Super Lawyers,” Tax and Estate Planning, 2006-2023; Estate & Probate, 2017; Listed among the Top 100 Lawyers, 2006, 2008-2020; and Top 50 Women Lawyers, 2006-2020 and Top 25 Raleigh Lawyers, 2016-2020
Selected for inclusion in “Legal Elite,” Tax and Estate Planning, 2006-2011, 2013-2019; Hall of Fame, 2023, Business North Carolina
Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Trusts and Estates, Woodward/White, Inc., 2006-2023
Selected for inclusion in “Legal 500 United States,” Not-for-profit: Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations, 2022
Named "Lawyer of the Year," Trusts and Estates, Raleigh, The Best Lawyers in America, 2022
Selected for inclusion, Private Wealth Law, Band 1, North Carolina, Chambers HNW Guide, 2017-2022
Selected for inclusion in “Legal 500 United States,” Not-for-profit: Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations, 2021
Named “Legal Elite - Lawyer of the Year,” Tax and Estate Planning, Business North Carolina, 2019
Named a "Divorce, Trusts and Estates Trailblazer," The National Law Journal, 2017
Named “Lawyer of the Year,” Raleigh, Best Lawyers, 2016