J. Eric “Tate” Taylor

Overview

Tate Taylor joined Trenam in 1991, and previously served ten years on the firm’s Executive Board, nine as Chair.  He currently Co-Chairs the firm’s Private Client Services Practice Group. Tate also is a member of the Board of Directors of Raymond James Trust N.A., where he chairs the Board’s Corporate Governance and Compensation Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee.

Throughout his career, Tate’s  practice has been closely associated with the preservation and management of wealth generated in the Florida communities served by Trenam.  A significant portion of his practice is given to assisting entrepreneurs, investors and their families and advisors with inter-generational transfers of business investments that minimize gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, maintain family cohesion and foster business continuity and growth.  Tate collaborates regularly with advisors from around the country in assisting Florida-based families whose holdings extend throughout the United States and the world.

Representative Matters

Tax and Wealth Transfer Planning

• Complex estate planning documents
• Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts/Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts
• Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts/Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts/Inter Vivos QTIP Marital Trusts
• Premarital agreements

Representing Fiduciaries in Complex Estate and Trust Administration and Litigation

• Modification and decanting of trusts
• Estate and trust accountings/distribution and release agreements
• Design and administration of complex IRA/trust structures
• Advising litigants in complex probate and trust litigation matters

Family-Owned Business/Family Office Planning and Administration

• Limited Liability Companies, Limited Partnerships and S Corporations
• Business succession planning
• Intra-family purchase and sale transactions involving family-owned business interests
• Family office organization and administration

Tax Compliance and Controversies

• Preparation of Gift, Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Returns
• Represent taxpayers and fiduciaries in examinations of gift, estate and income tax returns
• Represent taxpayers and fiduciaries before the IRS Appeals Office
• Represent taxpayers and fiduciaries requesting “9100” relief from the IRS to make late GST elections/allocations

Charitable Planning/Tax-Exempt Organizations

• Formation of private family foundations, supporting organizations and public charities
• Advising foundations on grant-making and complex grant agreements
• Charitable Remainder Trusts/Charitable Lead Trusts
• Use of Donor Advised Funds in tax and estate planning matters

Honors and Distinctions

• Tampa Magazine’s Top Lawyers List, 2020-2024
• Board Certified in Tax Law, Florida Bar
• AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• The Best Lawyers in America, Trusts & Estates, 2009-2024
  • Lawyer of the Year, Trusts & Estates; Tax Law, 2023
• Florida Super Lawyers, Trusts & Estates; Tax Law, 2006-2023 (10+ years recognition)
  • Top 100: Florida Super Lawyers, 2018
  • Top 50: Tampa Bay Super Lawyers, 2018
• Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, 2012, 2019, 2022

Professional Involvement

• The American Bar Association, Tax Section
• The American Bar Association, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section
• The Florida Bar, Tax Section
  • Former Executive Council Member
• The Florida Bar, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section
  • Former Executive Council Member
• Tampa Bay Estate Planning Council
  • Former Member of Board of Directors
• Contributing author, several of the Florida Bar’s popular CLE Manuals, including Basic Estate Planning in Florida, Trust Administration in Florida, and Not For Profit Corporations in Florida.

Community Involvement

• Tate has volunteered his time in the service of a variety of charitable organizations.  He currently serves on the Professional Advisors Committee of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay.