Jim is a partner in Burr & Forman’s Corporate, Trusts & Estate, and Tax practice groups. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and has a broad range of tax experience, including representing clients during audits by the IRS and/or Tennessee Department of Revenue; crafting tax structures for new businesses; counseling clients on the tax aspects of business exit strategies and business succession issues; designing tax-effective executive compensation packages; creating appropriate estate plans; and counseling families on special needs planning.
Jim began his professional tax career with the “Big 8” public accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand. Following law school, he litigated tax cases for the federal government as a member of the U.S. Department of Justice. In 1994, Jim was a founding member of one of East Tennessee’s largest and most respected law firms.
Jim is admitted to practice law in Tennessee, Georgia, and Missouri. He has been named to The Best Lawyers for America since 2003 in the areas of Estates and Trusts, Nonprofit/Charity Law, and Tax Law and named by Mid-South Super Lawyers Magazine to each of its Tennessee lists. Jim has served as the Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Tax Section, as a Trustee of the Paul J. Hartman State & Local Tax Forum, as a Trustee of the Tennessee Federal Tax Institute, and as a Trustee of the Advanced Institute on Corporate Taxation. He is also the author of a professional treatise and numerous tax-related articles as well as a frequent speaker at tax programs for CPAs and attorneys throughout the Southeast.
Jim was honored for his work in special needs planning when inducted into the Special Needs Alliance. He and his wife, Diane, are both active with ASMT (Middle Tennessee’s autism support organization), the ARC of Davidson County and the Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (“TRIAD”) program, part of Vanderbilt’s Kennedy Center.
David Glass/Glass Financial Group
David Glass with Glass Financial Group is an independent financial professional and is experienced in the areas of navigating third-party benefits, legal issues and the financial administration involved in planning for a dependent with a developmental disability. He is also the parent of a child with a disability and understands the importance of balancing the complex needs and goals of a family – from retirement to education funding along with the needs of a loved one with a disability.
David is a Governor Appointee and Vice Chairman of the Board for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). He also serves as vice president of the ARC of Georgia. He is a member of the Atlanta Estate Planning Council and has been a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) for the past 12 years.
Donna Johnson/Center for Leadership in Disability
Donna Johnson is the Coordinator, Georgia Autism Statewide Plan at the Center for Leadership in Disability, Georgia State University. She is also the Executive Director at The Kiss Foundation.
J-Jaye Hurley/Autism Speaks
J-Jaye Hurley is the Autism Response Team Coordinator for the southeast region. Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright, grandparents of a child with autism. Their longtime friend Bernie Marcus donated $25 million to help financially launch the organization. Since then, Autism Speaks has grown into the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. We are proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish and look forward to continued successes in the years ahead.