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BACKGROUND: John earned a B.A. degree in history from the University of Florida in 1968 and his J.D. degree with honors from the University of Florida in 1971. After graduation from law school, John served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Corps as a trial counsel and assistant judge advocate general for four years and was the distinguished military graduate in his class. Following his military service, John moved to Lakeland, Florida where he practiced law for more than 25 years with Lane, Trohn, Bertrand and Vreeland, P.A., before its merger with GrayRobinson EXPERIENCE: John specializes in estate planning, including estate and trust administration. John has extensive experience in assisting clients with all aspects of estate planning and family wealth transfers, including the preparation and funding of revocable trusts, trusts for minors, charitable trusts and other deferred charitable gifting plans, generation-skipping trusts, the use of the life insurance products and irrevocable life insurance trusts to provide needed estate liquidity and reduce estate taxes, planning for distributions from qualified retirement plans and IRA's, and the use of family limited partnerships, limited liability companies, buy-sell agreements, and leveraged gifting techniques to assure cost effective transfer of family owned businesses to children and other family members with minimal estate and gift taxes. John has represented numerous individuals and corporate personal representatives and trustees in the successful administration of taxable and non-taxable estates of all sizes and degrees of complexity, including resolution of various tax and non-tax issues. EDUCATION: University of Florida, B.A. (1968) University of Florida, J.D. (1971) PROFESSIONAL: The Florida Bar (Real Property, Probate, Trust Law and Tax Sections) Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland, Inc., Board of Directors University of Florida Law Center Association, Board of Trustees Polk County Estate Planning Council, Member Selected as Florida's Legal Elite by Florida Trend Magazine - 2004 and 2005 Selected in Best Lawyers in America ? 2006 and 2007. | 