Estate Planning Attorney Marietta | Marietta Tax Attorney | Brian D. Smith | MIJS

Moore Ingram Johnson & Steele

Benjamin Franklin once said, "By failing to plan, you're planning to fail." Hi, I'm Brian Smith, a partner in the trust and estates practice at Moore Ingram Johnson and Steele. I started at the firm in 1996 as a summer associate. I came back full-time in 1997 and I've been here ever since. I can't imagine working anywhere else. In my practice, I cover will preparation, estate and gift tax planning, estate administration, probate litigation and guardianships and conservatorships for incapacitated adults and children. A trust and estates practice is unique, because with the exception of a state litigation, there's usually not an adverse party. In the planning process, I help families plan and implement techniques to efficiently and responsively transfer wealth during life or in death. In the administration process, I typically find myself meeting with families at a very difficult time. My role in that process is to be a calming voice and help guide them through the dark times that they're experiencing. At Moore Ingram Johnson and Steele, I'm able to help a very broad cross-section of society, while I enjoy working with high net worth clients and helping them solve federal estate and gift tax problems, I also enjoy tackling the real world problems that every family encounters. By not limiting my practice to one specific demographic, I'm able to help a broad cross-section of society and I find that very rewarding. This is not something that's limited to my practice but something that can be found throughout our firm. When John Moore started our firm back in the 1980s, it was his vision to bring downtown legal expertise to the suburbs. Whether it's estate planning, corporate litigation or real estate, we're not only available to help clients of all shapes or sizes but we're able to provide them with the specialized and expert legal expertise that they would find at a big downtown firm. A large part of my practice involves education. I know that I'm not always going to be there to walk my clients through every situation that arises. So I spend a great deal of time educating my clients on the ins and outs of their planning. I make sure that the client understands and appreciates the importance of each and every paragraph in their documents and understands how future decisions or events may affect their planning. I also spend a lot of time educating civic groups and other organizations on a estate planning related topics. While these events can be a great way to generate new business, it's the satisfying feeling I get when someone says, "Thank you. I really learned a lot today," that keeps me going. Having two teenage sons, I often find that their passions become my passions. So if I'm not in the office, you can usually find me in a sports arena, concert hall or a school theater. At Moore Ingram Johnson and Steele, we believe in relationships. I'd like to develop a relationship with all of my clients. If I can ever be of service to you, please feel free to call.