Justin Joseph Klatsky

Justin J. Klatsky is a Partner in the Valrico Law Group practicing in the areas of estates and trusts, general business and corporate law, and taxation.

When Justin is often asked to generally describe his practice, he regularly tells his clients that his job is to help people plan, preserve, and protect their legacy.

In the field of estates and trusts, that process starts with proper planning for both death and incapacity.  Accordingly, basic estate plan typically involves a last will and testament, living will, health care surrogate, durable power of attorney, and declaration of preneed guardian.  For those people with more complex estate planning needs, revocable living trusts are used to provide for management, privacy, and probate avoidance.  As a tax attorney, Justin also assists those that have transfer tax (estate, gift, and generation skipping transfer) and income tax concerns by utilizing various advanced planning techniques (ILITs, FLPs, QTIPs, etc.). 

Justin’s estate planning practice is informed by his experience in the administration of trusts and estates.  In this aspect of his estates and trusts practice, he assists clients that have legal questions when someone passes.  He has experience with formal, summary, and ancillary administration, trust and will disputes, and reformation of trusts through modification and decanting.  Also, Justin represents clients in the preparation of gift and estate tax returns (Form 709 and Form 706).

Just as Justin helps clients plan for various stages of their natural lives, he also helps business owners at the various stages of the lives of their businesses.  At the “birth” of a new enterprise or idea, he provides counsel to businesses on entity selection and formation with an eye on both tax and liability concerns.  During the “life” of the business, Justin has experience with asset and stock sales and purchases, shareholder or member buyouts and redemptions, reorganizations, and, perhaps most notably, various conversions of entities from one form to another (most often from a corporation to a limited liability company for additional liability protection for the owners).  Also, Justin has experience with drafting, review, revision, and conflicts involving numerous business agreements, including, but not limited to, independent contractor and employment agreements, noncompetition and nondisclosure agreements, buy-sell agreements, shareholders agreements, and services agreements.  Because of his experience in estate planning and taxation, Justin also assists in succession planning for those business owners that want to keep the family business operating within the family.

Associated with his experience in providing counsel to owners of for profit enterprises, Justin also has similar experience working with nonprofits and their founders, but with special attention to those aspects that are particular to the nonprofit sector such as preparing the Form 1023 (Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code), providing guidance on adherence to state fundraising rules, and analyzing concerns such as excess benefit transactions, private inurement, and unrelated business taxable income (UBTI).

Justin’s other area of practice is that of tax controversy.  He represents individuals, businesses, and organizations in federal tax matters at all levels including IRS collections, audit, and appeals, and the U.S. Tax Court.  He also has experience with international tax issues involving foreign assets and offshore accounts under audit or the disclosure procedures. 

When not assisting his clients, Justin can be found participating in the sport of Schutzhund with his two working line German Shepherds (Bianka and Cade), relaxing with a good book, or traveling the back roads of Florida on the hunt for antiques with his wife, Lily.  He is also a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA).