I am a former in-house bank attorney who now focuses on estate planning and planning for closely held, family businesses, including farms and ranches, from formation to succession. That focus necessarily includes real estate and water rights as well. I also draft gun trusts.
I practice in both Utah and Wyoming. My main office is in Orem, Utah, but I do have an office in Cody, Wyoming for appointments.
I chose this profession to help families and business owners plan now to be in a position to reap the benefits and pass on the rewards of their hard work. I've succeeded if, after we've worked together, you, your family, your business, and your estate are better prepared to accomplish your goals--financial or otherwise. Your concerns are my concerns. Solving your problems is my goal. To that end, I will make every effort to make sure you understand what we're doing and why.
In other words, legalese is not spoken here.
I am licensed to practice law in both Wyoming and Utah. I'm also an emeritus member of the State Bar of Michigan, the state where I began practicing law as an attorney for Michigan National Bank in Lansing, Michigan in 1981, after spending a year in a management training program with the bank while I finished law school.
I was born and raised in Powell, Wyoming, after which I attended Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) in Rexburg, Idaho, and Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I did my first two years of law school at the University of Wyoming then transferred to Thomas Cooley LawSchool in Michigan, so I could begin working at the bank. I later returned to Wyoming to form Taggart Company, a partnership with my brothers in Cody, Wyoming. We worked as insurance and investment advisors to individuals and businesses, primarily in Northern Wyoming and Southern Montana.
My interest in estate planning and working with family businesses was piqued during the time I spent as a life insurance/investment advisor. Time and time again, we counseled with individuals who had created very profitable businesses only to find themselves facing the questions every small business owner eventually must face: How do I get my money out? Who can succeed me and keep this company, farm, or ranch running and profitable? My goal with my business clients is to help them answer those and other questions they must address, often beginning with the first one for many of them: C or S corp, partnership or LLC.
Estate planning, of course, goes hand in hand with these and other concerns that individuals have as they look over what they've created and imagine how their loved ones can benefit from their hard work. My goal is always to help them achieve their goals.
I am also a freelance financial/business writer, something I've been doing since 1996. My writing has appeared on the pages of various Bloomberg, Schwab, and Fidelity magazines, as well as on Wealthmanagement.com, BankRate.com and other print and online publications. I have also written for Northern Trust, Morgan Stanley, Zions Bancorporation, Wilmington Trust, Wells Fargo, LaSalle Bank, Smith Barney, KeyBank, Franklin Covey, and Private Wealth Management, among others. In addition, I occasionally ghostwrite by-line articles for major financial services firms.
Finally, I'm an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University, where I have taught writing every semester since 1998. During the last six years, I have also had the opportunity to teach courses at BYU in American government (4 years) and legal writing (2 years).
Languages spoken
Spanish, Portuguese
Taggart Law, LLC
4530 West Cambridge Drive
Cedar Hills, UT, 84062
Taggart Law LLC
1238 Blestein
Cody, WY, 82414
State | Status | Acquired | Updated |
---|---|---|---|
UT | Active | 2015 | 07/07/2022 |
WY | Active | 2015 | 07/03/2022 |
MI | Active And In Good Standing | 1981 | 06/27/2022 |
Legal answers | 43 |
Legal guides | 0 |
Award name | Grantor | Date Granted |
---|---|---|
Dean's List - full tuition scholarship | University of Wyoming College of Law | 1977 |
Title | Company name | Duration |
---|---|---|
Owner/Attorney | Taggart Law, LLC | 2015 - Present |
Adjunct Professor | Brigham Young University | 1998 - Present |
Owner | Taggart Company - Orem, UT | 1994 - 1998 |
Agent | Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance | 1992 - 1994 |
Co-Owner | Taggart Company - Cody, Wyo. | 1983 - 1992 |
Staff Attorney and Assistant Vice President | Michigan National Bank | 1980 - 1983 |
Association name | Position name | Duration |
---|---|---|
Wyoming Bar Business Law Section | Secretary/Treasurer | 2018 - Present |
Utah Legislative Commitee | Member | 2018 - Present |
Taggart Symposium Committee | Member | 2018 - Present |
LLCs, Partnerships and Unincorporated Entities Committee of the ABA | Member | 2017 - Present |
Wasatch Front Inn of Transactional Counsel | Member | 2016 - Present |
Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Section - Wyoming Bar | Member | 2016 - Present |
Business Law Section - Wyoming Bar | Member | 2016 - Present |
Business Law Section - Utah Bar | Member | 2015 - Present |
Estate Planning Law Section - Utah Bar | Member | 2015 - Present |
Business Law Section - ABA | Member | 2015 - Present |
Real Property, Trust & Estate Law Section - ABA | Member | 2015 - Present |
Master Lawyers Section - Michigan Bar | Member | 2015 - Present |
American Bar Association | Member | 2015 - Present |
Utah State Bar | Member | 2015 - Present |
WealthCounsel | Member | 2015 - Present |
Wyoming State Bar Association | Member 1984-1996, 2015-Present | 1984 - Present |
State Bar of Michigan | Emeritus Member | 1981 - Present |
Brain Trust on the Revision of Wyoming's Non-Profit Corporation Law | Member | 1991 - 1991 |
Grant Taggart Symposium on Life Insurance and Financial Services | Member, Planning Committee | 1990 - 1995 |
Park County Bar Association | Law Library Chairman | 1984 - 1991 |
National Association of Life Underwriters | Member | 1984 - 1991 |
Big Horn Basin Association of Life Underwriters | Board Member | 1983 - 1991 |
Committee to Elect Mario Torrez to Michigan State House of Representatives | Member | 1980 - 1980 |
Publication name | Title | Date |
---|---|---|
Wealthmanagment.com | FATCA and The New Era of Global Transparency | 2014 |
Wealthmanagment.com | Six Ways to Minimize the Risk of Student Loans | 2014 |
President & CEO | Pack Your Parachute Before You Jump | 2011 |
President & CEO | Taking Some Chips off the Table | 2011 |
Wealth Manager | Never Too Late | 2008 |
Wealth Manager | Guilt-Free Footprints | 2008 |
Marriott Alumni Magazine | What Goes Up? | 2008 |
Wealth Manager | Split Decisions | 2007 |
Wealth Manager | The Safe Harbor Choice | 2007 |
Wealth Manager | Connecting Professional Dots | 2007 |
Wealth Manager | Not on Your Life | 2007 |
Wealth Manager | Broken Vows, Solid Contracts | 2007 |
Wealth Manager | Mixing It Up | 2006 |
Wealth Manager | On the Same Page | 2006 |
Wealth Manager | A "True" Story | 2006 |
Marriott Alumni Magazine | Fraser Bullock: A Gold Medal Turnaround | 2002 |
School name | Degree | Graduated |
---|---|---|
Thomas M Cooley Law School | JD - Juris Doctor | 1980 |
Brigham Young University | BS - Bachelor of Science | 1979 |
University of Wyoming College of Law | None - transferred to Cooley for 3rd year | N/A |
Conference name | Title | Date |
---|---|---|
Live Teleconference | Firearms in Estate Administration | 2019 |
Business and Corporate | LLCs From State to Finish | 2019 |
Business and Corporate | LLCs: New Rules, Regulations and Case Law | 2019 |
Criminal Prosecution and Defense | Concealed Carry Law | 2019 |
Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate | Step-by-Step Guide to Drafting Wills and Trusts | 2019 |
NBI - 90 Minute National Teleconference - Continuing Legal Education | LLCs: New Rules and Regs | 2018 |
Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate | Estate Administration From State to Finish | 2018 |
Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate | Trusts 101 | 2018 |
Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate | Estate Planning 101 | 2018 |
Business and Corporate | Limited Liability Companies | 2018 |
Business and Corporate | Buying and Selling a Business: Start-to-Finish | 2018 |
NBI-Probate: Everything You Need to Know - Continuing Legal Education | Probate Necessary: Alternatives and Avoidance | 2018 |
NBI-Probate: Everything You Need to Know - Continuing Legal Education | Probate vs. Non Probate Assets: Which Ones Can Pass Outside of Probate | 2018 |
NBI - Buying and Selling a Business: Start to Finish - Continuing Legal Education | Due Diligence of Small Business Operations | 2018 |
NBI-Estate Planning 101 - Continuing Legal Education | Trusts: What They Are and How They're Used | 2018 |
NBI-Estate Planning 101 - Continuing Legal Education | Life Insurance in Estate Planning | 2018 |
NBI-Limited Liability Companies - Continuing Legal Education | Why Limited Liability Companies? | 2018 |
NBI-Limited Liability Companies - Continuing Legal Education | Creating Practical Operating Procedures | 2018 |
NBI-90 Minute Teleconfernce-Continuing Legal Education | Guns in Estate Planning: Is the Beneficiary Qualified to Receive It? | 2018 |
NBI - Gun Law In Utah - Continuing Legal Education | Title 2 Firearms: Unique and Misunderstood | 2017 |
NBI - Gun Law in Utah - Continuing Legal Education | Ethical Considerations When Representing Gun Owners or Dealers | 2017 |
NBI - The Ultimate Guide to Probate - Continuing Legal Education | Maintaining the Estate and Preparing Assets for Distribution | 2017 |
NBI - Trusts from A-Z - Continuing Legal Education | What are Trusts? Main Trust Principles | 2017 |
NBI - Business Contracts A-Z - Continuing Legal Education | Competition Issues and Non-Compete Clauses | 2017 |
Orem Library Estate Planning Seminar | Wills, Trusts, & Other Estate Planning Documents March 1, 2017 | 2017 |
Orem Library Estate Planning Seminar May 2, 2017 | Estate Planning for Blended Families | 2017 |
Orem Library Estate Planning Seminar | Estate Planning for Blended Families April 5, 2017 | 2017 |
Orem Library Estate Planning Seminar | Trusts - June 6, 2017 | 2017 |
Pleasant Grove Library | Estate Planning for Blended Families | 2017 |
Pleasant Grove Library | Wills, Trusts, and Other Essential Estate Planning Documents: What Documents Are Included in a Basic Estate Plan and What Do They Accomplish? | 2017 |
Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate | Trusts from A to Z | 2017 |
Criminal Prosecution and Defence | Gun Law in Utah | 2017 |
Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate | The Ultimate Guide to Probate | 2017 |
Business and Corporate | Business Contacts A to Z | 2017 |
Wyoming Association of Life Underwriters | Estate Planning and Life Insurance - Continuing Education | 1982 |
Posted by James
December 27, 2017
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