About Us
John David Etheriedge
Mr. Etheriedge’s legal practice is devoted primarily to wealth transfers, charitable & estate planning, probate, trust & estate administration, fiduciary-related disputes, nonprofit organizations, and business transactions. As a natural extension of his wealth transfer and estate planning practice, Mr. Etheriedge frequently represents clients in matters involving various aspects of business, corporate, nonprofit and tax law. Mr. Etheriedge also has significant experience representing churches, nonprofits and related individuals. He serves as a key advisor or General Counsel for a number of nonprofit organizations.
In addition to representing fiduciaries, Mr. Etheriedge often serves in the capacity of a professional executor, trustee or trust protector.
Mr. Etheriedge received his B.A. from Tulane University in New Orleans, and his J.D. from Emory University in Atlanta. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia (Fiduciary Law Section). Mr. Etheriedge’s other memberships include the Atlanta Bar Association (Estate Planning Section), the Forsyth County Bar Association, the North Georgia Estate Planning Institute and the Lawyers Club of Atlanta.
Mr. Etheriedge is an AV-rated attorney (see Martindale-Hubbell attorney ratings) admitted to practice before all Georgia Courts, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, and the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th, 5th, 9th and 11th Circuits.
Mr. Etheriedge is also the founder and CEO of Like-Kind Exchange Intermediaries (LKEI), which assists individuals and businesses in the structuring of tax-free property exchanges, and a co-founder of DDS Administrative Services (DDS), a support services firm offering bookkeeping, accounting and fiduciary-related support services.
Anna C. Etheriedge
Mrs. Etheriedge is the E&A Office Manager. In addition to being the nicest person you will ever meet, she is a former professional ballet dancer, mother of six, a prolific blogger (check out For Glory Sake!), and Mr. Etheriedge’s wife. Anna coordinates all client contact and back office support.
Practice Areas
Wills, Trusts & Estates | Churches, Ministries & Nonprofit Organizations | Estate & Trust Administration – Fiduciary Services | Business Formation & Transactions
Whatever the need, we are prepared to help you attain your goals in a practical and efficient manner.
Business Formation & Transactions
We routinely advise & assist clients interested in forming new business entities, including S-corporations, C-corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, limited liability limited partnerships, and general partnerships.
Churches | Ministries | Non-Profit Organizations
We routinely advise and assist Churches, Ministries and other Nonprofit Organizations on matters, including, but not limited to, formation, application for federal tax-exempt status (Form 1023), reclassification of federal tax-exempt status, creation and implementation of necessary and prudent policies and procedures, various regulatory and compliance issues, board and member meetings and preparation of related minutes and consents, etc.
Mr. Etheriedge serves as General Counsel for a number of charitable organizations, including several Christian ministries he holds dear to his heart, advising their respective boards and officers on an ongoing, longterm basis.
Estate & Trust Administration
Serving as an executor, administrator, trustee, guardian or attorney-in-fact can be a daunting task. For those seeking peace of mind and the assurance that their affairs will be handled in a professional and objective manner, we often serve as named professional fiduciaries. In other circumstances, we are engaged to provide legal counsel and support services to those serving in a fiduciary capacity.
Whether it is navigating the Probate process, handling the administration of a trust or estate, managing assets, dealing with interpretation of complex documents, negotiating claims, communicating with beneficiaries and third parties, or any other related matter, we stand ready to directly assume the role of fiduciary, or to assist and advise our fiduciary clients in the proper fulfillment of their duties, rights and responsibilities.
We also frequently assist clients in the process of securing their rights as beneficiaries and heirs of existing trusts and estates.
Wills | Trusts | Estate Planning
Personal Planning Services
We assist individual clients in the efficient transfer of assets to their chosen beneficiaries, taking into consideration the client’s personal goals and values, as well as the impact of relevant estate, gift, income, and generation-skipping taxes. We are often able to achieve substantial tax savings for our clients through the use of trusts, limited partnerships, charitable vehicles and other sophisticated planning techniques.
It is important to note that many of our clients face significant short and longterm planning challenges unrelated to any tax considerations. By way of example, we are frequently called upon to compose creative solutions relating to business succession, pre-marital & post-divorce concerns, blended family matters, loved ones suffering from drug and alcohol addiction, beneficiaries with special needs, spendthrifts and a myriad of other circumstances.
Some of the most common documents included in an individual Estate Plan, include the following: Last Will & Testament (often incorporating various Testamentary Trust provisions), Durable Financial Power of Attorney, Durable Medical Power of Attorney, Advance Medical Directive, Living Will, and Memorial Instruction Memorandum. Many individual Estate Plans also include one or more of the following, as well: Revocable Living Trust, Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust, Irrevocable Gifting Trust, Charitable Trust, Special or Supplemental Needs Trust, Grantor Retained Interest Trust, or one or more other specialized personal planning vehicles.
Business Planning Services
Family and small businesses are often faced with unique problems. This is particularly true in the wealth transfer and estate planning arena. Planning for the successful and efficient transition of ownership and control of a family or small business without sacrificing the cash flow needs of the senior generation often requires careful integration of multiple planning techniques, in addition to personal planning vehicles, including, but not limited to: Shareholder Agreements, Operating Agreements, Stock Redemption Plans, complex trusts and a variety of other arrangements. Significant tax savings are often possible with proper planning.