Jones Foster Attorneys Graduate From ACTEC Florida Fellows Institute Class VII

Jones Foster, a commercial and private client law firm with offices in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, and Jupiter, is pleased to announce that attorneys Melanie R. Skenian and Alexander M. Parthemer have graduated from the prestigious Florida Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC).

As members of Class VII, Ms. Skenian, a trust and estate litigation attorney, and Mr. Parthemer, an estate planning and tax attorney, completed a comprehensive, multi-session program featuring in-depth educational presentations led by ACTEC Fellow practitioners who are considered subject matter experts in their respective fields. Jones Foster Vice Chair Theodore S. Kypreos, who was elected an ACTEC Fellow in 2023, served as a featured speaker during Session II, Program 3, presenting on Florida Probate Code. Other program topics included key areas of trust and estate law, such as estate planning, asset protection, business succession planning, wealth transfer strategies, fiduciary taxation, generation-skipping transfer tax, estate and gift tax returns, and estate and trust litigation.

The Florida Fellows Institute (FFI) was established by Florida Fellows of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel to cultivate future leaders in trust and estate law through interactive learning and valuable networking opportunities.

Selection to the Institute is highly competitive. Candidates must be nominated by an ACTEC Fellow, be in good standing with The Florida Bar, and complete a rigorous application process. Jones Foster shareholders Zachary M. Rothman and William G. Smith are also FFI graduates.

The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel is a national organization of lawyers elected to membership based on the highest standards of integrity, professional commitment, competence, and experience in trust and estate law.

Mel Skenian, a member of Jones Foster’s Trust & Estate Litigation team, focuses her practice in the areas of trust litigation, probate litigation, and guardianship litigation. She represents fiduciaries, creditors, and individuals in all probate, trust, and guardianship settings, including will and trust contests, breach of trust actions, personal representative and trustee removal and accounting actions, will and trust reformation and modification proceedings, contested guardianships, exploitation, and tortious interference litigation.

Ms. Skenian is actively involved in several bar and industry organizations, including The Florida Bar’s Real Property, Probate & Trust Law (RPPTL) Section. She has been recognized by peer-reviewed publications, including on The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch list for Litigation – Trusts and Estates, and on Palm Beach Illustrated’s “Top Lawyers” list for Trusts and Estates. Ms. Skenian graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Alex Parthemer, a member of Jones Foster’s Private Wealth, Wills, Trusts & Estates and Corporate & Tax teams, focuses his practice in the areas of estate planning, probate and trust administration, tax planning, business planning, and transactional corporate law. He works with individual clients and families to develop personalized estate plans for asset protection and distribution while minimizing estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax impact. He also has significant experience in preparing estate and gift tax returns, trust and estate income tax returns, as well as partnership income and individual income tax returns.

Mr. Parthemer is an active member of The Florida Bar Tax Section, serving on the Legislative and Regulations Committee, New Tax Lawyers Committee, Sponsorship Committee, and the Transfer Tax Subcommittee of the Washington D.C. Committee, where he co-authored peer-reviewed White Papers proposing legislative and regulatory reforms. As a member of the Bar’s Real Property, Probate & Trust Law (RPPTL) Section, Alex serves on the Principal & Income Committee and the Trust Law Committee, where he was appointed to a subcommittee reviewing a proposal to add an exoneration statute to the Florida Trust Code. He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in several industry publications, including on the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch list, as a Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star, and on Palm Beach Illustrated’s “Top Lawyers” list. Mr. Parthemer holds a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) in Taxation from the University of Florida.