Jones Foster Tax Attorneys Serve as Featured Presenters at The Florida Bar Tax Section Organizational Meeting

Jones Foster private wealth and tax attorneys David E. Bowers, William G. Smith, Alexander M. Parthemer, and Richard C. Vaughan attended The Florida Bar Tax Section’s 2025 Organizational Meeting at the Omni Amelia Island Resort, where they participated in a weekend of professional networking, receptions, and productive meetings to kick off the 2025-2026 Bar year.

As part of the event’s CLE programming, Alex and Richard served as featured speakers during the annual Ullman Year in Review, a four-hour seminar highlighting key developments and trends in tax law. The session brought together experienced tax attorneys from across the state to share insights and practical guidance on current issues shaping the field.

Alex Parthemer presented on Florida’s Fiduciary Income & Principal Act (FIPA), a modernized framework for trust and estate administration that went in effect on Jan 1., 2025. He outlined FIPA’s impact on fiduciaries; governing law provisions; life estate and homestead rules; and updated guidelines relating to power to adjust, unitrusts, carrying value, and receipts and disbursements. Following his presentation, Alex was appointed to serve on The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate & Trust Law (RPPTL) Section’s Principal & Income Committee.

Richard Vaughan’s presentation discussed recent case law signaling a trend toward strict compliance with substantiation requirements for charitable contribution deductions, updates on proposed regulations affecting donor-advised funds, and shared the latest developments regarding private foundation excise taxes.

In June, The Florida Bar Tax Section announced Richard Vaughan as one of three attorneys statewide who were selected to participate in its 2025-2028 Fellowship Class. The three-year program, established by the New Tax Lawyers Committee, focuses on developing the education, mentorship, and leadership skills of emerging tax law professionals.

The 2025 Organizational Meeting followed the Tax Section’s Annual Meeting in May where David, Alex, and Richard traveled to Washington, D.C., for a week of productive discussions on federal tax policy. As members of the section’s Transfer Tax Subcommittee, Alex and Richard presented their co-authored White Papers – peer-reviewed proposals for legislative and regulatory improvements – to leaders of governmental agencies and congressional delegations including the IRS, Joint Committee on Taxation, and both parties of the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee.

Alex Parthemer 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. Alex’s background in complex tax planning uniquely positions him to represent business owners and family offices in a wide range of corporate matters.

Richard Vaughan concentrates his practice in estate planning, trust and estate administration, business planning, and transactional corporate law. He develops comprehensive estate plans for individuals and families to efficiently preserve their assets, including the use of revocable and irrevocable trusts. Richard is experienced in creating and maintaining corporate structures within the context of a client’s estate plan, including drafting operating agreements, buy-sell agreements, entity restructuring, and related agreements among shareholders and partners.