CLE Hours: 12 General, 1 Ethics, 0 Professionalism, 1 Trial Practice
Description vOD1, Brochure v4
Mr. Fitzsimons is Managing Director and Senior Fiduciary Counsel at Bessemer Trust. In this role, he is responsible for working with clients and their advisors to develop practical and efficient wealth transfer plans, and for guiding the firm on fiduciary issues. He serves as Chair of the firm’s Fiduciary Counsel Committee and its Diminished Capacity Working Group.
Prior to joining Bessemer, Dana was a partner with McGuireWoods LLP, where he practiced in the areas of fiduciary litigation and estate planning.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and serves as Chair of its Long-Range Planning Committee, on its Board of Regents and on its State Laws Subcommittee. Dana serves in the ABA RPTE Section leadership on its Planning Committee. He has been recognized in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, is a 2021 inductee into the NAEPC Association Estate Planning Hall of Fame, and frequently lectures on fiduciary topics.
Dana earned a J.D. from William & Mary Law School, where he was a member of the law review and graduated Order of the Coif, and a B.A. in music from Ithaca College School of Music. He continues to actively perform and record as a jazz and rock drummer.
Margaret W. Scott leads the firm’s Wealth Planning and Tax-Exempt Organizations Teams. She concentrates her practice on estate planning, fiduciary and tax litigation, estate settlement, trust administration, charitable planning, charitable solicitation law, and exempt organizations. Margaret provides individuals, families, and institutional and individual trustees with advice on tax issues and estate planning strategies. She frequently helps trustees, executors, guardians, and beneficiaries resolve a broad range of estate and trust disputes, many of which involve complex and sophisticated legal and tax issues.
She serves as President of the Mark and Evelyn Trammell Foundation, a trustee of the Charles Loridans Foundation and the secretary/treasurer of the Vasser Woolley Foundation. She is past chair of the Fiduciary Law and Nonprofit Law Sections of the State Bar of Georgia, past president of the Atlanta Estate Planning Council, and serves on the board of the Chastain Park Conservancy and Emory Law School’s Alumni Board. Margaret founded Alston & Bird’s Wills Program for emergency services personnel and indigent Atlantans and annually provides wills trainings for volunteer attorneys. Margaret was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© as “Lawyer of the Year” for 2022.
Margaret earned her B.A. from Duke University in 1996 and her J.D., with honors, from the Emory University School of Law in 2003.
Kim Martin is a trusts and estates attorney in Atlanta. Her practice focuses on estate planning for families with a disabled family member. Her areas of expertise also include guardianship/ conservatorship and divorce settlement agreements in cases that involve a child with special needs.
As the mother of two beautiful children, one of whom has Autism, Kim brings to her practice an appreciation for the unique challenges and joys of parenting a special needs child.
Kim was admitted to the practice of law in Georgia in 1999. She earned her law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1999). She has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Virginia (1990).
Kim's publications include articles in Trusts and Estates Magazine and Family Lawyer Magazine. She is a frequent speaker on subjects related to special needs issues. Her appearances as a speaker include numerous workshops hosted by Families of Children Under Stress (FOCUS); the annual Special Needs Conference at Stetson University (October 2021 and 2022); the Chattanooga Estate Planning Council (October 2021); and the Estate Planning and Probate Section of the Atlanta Bar Association (December 2019).
Daniel D. Munster received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University in 1990. He went on to study law at the University of Detroit where he was published on Law Review and clerked for the Michigan Supreme Court.
Admitted to practice law in Georgia since 1994, Mr. Munster has invested more than twenty-five years assisting Georgians with various eldercare, special needs, and traditional estate planning matters. Early in his career, Dan had the opportunity to learn a great deal while working with the Senior Citizens Law Project, a division of Atlanta Legal Aid. In 1999, he founded The Eldercare & Special Needs Law Practice of Daniel D. Munster. While the firm’s main office is located in Atlanta, Georgia, it represents clients across the state without regard to geographic location.
Mr. Munster often delivers presentations to attorneys, financial professionals and organizations on topics related to his practice. His writings have appeared in various publications including the Georgia Bar Journal. A passionate advocate for the elderly, Dan was named to serve on the Georgia Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias State Plan Task Force in 2013. Dan is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Atlanta Bar Association, the Atlanta Estate Planning Council, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
Mr. Munster's ethical, compassionate, and skilled approach to the practice of law has earned favorable recognition across the legal community. For example, the Board of Regents of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) elected Mr. Munster to be a Fellow at its December 2022 Fall Meeting in San Francisco. Additionally, Martindale-Hubbell has awarded Mr. Munster its highest peer review rating (AV Preeminent) every year since 2005. Atlanta Magazine has recognized Mr. Munster as a Georgia “Super Lawyer” in the category of Elder Law every year since 2007. Additionally, Dan has earned recognition in rankings compiled by Best Lawyers in America (2019 – 2023) and U.S. News & World Report (2020 – 2023) for his work in the categories of both Elder Law and Trusts & Estates.
Mr. Djuric is Principal and Fiduciary Counsel at Bessemer Trust. In this role, he is responsible for working with clients and their advisors to develop practical and efficient wealth transfer plans, and for guiding the firm on fiduciary issues.
Prior to joining Bessemer in 2025, Nick was a shareholder and Chairman of Djuric Spratt P.A. Before that, he was an associate and partner at Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP. Previously, he was a law clerk for Chief Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), where he is Georgia State Chair and serves as a member of the State Laws Committee. He has served as Chair of the State Bar of Georgia Fiduciary Law Section and is currently chair of its Code Revision Committee. He previously served as Chair of the Estate Planning & Probate Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and as President of the Atlanta Estate Planning Council.
Nick earned a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard University and an A.B., magna cum laude, in public policy studies and history from Duke University.
T. Kyle King is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). He is the senior partner at the firm of Hodges, McEachern & King in Peachtree City, and his practice has focused on trust and estate matters since 1997. Kyle received his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Georgia, he co-chairs the Fiduciary Law Section’s Legislation Committee, and he was the recipient of the Georgia Council of Probate Court Judges’ 2022 Friend of the Council Award.
Blake Melton is a Senior Wealth Strategist with The Family Office at Synovus and a fellow in The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He is a past Chairperson of the Fiduciary Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia and currently serves on its Code Revision and Legislative Committees. He is also active in his local community and is the founder and chair of Standing Boy, Inc., a nonprofit that has constructed nearly 35 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails on the Standing Boy property in north Columbus.
Blake met his wife Jensen while both were attending the University of Georgia School of Law. They have two daughters, Finley and Asher.
Joseph Sillitto practices in the area of trusts and estates in Columbus, GA, with the law firm of Page Scrantom Sprouse Tucker & Ford, P.C. He is a cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University and of Georgia State University College of Law. Chair of the Fiduciary Section and the past President of the Columbus Bar Association, Joseph has been a regular speaker for the Basic Fiduciary program for ICLE in Macon and Atlanta, and he has previously presented in Athens at the Estate Planning Institute and in Amelia Island at the Fiduciary Law Institute.
LeAnne Gilbert is a partner at Gaslowitz Frankel LLC where she has practiced fiduciary litigation for over nineteen years. LeAnne represents individual and corporate fiduciaries, beneficiaries, and interested parties in trust and estate disputes and trust modification actions. LeAnne is a past chair of the State Bar of Georgia’s Fiduciary Law Section and she has served on the Leadership Committee of the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers. LeAnne has also written on fiduciary topics for ACTEC and other publications.
LeAnne graduated magna cum laude from the University of Toledo College of Law, where she was the editor-in-chief of the University of Toledo Law Review. She is licensed to practice in both Georgia and Tennessee.
James W Hass, Jr., “J.W, ” is a principal attorney with the law firm of Lefkoff, Duncan, Grimes, McSwain, Hass & Hanley, P.C. J.W. practices primarily in the areas of estate planning, tax planning, probate, estate administration and closely held business matters.
J.W. was admitted to practice in Georgia in 1997 and is a member of the Fiduciary Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, the Atlanta Bar Association and the Atlanta Estate Planning Council, Inc. J.W also speaks on probate, estate and tax planning matters.
A native of Rock Island, Illinois, J.W graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1994. He received his law degree in 1997 from the University of Georgia School of Law.
Bridget J. Dunk is a seasoned CPA and tax strategist with 29 years of experience, dedicated to providing high-net-worth individuals and families with tailored solutions for complex tax and estate planning challenges. Specializing in estate, trust, and gift tax compliance, Bridget ensures seamless wealth preservation across generations.
A proud graduate of the University of Memphis, Bridget earned her degree summa cum laude with a double major in accounting and international business. Her academic achievements reflect her commitment to excellence and her deep understanding of global financial strategies. An active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA), Bridget remains at the forefront of industry developments.
As a partner at CRI, Bridget works closely with private companies, family offices, nonprofits, and individuals to deliver customized tax planning services. Her expertise includes income tax planning, international tax, business tax strategy, and the preparation of essential filings such as fiduciary and gift tax returns. She is also a speaker at regional estate planning conferences, where she shares her insights on cutting-edge tax strategies and compliance best practices.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Bridget is a dedicated wife of 29 years and the proud mother of two college students attending Kennesaw State University. She has also made a significant impact through her involvement in founding two nonprofit organizations, further demonstrating her commitment to community service.
A resident of Atlanta, Bridget balances her professional life with personal well-being. In her free time, she enjoys exercising, reading, contributing to her community, and supporting Ignite Hope, an organization that champions children.
By partnering with Bridget and her team, clients can confidently navigate the complexities of tax compliance and estate planning, achieving peace of mind and a lasting legacy for future generations.
Bruce A. McDonald is the senior partner of McDonald Fleming, a small law firm in Pensacola which hosts a Florida web-based probate service at www.statewideprobate.com. Bruce was raised in Mobile, Alabama, and has a journalism degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from Florida State University. He was admitted to practice law in Florida in 1978, and in the years following he has handled legal matters in a variety of areas, including administrative law, computer law, business litigation, estate planning and mediation. Now his practice is limited to uncontested probate cases across all of Florida.
Mark Williamson is a partner and co-leader of Alston & Bird’s Wealth Planning and Exempt Organizations Teams. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and practices in the areas of estate planning and federal taxation. Mark practiced with a Milwaukee law firm before joining Alston & Bird and has been an adjunct professor of law at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and Georgia State University in Atlanta. He has been a recurring faculty member of the annual Estate Planning Institute and Fiduciary Law Institute presented by the State Bar of Georgia Fiduciary Law Section. In 1997, Mark received the Trusts & Estates magazine “Best Young Author Award” for a series of articles he coauthored with Professor Jeffrey Pennell of Emory University and is the author of a BNA Tax Management Portfolio on tax treaties for individuals. The Best Lawyers in America© recognized Mark as “Lawyer of the Year” in Trust and Estates in 2019 and in Tax Law in 2020. Mark has been named to the Georgia Super Lawyers list since 2004 and Chambers recognizes him as a Band 1 lawyer in Private Wealth Law – Georgia. Mark also studied music at the doctorate level at Louisiana State University and the Catholic University of America, and continues to perform professionally, including a three-week tour of China in 2011–2012.
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The information presented is solely for educational purposes. The opinions expressed by the faculty in their materials and presentations are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the State Bar of Georgia, its officers, directors and/or employees. The faculty is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional advice and these presentations and publications are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. All publications and presentations were created to serve the continuing legal education needs of practicing attorneys.
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