The Atlanta Lawyer December 2016 / January 2017 | Page 36

SECTION UPDATE 2017 Events TAX LAW By Julian A. Fortuna Taylor English Duma LLP [email protected] CLE Seminar On November 7, 2016, the Tax Law Section co-sponsored with Diversified Trust Company and the Estate Planning & Probate Section a 3.5 hour CLE seminar on “Estate Planning for Non-Taxable and Barely Taxable Estates” at the Cobb Energy Center. The speaker at this well-attended event was Turney Berry who is a partner with Wyatt Tarrant & Combs, LLP where he leads the Firm’s Trusts, Estates & Personal Planning Service Team. A cocktail party was held afterwards. December Events Two events were planned for December this year. On December 5, 2016, our semi-annual Tax Bar Liaison Meeting with the Georgia Department of Revenue was held at their offices. There was a panel moderated by Richard Litwin, Frank O’Connell, General Counsel of the Georgia Department of Revenue, and Mace Gunter of Delta Airlines. The event serves as a semi-annual meeting of the Department and tax practitioners, discussing updates and developments on Georgia state tax issues, court decisions, and insight into tax items for the upcoming legislative session. On December 9, 2016, scheduled along with the Litigation and the Labor and Employment Sections was a joint breakfast CLE entitled “Settlement Agreements in Employment Cases – Avoiding the Landmines” at which I discussed recent developments in the taxation of settlement payments alongside Amanda Farahany, Chair of the Labor and Employment Section. More than 70 members from the three sections were in attendance at the event. 36 December 2016 / January 2017 Our first event after the start of the new year will be a joint breakfast CLE on January 12, 2017 with the Real Estate Section at the office of Arnall Golden Gregory. The topic is yet to be determined. On January 17, we will hold our annual “Ethics and Professionalism” CLE seminar in conjunction with the Taxation Law Section of the State Bar. On March 23, 2017, David Golden, Patti Richards, Richard Litwin, Mona Maerz and I will be teaming up with Robyn Miller of the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta at the midtown office of Sutherland Asbill to present a seminar entitled “Working With Georgia §501(c)(3) Nonprofits.” In connection with the Atlanta Bar Association’s “March Madness” program this seminar will provide an overview of how Georgia nonprofits are structured, the basic tax rules for taxexempt organizations, and the restrictions on how they operate (political activity, lobbying, inurement, and private benefit). The seminar will also cover how Georgia nonprofits solicit donations legally, how and to what extent they can raise money outside their mission, and how Georgia sales tax and property tax applies to them. For April 12, 2017 and May 16, 2017, we have planned Joint CLE programs with the Estate Planning & Probate Section at the Buckhead Club. The first will be a breakfast seminar at which we will team up with an estate planner to discuss how various states determine residency for income, estate and gift tax purposes. The second will be a late afternoon seminar on “Secondary Planning for Charitable Remainder Trusts” to be presented by Evan Unzelman, president of our sponsor, Sterling Foundation Management. Evan’s presentation will be followed by a cocktail party. We hope to see you at one or more of these upcoming events!