Overview
John Forneris practices in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, and estate and gift tax planning. As a trusted adviser, he assists high-net-worth individuals and families with the development of wealth transfer and charitable giving strategies that achieve their personal and financial goals with thoughtful, tax-efficient planning. John advises clients on business succession and multigenerational planning strategies to preserve family wealth and legacy values.
John's experience includes the preparation of federal gift, estate and fiduciary income tax returns and various estate planning documents, including wills, powers of attorney, revocable trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, spousal lifetime access trusts (SLATs), grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs), charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) and generation-skipping transfer tax-exempt trusts.
In addition, he is a contributing author to the North Carolina Estate Planning Forms Manual, a popular resource for North Carolina attorneys.
Experience
- Drafts comprehensive estate planning documents, including wills, revocable trusts, durable powers of attorneys and health care proxies, and living wills.
- Provides guidance regarding implementation of estate plans tailored to each client’s unique personal and financial situation, including assets titling and beneficiary designations and tax considerations related to retirement benefits and life insurance policies.
- Assists clients with lifetime gifts to grantor trusts, spousal lifetime access trusts, dynasty trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts and irrevocable life insurance trusts.
- Facilitates intergenerational transfer tax planning for high-net-worth families.
- Prepares and files federal estate tax returns, federal gift tax returns, and federal and state fiduciary income tax returns for estates and trusts.
- Assist clients with modifications of irrevocable trusts through judicial and nonjudicial consent modification procedures and the exercise of trustee decanting powers.
- Provides comprehensive advice to fiduciaries on all tax and non-tax aspects of trust and estate administration.
Accolades
Honors & Recognitions
- The Best Lawyers in America, nonprofit/charities, tax, trusts and estates, 2026; One to Watch, trusts and estates, 2021-25
- Business North Carolina, Legal Elite, tax and estate planning, 2024
- North Carolina Super Lawyers, Rising Star, estate planning and probate, 2020-25
Affiliations
Professional Affiliations
- North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist, Estate Planning and Probate Law
- Charlotte Alliance Young Professionals, Board of Directors, 2018-20
- Charlotte Estate Planning Council, Member, 2014-present; Board of Directors, Secretary, 2022-present
- North Carolina Bar Association, Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section, Legislative Committee Member
- Mecklenburg County Bar Association, Estate Planning & Probate Section, Member
Community Affiliations
- Lakewood Preschool Cooperative, Board of Directors, 2016-present; Chair, 2020-21
News & Events
News
Events
Practice Areas
Education
Wake Forest University, J.D., magna cum laude, 2013, Order of the Coif; Managing Editor, Wake Forest Law Review, 2012-13
University of Virginia, B.A., 2010
Bar Admissions
- North Carolina