Mr. Johnston J Burkhardt
Sternberg, Naccari & White, LLC
Johnston Burkhardt joined Sternberg, Naccari & White in 2021. His diverse practice focuses on general litigation, family law litigation and mediation, and successions and estate planning. Johnston is a Child Custody and Visitation Mediator, and he is listed on the LSBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Section's Mediator Registry.
Johnston graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in General Business, and then obtained his Juris Doctor and Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law from the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where he served as Senior Articles Editor for the Journal of Energy Law and Resources, Volume VII.
While in law school at LSU, Johnston served as legal extern for the Hon. Erin Wilder-Doomes, a Magistrate Judge at the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. He also clerked during his 2L summer for the Honorable Fredericka H. Wicker at the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal. While studying for the bar and preparing to practice law, Johnston was the campaign manager for a prominent Judge running for an open seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court.
In addition to his litigation and estate planning practice, Johnston leads SNW's Divorce and Family Law Mediation Practice, where he serves as a family law mediator to help parties resolve issues involving divorce, child custody, support, and community property without protracted litigation.
Johnston also has significant experience in judicial interdiction proceedings. He regularly handles interdictions on behalf of a local hospital system involving individuals who require court-appointed representatives to assist with their personal and financial affairs. He also provides pro bono representation in interdiction matters for individuals and families in need through the Louisiana Pro Bono Project, combining his experience in this specialized area of Louisiana law with a commitment to expanding access to legal services.
Professor Elizabeth R. Carter
LSU Law Center
Professor Elizabeth R. Carter is the Saúl Litvinoff Distinguished Endowed Professor of Law and the Judge Anthony J. Graphia & Jo Ann Graphia Endowed Professor of Law at Louisiana State University Law Center. She is also the Director of the school's Graduate Certificate in Estate Planning and Taxation.
Professor Carter is an Academic Fellow in the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel (ACTEC) where she has held a number of leadership positions. Professor Carter regularly teaches and writes in the areas of estate planning and administration, taxation and Louisiana Civil Law. In addition to her teaching responsibilities at the Law Center, Professor Carter has taught courses for the Tax LL.M. programs at the University of Alabama and Boston University.
Professor Carter earned a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Memphis, magna cum laude. She earned her J.D. from Tulane University Law School, magna cum laude. She was elected Order of the Coif and awarded a Civil Law Certificate. While at Tulane, Professor Carter served as an articles editor of the Tulane Law Review, Volume 81, worked as a research assistant to Professor A.N. Yiannopoulos, and was a founding member of the Tulane Civil Law Society. Professor Carter was awarded the 2006 Dean Rufus C. Harris Award for the Best Writing on a Civil Law Subject by the Tulane Law Review. Upon graduation, Professor Carter was awarded the 2007 Louisiana Bar Association Civil Law Award for attaining the highest grade in civil law studies. Professor Carter earned her LL.M. in Tax from the University of Alabama in 2010.
Before joining the LSU faculty, Professor Carter worked at the New Orleans law firm of Lugenbuhl, Wheaton, Peck, Rankin & Hubbard where she practiced in the areas of estate planning and administration, business law, secured transactions, bankruptcy, and marine finance.
Daniel Gespass
Andersen
Daniel Gespass is a managing director in the US National Tax practice at Andersen. He focuses on taxation issues related to trust and estate planning and has extensive experience advising on complex estate, gift, generation-skipping transfer, and fiduciary income tax issues. Dan brings over a decade of experience in both the public and private sectors. Before joining Andersen, he served as a senior technician reviewer at the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, where he played a key role in drafting and reviewing Treasury regulations, sub-regulatory guidance, and private letter rulings related to transfer taxation and fiduciary income tax. He also contributed to the development of legislative policy proposals and responded to inquiries from taxpayers, congressional representatives, and professional organizations.Earlier in his career, Dan practiced at several law firms, where he advised high-net-worth individuals and corporate fiduciaries on estate planning, trust and estate administration, and related tax matters. In addition to his advisory work, Dan has served as an adjunct professor, teaching courses on transfer tax and fiduciary taxation at both Georgetown Law and American University.
Ms. Leslie E. Halle
Shareholder
Gold, Weems, Bruser, Sues & Rundell
Leslie is a shareholder at Gold, Weems, Bruser, Sues & Rundell in Alexandria, Louisiana. She received a B.S. from LSU, majoring in accounting, and her J.D. from the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center. She focuses her practice on estate planning, interdictions and successions. She has an "AV" Preeminent rating with Martindale and is a Board Certified Estate Planning & Administration Specialist. She is a past member of the Estate Planning and Administration Advisory Commission to the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization where she assisted with the writing and grading of the Estate Planning Administration Specialization Exam.
Ms. Miriam Wogan Henry
Attorney
Jones Walker LLP
Miriam Wogan Henry is a partner in the Tax Practice Group and a member of the firm’s board of directors. She focuses on estate planning, including family wealth transfer plans, charitable planning, and business succession planning, along with advising clients regarding fiduciary litigation and transfer tax controversy matters.
Miriam advises on trust and estate planning matters such as drafting wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and marital property agreements. Advising clients in connection with gift and estate tax returns is part of Miriam’s practice, which includes representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service in connection with gift, estate, and generation-skipping tax audits. She works closely with members of the firm's Litigation Practice Group in connection with fiduciary litigation and transfer tax controversies.
Miriam is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and currently serves as the Louisiana State Chair for ACTEC. She has been certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization as a Board-Certified Estate Planning and Administration Specialist. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a law clerk to Judge Frank J. Polozola of the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana from 1997 to 1998.
Mr. John A. Hotard
Jones Walker LLP
Hobie Hotard counsels high net worth individuals, families, and closely held businesses on estate and trust planning, business succession planning, tax compliance, and the potential impact of new and emerging tax legislation. Hobie works with clients to prepare wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and marital property agreements. He also works with clients in succession matters and advises them on preparation of federal gift and estate tax returns. Hobie understands the highly sensitive nature of business succession planning and helps clients identify their unique goals, negotiate parties’ complex needs and interests, and navigate changes in control — all with the goal of preserving wealth and helping ensure business longevity. He also works with family offices and foundations to establish and administer charitable giving plans.
Mr. David G. Koch
Member
Koch St. Martin, LLC
David G. Koch has over 30 years experience providing counsel to individuals and businesses with regard to tax resolution and estate planning. David is a Board Certified Taxation Specialist and a Board Certified Estate Planning and Administration Specialist. He has been designated an "AV" preeminent lawyer on Martindale-Hubbell and by Super Lawyers Magazine – both significant rating accomplishments and a testament that his peers rank him at the highest level of professional excellence.
David has served as the Secretary of the Louisiana State Bar Tax Law Advisory Commission. He has also served as the Chair of the Examination Committee for Board Certification in Taxation from 2006 to 2007. He is admitted to practice before the courts in Louisiana and the United States Tax Court. He has been a featured speaker on estate planning, Louisiana probate law, trusts, and federal taxation issues for Continuing Legal Education programs and professional organizations throughout Louisiana.
Ms. Jena M. Kyle
Allen & Gooch, ALC
Jena M. Kyle is a partner at the Lafayette office of Allen & Gooch. She is a double graduate of Louisiana State University. First, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, and then graduated in May of 2015 from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University. Jena helps with individuals and families with their estate planning, including wills, powers of attorney, and trusts, and she represents individuals of all capacities in succession litigation, trust litigation, and other litigation. Additionally, Jena provides business planning and advises on business transactions. She is an Estate Planning and Administration Specialist, certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization, and has been named by Super Lawyers to its Louisiana Rising Star list for 2021 – 2026. Jena has given presentations on various topics for a variety of different organizations.
Mr. Brandon A. Lagarde
Tax Director
EisnerAmper
http://www.pncpa.com
Brandon Lagarde, CPA, JD, LLM, is a Partner in EisnerAmper's Private Client Services group in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he focuses on federal and state tax planning with extensive experience in trusts and estates and closely-held businesses. Before joining EisnerAmper, he led the Tax Services Group at Postlethwaite & Netterville and practiced tax law at Baker Donelson and Jones Walker. He serves on various committees of the AICPA Tax Section and is active in the Society of Louisiana CPAs and the Louisiana State Bar.
Mr. John B. Landry Jr.
Partner
McNew, King, Landry & Hammett, L.L.P.
John B. Landry, Jr., is a partner with the McNew, King, Landry & Hammett, L.L.P. law firm, located in Monroe, Louisiana. He received a B.S. degree in business administration, majoring in accounting, from Louisiana State University, his J.D. degree, with honors, from Emory University School of Law, and his LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida School of Law. Mr. Landry practices in estate planning, successions, federal and state taxation, corporate law, business law, business transactions, real estate, and tax exempt organizations. Mr. Landry is a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and a member of the Louisiana Bar Association - Corporation and Business Law, Taxation, and Trusts, Estates, Probate and Immovable Property Sections; The Mississippi Bar - Business Law, Estates and Trusts, and Taxation Sections, and the American Bar Association - Business Law, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, and Taxation Sections. Mr. Landry was elected to the Emory Chapter of The Order of the Coif, was Managing Editor of the Emory University Bankruptcy Developments Journal, and served as Graduate Editor of the Florida Tax Review.
