G. Raye Jones practices in the areas of estate and tax planning, estate and trust administration, taxation, business planning and church law. Mr. Jones received a B.A. with distinction in U.S. Government from the University of Virginia in 1979 and a J.D. degree from the University of Virginia in 1982. He received a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation from the Marshall Wythe School of Law in 1993. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar's Trusts and Estates and Taxation sections, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association, and the Central Virginia Estate Planning Council.
Mr. Jones is the firm's leading Charlottesville estate planning attorney. His extensive experience of 30 years includes advanced estate tax planning, estate and trust administration, and work with charitable and non-profit organizations. He works with clients regarding administration and settling of estates and trusts; planning for families with closely held businesses, including ownership succession issues; the use of family limited partnerships, limited liability companies, and other techniques to transfer wealth at significantly reduced transfer tax costs; and counseling on the appropriate uses of family-held positions in any of the entities.
Mr. Jones’ experience includes:
- Comprehensive estate and tax planning services for families and high net-worth individuals with assets ranging from less than a million dollars in value to those with estates valued at tens of millions of dollars
- Representation of estates of decedents in IRS audits due to valuation of difficult-to-value assets
- Representation of closely held and family-owned business in the succession of ownership and control of assets and/or businesses from one generation to the next
- Representation of public and private charities in all aspects, from organization, to obtaining tax exempt status, to donor relations, to termination
- Representation of estates with international assets and distributions to foreign heirs using options that significantly reduced the tax costs
- Representation of clients on incoming foreign asset transactions to be OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) compliant
In addition to his representation of clients, Mr. Jones lectures on a regular basis at numerous seminars on estate planning, estate and trust administration, and he frequently speaks for banks, companies, estate planning councils, and other organizations. He also is a co-presenter on estate planning, business planning, and elder law topics for a weekly meeting of local business professionals.
Mr. Jones is deeply committed to his community. In addition to being an active member of his local church, Mr. Jones is also a long-term member of the Board of Directors of the Good Samaritan Ministries, Ltd., a homeless shelter in Richmond, Virginia that provides shelter, food, job training and job placement for the homeless, low-cost homes for low-income families, and a private school to develop academic excellence in troubled youth. Mr. Jones helped start and supports a local African immigrants church, Africa Lighthouse Baptist Temple, with his pastor friend from Kenya.
Mr. Jones has taken several trips to Kenya, Africa with friends and members of his church and a medical team (doctors, pharmacists, nurses) that has treated thousands of patients. The church team helped put a new roof on a church building and Mr. Jones spoke of his faith in many schools, the Nyahururu prison, many different churches, and in homes of local friends and families. Mr. Jones monthly supports many local Kenyan pastors/their churches, widows, and helps several orphans attend school.
Mr. Jones has authored three books: One Heart for the Lord, (www.flpublishers.net), One for the Heart: A Collection of Poems, (www.westbowpress.com), and A Father’s Legacy, The Life of my Father, G. Raye Jones (www.amazon.com).
