CHRISTOPHER S. JOHNSON

Biography

Chris practices in the Estate Planning and Taxation Practice Group at Jones, Blechman, Woltz & Kelly, P.C.  Chris provides sophisticated estate plans for clients seeking to transfer wealth during life and at death in ways that achieve family and business planning goals while minimizing taxes.  Chris counsels individuals, families, and businesses on a wide variety of issues, including business formation and structuring, wealth transfer planning and preservation, disputes with taxing authorities, and planned charitable giving.  Specifically, Chris works with clients to design revocable and irrevocable trusts, establish family limited partnerships, and draft shareholder and buy-sell agreements for closely-held businesses.  He also assists 501(c)(3) and other tax-exempt organizations with entity formation, tax-exempt filing, and general compliance matters.  Chris enjoys interfacing with CPAs, financial planners, investment managers, insurance advisors, and trust officers, who play vital roles in helping Chris’s clients achieve their estate and business planning goals.

Born and raised on the Peninsula, Chris earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The University of Virginia in 2003.  After working as a management consultant for three years, he attended the University of Richmond School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 2009.  While in law school, Chris served as Executive Editor of the University of Richmond Law Review, and his trial-advocacy team won first place in the 2007 American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law Student Trial Advocacy Competition.  In 2010, Chris earned his Master of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.

Before joining the firm, Chris served as Attorney-Advisor to The Honorable Elizabeth Crewson Paris of the United States Tax Court.

Mr. Johnson is licensed to practice in Virginia and is a member of the American, Virginia, and Newport News Bar Associations.

Educational and Professional Background

• Georgetown University Law Center (LL.M. in Taxation, 2010)
• University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2009)
• The University of Virginia (B.A., Economics, 2003)

Activities and Affiliations

• Admitted in Virginia (2009)
• Virginia State Bar, Taxation Section
• Virginia State Bar, Trusts and Estates Section
• Virginia Bar Association, Taxation Section
• American Bar Association, Section of Taxation
• American Bar Association, Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law