John represents closely-held businesses, their owners, individuals, and their families involving taxation, estate planning, probate and estate administration, wills and trusts, and business succession planning. John has worked with clients to:
 

• Prepare last wills and testaments, trust agreements, advance medical directives, and powers of attorney;
• Administer estates and trusts;
• Negotiate with the Internal Revenue Service;
• Plan for optimal tax treatment; and
• Form and manage businesses and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations.

Prior to joining Rees Broome, John spent three years at Alvarez & Marsal in Washington, D.C., concentrating his practice on state and local, federal, and international tax compliance and consulting for individuals and businesses. He then joined Ritzert & Leyton, PC (now known as Gombos Leyton, PC), where he began to focus his practice on estate planning and administration and tax planning and controversy.

In addition to being licensed as an attorney in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, John holds credentials as a Certified Public Accountant and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. It is with this background that John approaches all of his clients’ needs, from a multifaceted approach that allows him to view their situations from a variety of different perspectives. He has also worked with a wide variety of different clients, including professional athletes, members of the military preparing to deploy, families who have children with special needs, small business owners, and many others. Whether a client’s situation calls for a simple will, a special needs trust, a trust intended to hold real estate, or anything else, John is prepared to advise his clients accordingly.

John also maintains a tax controversy practice, where he works with clients to prepare offers in compromise to negotiate their tax debts, negotiates payment plans, prepares and files federal and state estate tax returns, and represents clients during IRS inquiries and audits.

When John is not working with clients at Rees Broome, he is serving as a JAG Officer with the West Virginia Air National Guard, 130th Airlift Wing, based in Charleston, West Virginia. He enjoys serving his fellow airman with their estate planning and other needs, enabling him to broaden the scope of his law practice while serving his country.

John is also a former Adjunct Professor of Accounting at Northern Virginia Community College, where he enjoyed teaching his students federal income taxation. Additionally, John is a Co-Chair of the Wills, Trusts, and Estates Section of the Fairfax Bar Association, a former Co-Chair of the Tax Section of the Fairfax Bar Association, among many leadership positions he has held in the community.

Professional Credentials

• B.A., Government, The College of William and Mary
• J.D., The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
• LL.M. (Taxation), With Distinction, Georgetown University Law Center
• Admitted to practice law in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and West Virginia
• Admitted to the bars of the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Supreme Court, and other federal courts
• CPA in Virginia
• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
• Intern, Judge Natalia Combs-Greene, District of Columbia Superior Court
• Vice Chancellor, Catholic University of America Moot Court Board
• Member, Catholic University of America National Trial Team
• Member, Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy