Joseph "Joe" Walker joined Adams and Reese in 2006 when the firm expanded its regional footprint to Memphis. He became the Partner in Charge of the Memphis office upon joining the firm and continued in that role until 2009. He serves on the Intellectual Property and Technology and Tax teams.
Joe practices in the area of information technology/software licensing and contracting. Joe is also one of a few partners in the firm and the only partner in Memphis with extensive experience in sophisticated estate and tax planning, including matters relating to obtaining and maintaining tax-exempt status for 501(c)(3) charitable organizations (such as educational and medical institutions), tax controversy matters, fiduciary compliance, asset protection and trust and probate estate matters.
Joe's key information technology clients include a broad spectrum of licensors/licensees ranging from start-up companies to global Fortune 500 corporations. His key estate and tax clients include individuals of high net worth seeking sophisticated estate planning, trust departments of financial institutions and charitable organizations seeking to establish or maintain tax-exempt status while creatively maximizing their community benefit within the 501(c)(3) environment.
Joe's significant contributions to his clients and the practice of law in general include:
· Serving the business needs of licensors or licensees of computer/information technology software, communication networks and databases (from initial development and beta sites through cloud computing) by the negotiation and drafting of proper licensing, hosting, protection, development, maintenance, marketing and consulting agreements - regardless of the size of the public or private business.
· Providing experienced counsel for obtaining tax-exempt status, avoiding tax traps and penalties in maintaining favorable tax status, and devising creative solutions for operations through targeted IRS ruling requests based upon his years of experience consulting with founders of new charitable enterprises and collaborating with other professionals and the CEO's of sophisticated educational or medical institutions regarding initiatives in the not-for-profit arena.
· Protecting lifetime assets through technical knowledge of tax, probate estates and trusts while relating to the various personalities and needs within a family. Joe is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and is one of the few estate planning attorneys who have been listed in Best Lawyers® - Trusts and Estates, every year since its first edition in 1983.
In addition, Joe is a member of the Tennessee and American Bar Associations and the Estate Planning Council of Memphis. He serves on the Tennessee Probate Study Committee and formerly served as President of the Memphis Tax Watch and as President of the Tennessee Federal Tax Institute. He was named as one of the top professional legal advisors in the country and one of only three listed for the State of Tennessee in J.K. Lasser's book, Estate Planning for Baby Boomers and Retirees.
Joe is also a Mid South Super Lawyer and was named to the Top 100 in Tennessee Super Lawyers and Top 50 Memphis Area Super Lawyers. He admires President George Washington and Fred Smith, the founder of Federal Express. In his free time, Joe loves travel almost as much as planning the adventures. He also enjoys political and financial news and golf. He is married and has two adult children, a teacher and a CPA.
Professional Memberships / Affiliations
American Bar Association: Tax Exempt Organizations, Employee Benefits, Generation Skipping Trusts, Gift & Estate Tax Committee
Estate Planning Council of Greater Memphis
Memphis Tax Watch, Past President
Tennessee Bar Association: Past Chairman, Tax Section and Past Co-Chairman, Real Estate, Probate and Trust Section
Tennessee Federal Tax Institute, Past President
Tennessee Probate Study Committee
The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow, Asset Protection Committee 2011-2012
Other Distinctions
AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Best Lawyers® - Trusts and Estates
Mid-South Super Lawyers® - Top 100 Tennessee Super Lawyers and Top 50 Memphis Area Super Lawyers
Named in J.K. Lasser's book, Estate Planning for Baby Boomers and Retirees
Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year - Trusts and Estates 2011
Mid-South Super Lawyers® - Estate Planning and Probate
Articles / Publications
"'Legal Brief' The 2010 Tax Act: What You Need to Know," Published by The Memphis Medical Society Quarterly, 3/1/2011
"Estate Law: The Federal Estate Tax: Dead or Alive?" Published by The Memphis Medical Society Quarterly, 3/29/2010
Seminars
Memphis Medical Society Asset Protection Seminar - "Is the Tennessee Asset Protection Trust the Right Prescription for Physicians?", 2/28/2012