M. Eldridge Blanton, III focuses his practice in the areas
of estate planning and retirement planning, including wealth preservation–or
asset protection–in all its facets. His special niche is the preparation of
comprehensive estate and/or retirement plans for clients interested in asset
protection, charitable giving, and other specialized goals, such as the
transfer of family assets in a manner which is sensitive to income, estate,
gift and generation-skipping taxes. His retirement planning services focus on
optimum use of qualified retirement plans and individual retirement accounts.
Eldridge also practices in the field of elder law,
advising clients of options for their senior years, including the purchase of
long term care insurance with Medicaid as an ultimate safety net.
Eldridge was born in Richmond and raised in Cumberland
County, Virginia. He is a civil engineering graduate of VMI and a former
officer in the U.S. Army (artillery). He worked 29 years for C & P
telephone Co. and Bell Atlantic (now Verizon), retiring as the Assistant to the
President for Virginia Operations.
Embarking on a second career, Eldridge entered the
University of Richmond’s School of Law, where he served as Editor-in Chief of
the University of Richmond Law Review.
Upon graduating from law school in 1994, Eldridge worked
in the Richmond office of the District Counsel for the IRS and earned a Master
of Laws degree in taxation from the College of William and Mary’s School of
Law.
The author and co-author of several published articles in
the field of tax and estate planning, his objective is to assist families with
their tax and estate planning as part of their overall financial planning.
Eldridge is a member of Wealth Counsel, a national
organization of estate planning attorneys with members in all fifty states.
Membership in Wealth Counsel permits Carrell Blanton Ferris to offer legal
services nationwide, as part of a virtual law firm of over 1500 attorneys.
Previous Experience
- Private Legal Practice, Attorney, 1994 – Present
- IRS Richmond Office (Office of the District Counsel),
Attorney, 1995
- C & P Telephone Co./Verizon, Assistant to the
President for Virginia Operations, 1962 – 1991
- U.S. Army (Artillery), Former Officer
Classes/Seminars Taught
- The Truth About Estate Planning
- Personal and Financial Planning for Tough Times
- Don’t Die in 2010: The State of the Estate Tax in 2010
and Beyond
- Wealth Preservation for Physicians in Virginia
- Wealth Preservation for Virginia Business Owners
- Income Generation Loan Strategy
- Financing Insurance – An Update
- Sophisticated Applications of Insurance in Estate
Planning
- Charitable Funding Concepts
- Leaving, Grieving and Thieving: Making You the Only
Loss
- Wills vs. Trusts: It’s Not About the Documents... It’s
About the Results
- American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
