William N. Kirk co-chairs Gould Cooksey Fennell's Estate Planning & Tax Group, concentrating his practice on sophisticated estate and tax planning, probate and trust administration, and related areas of taxation. He was raised on a diversified crop and livestock farm in northwestern Kansas, and joined Gould Cooksey Fennell in 2004. Mr. Kirk maintains a Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review “AV Preeminent” rating, the highest rating given to lawyers who are ranked at the highest level of professional excellence by their peers.Mr. Kirk graduated first in his class at Washburn University School of Law in 1990, earning eleven American Jurisprudence Awards for receiving the highest grade in nearly one-third of his law school courses. He was Notes Editor of the Washburn Law Journal and earned membership in the Washburn Moot Court Council. Following his law school graduation, he focused his practice on business and securities transactions in Wichita, Kansas. In 1996, he left the private practice of law and became a principal and executive officer of a family-owned, multi-unit restaurant company located in Palm Beach County, Florida. In 2002, Mr. Kirk commenced his studies in taxation and estate planning at the University of Miami, School of Law, where he earned an LL.M. in Estate Planning in 2003, and was recognized as an Estate Planning Fellow because of his academic achievement and potential for excellence in the field of estate planning.Apart from the practice of law, Mr. Kirk is invested in the future of the community and has volunteered his time with various civic and charitable organizations. He served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for United Way Foundation of Indian River County at its inception, and for three years thereafter. In connection with that service, he was recognized as the 2015 recipient of the Pinnacle Award, which honors professional advisors for outstanding voluntary service to Indian River County non-profit organizations in promoting charitable giving through estate and gift planning.
