Kimberly Leach Johnson

Sensitive, smart estate and trust planning

For more than 35 years, Kimberly Leach Johnson has served as a trusted advisor to individuals and their families, guiding them through estate planning and, ultimately, the administration of their plan. Beyond preparing wills, tax returns and trust documents, Kimberly focuses on:

• Planning for legacy by learning what is most important to individuals to leave behind to their heirs and tailoring a plan to fulfill their wishes.
• Fostering family harmony by finding creative ways to create win-win solutions where conflicts over assets or estate plans exist.
• Reducing taxes by acting prudently to minimize the tax burden on individuals and estates, so more resources are left to carry out an individual’s and family’s legacy vision.
• Charitable giving by planning in life how to maximize the impact of charitable giving after death.
• Advising institutions, such as trust companies, on tax and other issues.

With a command of the tax code and comprehensive knowledge of both the laws and the personal considerations that affect the transfer of wealth, Kimberly addresses the full range of estate planning issues facing high-net-worth persons and families, including those owning private companies. She is known for being reliable and responsive.

Kimberly served as chair of Quarles from 2013-2020 and was named chair emeritus in 2020.

• Helping clients define their final wishes and see them through with confidence, confidentiality and competence.
• Implementing various techniques to reduce estate and gift taxes.
• Working sensitively to address the sometimes-competing needs and desires of family members, developing creative trust and estate solutions after the parents have died.
• Leveraging an extensive network of professionals, including investment advisors, appraisers, and trust and estate administration agents, to provide comprehensive trust and estate services.
• Representing trust companies in disputes between beneficiaries and providing second opinions on tax-related issues.
• Working with clients on a yearly basis to create various estate planning vehicles to systematically pass wealth outside the estate tax system.

• Represented a client after an inexperienced IRS auditor wanted to assess over $1 million in taxes, plus penalties and interest. Filing in tax court and working with the IRS appellate division, the matter was resolved by paying only a fraction of the tax and without paying any penalties.
• As counsel to a trust company, resolved a dispute between brother and sister beneficiaries over inheritance of a home with a creative solution by which a family fight was avoided and the professional trustee was protected.