About Jason

Jason Hunter practices in the areas of estate planning (including estate and trust administration and asset protection), business planning/transactions (including mergers and acquisitions, formations, and liquidation), federal and state taxation, and real estate transactions. He prepares and implements wills and trusts (revocable and irrevocable) to help clients accomplish their individual estate planning objectives, preserve their wealth, and minimize tax and administrative burdens. He advises clients regarding trust and estate administration, including representation in probate proceedings and preparation of estate and gift tax returns. He advises and counsels clients in forming charitable organizations (public charities and private foundations) and structuring charitable gifts (through outright gifts or use of charitable trusts). He counsels clients in entity selection and the formation for closely held businesses and the operation of corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships, and he advises clients regarding the structuring and implications of business transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations, including tax issues and corporate governance issues. Jason also advises and counsels individuals and businesses in commercial financing and real estate transactions and development inasmuch as many of his business and estate matters involve substantial real estate holdings and related transactions. Jason provides legal counsel to individuals and businesses regarding various federal and state tax matters and he represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities. Jason is a member of the Utah and California State Bars and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court, District of Utah. Jason is a member of the Tax, Estate Planning, and Elder Law sections of the Utah State Bar and has served as the Chair of the Elder Law section. He has also served as a board member of various estate planning and charitable giving groups throughout Utah.

• J.D., Gonzaga University School of Law, 2003
• Moot Court Council
• Dean’s Scholarship
• CALI, Legal Research and Writing
• Visiting student, J. Reuben Clark School of Law, Brigham Young University, 2002-2003
• B.A. (Accountancy), Southern Utah University, 2000
• Summa Cum Laude
• A.A., Dixie State College, 1999
• Summa Cum Laude

• Admitted:
  • CA Bar
  • Ut Bar
  • US District
  • District of Utah
• Member: Tax, Business, Estate Planning, Elder Law Sections of the Utah State Bar
• Utah Business Magazine, Legal Elite, Estate Planning (2011, 2013-2014)
• Superlawyers, Mountain States Rising Star (2012-2014)
• AVVO Rating: 10.0 (highest possible)

• Chair, Elder Law Section of the Utah State Bar (2011-2012)
• Board Member, Estate Planning Counsel of Weber-Davis (2009-2012)
• Member, Centerville City Board of Adjustments (2008-2012)
• Member, Primary Children’s Medical Center Planned Giving Committee (2008-2010)
• President, Southern Utah University Washington County Alumni Chapter (2004-2006)
• Instructor, Estate Planning, Washington County Community Education course (2005-2006)
• Member, Professional Advisory Council for Dixie Regional Medical Center (2005-2006)
• Actively involved in various local church and other community activities

Jason advises clients in planning and protecting their estates. He takes time to meet with each individual client to ascertain individual estate planning desires and objectives and to formulate (and implement) a plan that will fulfill such desires and objectives while minimizing tax consequences and administrative costs. He helps clients understand how to structure their estates in a manner that will encourage beneficiaries to develop positive character traits and values. Such process generally involves drafting customized wills and trust agreements, both revocable and irrevocable (including tax planning revocable trusts, defective grantor trusts, life insurance trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, asset protection trusts (foreign and domestic), charitable remainder trusts, dynastic trusts, etc.). Jason is experienced in developing asset protection plans, generally involving trusts and business entities, and advising clients regarding charitable gifts, either outright, in trust, or through use of a tax-exempt organizations (i.e., a private foundation). In addition, Jason advises clients in documenting their end-of-life health care decisions consistent with, and subject to, the various laws implemented by their states of residence. Jason is an advocate of educating the public about the benefits of proper estate planning and he regularly speaks to groups regarding estate and tax planning topics. Jason’s is willing to assist clients with modest estates, but he brings the experience of having worked on estate planning matters for various high-net worth individuals with estates valued in excess of a hundred million dollars.

Jason represents clients in probate matters and advises and counsels with them to resolve probate-related disputes, recognizing that the process of resolving such disputes is highly emotional and can strain family relations. He advises clients on estate and trust administration, with a focus on minimizing liability of personal representatives and trustees who are his clients, while assuring compliance with their duties under the law. Jason also advises clients with tax matters incident to estate and trust administration, including division of trusts, preparation and filing of estate tax returns, and making beneficial tax elections. Jason regularly assists with simple and routine probate proceedings and administrations as well as more complex probate proceedings and administrations, including contested proceedings.

As part of his tax practice, Jason advises clients in the formation of tax-exempt organizations, including the selection and implementation of a proper operating and organizational structure and application to the Internal Revenue Service (and state tax authority, if required) for tax-exempt status. The regulations applicable to tax-exempt organizations are complex, making quality legal counsel a necessity for the successful and continued operation of all tax-exempt organizations. Jason acts as counsel to directors and trustees of tax-exempt organizations to assist them in navigating such complex rules and regulations to preserve tax-exempt status and comply with applicable state laws.

Jason advises business clients in all phases of operation, including entity selection, formation, and operation, as well as financing startup and operations and managing windup and dissolution. He advises business clients with all phases of mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence, document drafting, and tax planning. He drafts customized governing documents for business clients and advises them in the negotiation and implementation of buy-sell agreements among partners and shareholders. He also advises clients regarding general corporate governance issues. Jason’s objective in advising business clients is to minimize legal costs incident to business disputes while assuring legal formalities are not a barrier to success.

Jason advises clients in all aspects of tax planning. He advises clients in minimizing income taxes and transfer taxes (i.e., estate and gift tax) by counseling with them in structuring business transactions (mergers, acquisitions, dispositions) and reorganizations. To help the principals of his business clients preserve and protect their wealth, Jason advises them on individual income tax planning strategies, highly customized estate tax planning strategies, and charitable gifting strategies, often as part of an integrated wealth management, protection, and transition plan. He also represents businesses and individuals before the Internal Revenue Service or state tax authorities in audits and protests. By integrating his tax practice with business and estate planning, Jason adds substantial value to each of his client engagements.