James M. "Jim" McCarten
Jim is a Partner in the Firm's Tax, Trusts and Estates and Corporate practice groups, where his practice is best described as a general tax practice. Jim works with a broad spectrum of clients, including start-up businesses, mid-market family businesses, publicly traded entities, retired corporate executives and business owners looking to transfer or sell their business.
His practice encompasses the entire range of tax planning, including, mergers and acquisitions, structuring and forming start-up businesses, asset protection, family business planning and estates, trusts and wealth preservation. In addition to his transactional and tax planning practices, Jim is active in representing clients during audits by or in litigation with the IRS and/or state Departments of Revenue. Finally, as the parent of a young adult on the autism spectrum, Jim is very involved in special needs planning, especially for client families with loved ones who have a disability.Jim’s experience specifically includes: representing clients in front of the IRS and/or Georgia or Tennessee Departments of Revenue during examinations, through appeals and, when necessary, into litigation, crafting tax structures for new business ventures, counseling clients on the tax aspects of business exit strategies and business succession issues, designing tax-effective executive compensation packages, creating appropriate estate plans, and counseling families on wealth planning.Jim began his professional tax career with the “Big 8” public accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand. Following law school, he litigated tax cases for the federal government as a member of the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.A Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Jim was honored for his work in special needs planning when inducted into the Special Needs Alliance in 2007, and was honored again when Best Lawyers of America named him the 2017 Lawyer of the Year – Litigation and Controversy – Tax for Metropolitan Atlanta.With his wife, Diane, Jim has been active with numerous disability advocacy and support organizations in both Tennessee and Georgia. Jim currently serves on the Board of Advisors for The Arc Georgia.
- American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow
- Best Lawyers in America, Litigation & Controversy-Tax (2011-2020), Non-Profit/Charities Law (2007-2020), Tax Law (2007-2020), Trusts and Estates (2003-2020)
- Mid-South Super Lawyers, Estate Planning & Probate (2006-2013)
- Special Needs Alliance
- Tennessee Bar Association, President's Award
- Department of Justice Outstanding Attorney Award (1986)
- Best Lawyers in America, "Lawyer of the Year," Litigation and Controversy - Tax (2017), Non-Profit/ Charities Law (2018 & 2020) Atlanta, Georgia
- Tennessee Supreme Court, "2018 Attorney for Justice"
Atlanta, Georgia 30363
