Steven D. Beres practices in two primary areas: estate planning, and trust and estate administration. He represents a broad range of clients including individuals and families engaged in estate planning, corporate and individual personal representatives and trustees responsible for properly administering wills and trusts, beneficiaries seeking to confirm and enforce their rights in estates and trusts and creditors with claims against estates and trusts. Steve has significant experience with the tax issues which impact upon estate planning and administration, preparation of estate tax (706), gift tax (709), generation-skipping tax (706-GS) and fiduciary income tax (1041) returns, and responding to I.R.S. audits of those returns.

Steve earned his B.S., Cum Laude, in 1978 from the Florida State University. He was awarded a J.D., with Honors, in 1981 from the Florida State University College of Law, where he was a member of the Florida State University Law Review. He continued his legal education and earned a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law in 1982.

Steve is board certified by the Florida Bar in the area of Wills, Trusts, and Estates.

The Florida Bar

Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar

Martin County Estate Planning Council

Florida United Methodist Development Fund, Inc. (Past Chairman of the Board)

Florida United Methodist Foundation, Inc. (Past Board Member)

First United Methodist Church, Stuart, Florida (Past Estate Planning Committee Member)

YMCA of Martin County Foundation, Inc. (Past Board Member)

Publications

Co-author, Limiting Liability of a Financial Institution Releasing a Decedent's Funds, Fla. B. J., November 1989, at 31.