Overview

Kenneth "Kenny" N. Jefferson is a private wealth services attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles offices. Mr. Jefferson focuses his practice on advising high-net-worth individuals and families on complex estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax planning issues, managing tax compliance challenges and achieving non-tax goals.

Mr. Jefferson has experience drafting core estate planning documents, including wills, all manner of trusts, financial powers of attorney (POA) and healthcare directives. He advises and helps implement trust modification techniques, probate matters and high-net-worth estate administration, business planning and entity formation. Additionally, Mr. Jefferson regularly drafts business entity governing documents such as limited liability company (LLC) operating, partnership and buy-sell agreements.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Jefferson is serving a two-year fellowship with the American Bar Association (ABA) Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section. The program aims to develop future leaders and provide a deepening of knowledge through mentorship by top trust and estates attorneys.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Jefferson was a tax, trusts and estates attorney at a Washington, D.C., boutique law firm. Before entering private practice, Mr. Jefferson worked as an attorney examiner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the estate and gift field enforcement division, where he examined numerous estate, gift and fiduciary income tax returns. He routinely leverages this experience in advising clients and their advisors. In addition, he clerked at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and in the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC).

As a former NCAA Division I football player, Mr. Jefferson now applies the same diligence and determination that he displayed on the field to every matter in working to achieve clients' goals.

Credentials

Education
  • Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M., Taxation with Estate Planning Certificate
  • Howard University School of Law, J.D.
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, B.S., Economics
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • California
  • District of Columbia
Memberships
  • Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), Mid-Atlantic Branch, Full Member
  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Dennis I. Belcher Young Leaders Program, 2022-2024
  • Associate Advancement Academy for Excellence, National Bar Association
  • Washington, D.C. Estate Planning Council, 2020-Present
  • American Bar Association, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, Member, 2016-Present; Fellow, 2020-Present; Tax Section, Member, 2016-Present
  • District of Columbia Bar Association, Estates, Trusts and Probate Law Section, 2018-Present; Taxation Section, 2018-Present
  • National Bar Association, 2018-Present
  • Sports Lawyers Association, 2018-Present
  • Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA), 2018-Present
Honors & Awards
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Washington, D.C. Trusts and Estates Ones to Watch, 2021-2024
  • Hot List, Lawyers of Color, 2023
  • Top 40 Under 40 in Washington, D.C., The National Black Lawyers, 2023
  • Recommended Attorney in DC, The Tax Lawyers, 2023
  • Rising Star, Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers magazine, 2022, 2023
  • Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2021

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News