Dana M. Apfelbaum Earns Florida Bar Board Certification in Wills, Trusts and Estates Law

Fort Pierce, FL — Dean, Mead, Minton & Zwemer announced today that Dana M. Apfelbaum, shareholder in the firm’s Fort Pierce office, has earned Board Certification in Wills, Trusts and Estates Law from The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization & Education. This is a significant achievement in Apfelbaum’s legal career, as she is now distinguished as a specialist and expert in the area of wills, trusts and estates law by The Florida Bar.

Board certification recognizes attorneys’ special knowledge, skills and proficiency in various areas of law and professionalism and ethics in practice. Only 7% of the lawyers eligible to practice law in Florida have earned board certification.

Apfelbaum practices in the areas of federal income, estate, and gift tax law and family business succession planning. She counsels individuals in estate planning, with an emphasis on implementing the client’s objectives, asset protection and minimizing wealth transfer taxes. Apfelbaum also represents fiduciaries through all stages of probate, estate and trust administration. In addition, she represents businesses and business owners in all types of business and tax matters, including choice of entity, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, other general business matters, and succession planning.

Furthermore, Apfelbaum has received several professional honors, which include recognition as a 2018 Rising Star in Estate Planning & Probate by Super Lawyers and a 2017 Florida Trend Magazine Legal Elite ‘Up and Comer’ Tax Attorney. She is a frequent speaker at regional conferences on the subjects of tax, trusts, estates and succession planning, and she has authored multiple publications, including those for The Florida Bar, Law360 and Florida CPA Today. Additionally, Apfelbaum holds leadership positions for multiple civic and charitable organizations, such as the Tax Section of The Florida Bar and United Way of St. Lucie County.

Apfelbaum earned her law degree in 2009 and her Master of Laws in Taxation in 2010 from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in 2006.

Background:
Board certification is The Florida Bar’s highest evaluation of attorneys’ competency, experience and professionalism in the areas of law approved for specialization. The Florida Bar maintains high standards lawyers must meet before seeking certification in one or more of the 27 areas of law approved by the Florida Supreme Court for board certification. Even if an attorney does meet the stringent application criteria; judges and other lawyers must evaluate the lawyer as to character, ethics and professionalism; and the lawyer must pass a rigorous examination or meet strict criteria to exempt the exam before officially earning board certification. Additional information about Board certification is available at FloridaBar.org/certification.