As partner-in-charge of Venable’s Tax and Wealth Planning practice, Jeff Gonya works with individuals and family groups to carry out their estate planning objectives while minimizing estate, gift, and other transfer taxes. Mr. Gonya provides sophisticated estate and gift tax planning as well as advice regarding charitable giving. Mr. Gonya serves as a trustee or advisor for many families. Mr. Gonya also represents clients in estate and gift tax audits and supervises the administration of numerous estates. He also represents a number of charities and foundations.

Representative Clients
Clients are primarily individuals of high net worth, fiduciaries and charities.

Significant Matters
Mr. Gonya has over twenty-five years of experience providing sophisticated tax and estate planning advice for his clients. He helps clients preserve and protect wealth for their spouses, children and grandchildren and advises clients on the best tax minimization and succession planning methods.

Serving as a trustee for many clients, Mr. Gonya provides advice and support to clients and their families on financial, business, insurance and family office issues.

Mr. Gonya also supervises the administration of estates and trusts of all sizes, including the preparation of estate, gift and fiduciary income tax returns. Mr. Gonya represents estates and trusts in estate and gift tax audits, including appeals and U.S. Tax Court matters. He has successfully negotiated and settled numerous matters with the Internal Revenue Service. Mr. Gonya serves as trustee of and legal advisor to a U.S. charity that owns and operates a wildlife conservancy and scientific research center in Kenya. As part of this representation, Mr. Gonya has represented the charity in negotiations with other charities, universities and governments in the U.S., Africa, Europe and Central America. Mr. Gonya also represents many family foundations as well as other public charities.

Activities
Mr. Gonya is a Trustee of the Friends School of Baltimore and serves on the Board of the Middle Grades Partnership. Mr. Gonya serves on the Board of Trustees of the Mpala Wildlife Foundation, Inc. and the Fund Management Committee of the ICDDR, B. He is also a member of the Baltimore Estate Planning Council. Mr. Gonya is a member of the Estates and Trusts Section Council of the Maryland State Bar Association.