Email me
Phone: (952) 476-6382
Fax: (952) 476-8523
George R.A. Johnson, senior attorney and Founder, grew up in the Minneapolis suburbs. He has a B.A. magna cum laude from Yale College and an LL.B from Yale University Law School. Prior to founding the firm in 1993, George was Partner and Chair of the Trusts and Estate Section of a large Minneapolis firm. Devoted to excellence in all areas of the practice, George has been rated AV (highest rating in legal ability and ethical standards) by Martindale-Hubbell for 44 years.
Education/Associations
- Breck School (Episcopal Day School)
- Yale College, magna cum laude
- Yale Law School
- Universite de Neuchatel, Switzerland, French Language Certificate
- Passed California Bar Exam 1995
Bar Admissions
Minnesota
U.S. Tax Court
Reported Cases
Estate of Andrews v. Cmsn’r. of Internal Revenue (U.S. Tax Court).
Sustained one of the highest-ever valuation discounts for minority interests in family holding companies owning securities & real estate. Regularly cited in decisions and treatises.
Law Practice Mission
To provide effective, integrative value-based and tax-efficient planning that embodies and expresses the particular needs and goals of each client. The priority is to always help safeguard the client’s own lifestyle, and then to benefit the intended recipients of their legacies. Through both process and implementation, we elicit and support informed client decisions. When necessary and helpful, we also educate and introduce new paradigms within families to promote interaction and cohesion. Lastly, we work to construct and respect family boundaries, rules, hierarchy, privacy and the individuality of each family member.
Community Boards
Past:
Breck School: 16 years (Board Chair; Chair, Committee for Acquisition of Golden Valley Campus; Chair, Building and Fundraising Committees – 1200 seat Chapel)
Elliott-Pope School (CA)
Metropolitan Medical Center; Hennepin County Historical Society
Penny George Institute (Center for Complementary Medicine at Abbott Northwestern Hospital)
Milkweed Editions (Co-Chair Capacity Capital Campaign)
Present:
North Woods Initiative of Trust for Public Land.
Favorite Practice Aspects
- Meeting and working with a wide variety of unique people.
- Listening to and truly understanding the ambitions, wishes and concerns of clients, and learning their own and their family stories.
- Working with the client to develop or hone a philosophy about wealth that will best serve not only the client but also his/her inheritors, while respecting that the current client’s interests always are paramount.
- Sharing knowledge gained and wisdom earned from past experiences with other wealthy clients and their families.
- Family meetings and multi-generational planning and, when desired, enabling meaningful client philanthropy.
- Communicating and presenting in an understandable and appropriate manner, recognizing that people learn differently.
- Promoting respect for wealth in younger generations as an opportunity for growth and a platform for productive choices.