August 6, 2024
Jana represents individuals and multi-generational families. She primarily focuses on tax planning, drafting complex wills and trusts, implementing wealth preservation strategies, and charitable giving. Jana emphasizes helping clients achieve their objectives by designing creative and functional solutions tailored to their specific goals—whether it involves business establishment or reorganization, or facilitating the administration of a trust or estate.
Jana draws from a vast breadth of experience in her law practice. Prior to joining the firm, she managed a large horse ranch and cultivated successful real estate and insurance practices. Jana’s business-focused background allows her to understand her clients’ concerns and employ a practical approach to tax, estate, and business planning issues.
She holds an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center with an academic concentration in Estate Planning. During her time at Georgetown, Jana served as an extern for the United States Department of Justice, Tax Division. While working on her J.D., Jana completed her Master’s degree in Personal Financial Planning, represented pro bono clients in tax controversy matters with the IRS, served as a Peer Financial Counselor, and clerked for the Honorable Robert L. Jones, United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas.
Jana is admitted to practice in Texas. She is a Certified Financial Planner, CFP® and is Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
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- Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M. in Taxation
- Estate Planning Concentration
- Texas Tech University School of Law, J.D.
- Texas Tech Law Review
- Texas Tech University, Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning
- University of North Texas, B.A.
- Dallas Bar Association
- Probate, Trusts & EstatesTax
- Dallas Bar Foundation
- Fellow
- American Bar Association
- Real Property, Trust and Estate Law and Taxation
- State Bar of Texas
- Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law
- Tax Section
- Dallas Association of Young Lawyer
- Co-Chair, Finance Committee
- Estate Planning Council of North Texas
- Dallas Estate Planning Council
- Financial Planning Association (FPA)
- Dallas/Fort Worth FPA Chapter
- Texas Rising Stars, as published in Texas Monthly and in Texas Super Lawyers - Rising Stars Edition and on the web at superlawyers.com, 2023
- Received the Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch in America recognition for Tax Law and Trusts and Estates, 2022-2025
- Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2020-2024 (Tax: Trusts and Estates)
- Helen Hodges Education Charitable Trust Graduate Scholarship
- Texas Tech School of Law Academic Merit Scholarship
- Kaplan CFP Outstanding Student Award
- Personal Financial Planning Graduate Recruitment Scholarship
July 23, 2024
2024 Graduate Texas Trust School... [ read ]
May 1, 2024
Texas Bank and Trust - Longview, TX... [ read ]
March 12, 2024
Meadows Collier March 2024 Monthly Webinar... [ read ]
February 15, 2024
DFW Financial Planning Association... [ read ]
December 5, 2023
East Texas Estate Planning Council... [ read ]
November 2, 2023
Dallas Estate Planning Council... [ read ]
October 26, 2023
Texas Management Group (TMG) Annual Meeting-Day 1... [ read ]
October 25, 2023
TXCPA Central Texas Member's CPE Expo... [ read ]
August 29, 2023
2023 Panhandle Chapter/TXCPA Tax Institute... [ read ]
July 11, 2023
Meadows Collier July Webinar... [ read ]
May 10, 2023
Financial Planning Association DFW Chapter Meeting... [ read ]
March 30, 2023
SWAN-Supporting Women Attorneys Network... [ read ]
February 9, 2023
2023 Financial Planning Association DFW Conference... [ read ]
December 16, 2022
TXCPA CPE Expo - Dallas... [ read ]
December 13, 2022
TXCPA CPE Expo - San Antonio... [ read ]
December 6, 2022
TXCPA CPE Expo- Houston... [ read ]
September 27, 2022
Metroplex Practice Management Group (MPMG) Sept. 2022... [ read ]
August 23, 2022
Jana Simons Speaking at Strafford Publishing Company Webinar... [ read ]
June 14, 2022
June 2022 Meadows Collier Free 1-Hour Monthly Webinar... [ read ]
March 2, 2022
What's Up in the World of Wealth Planning?... [ read ]
September 28, 2021
Trusts as S Corporation Shareholders: Elections, Eligibility, and Avoiding Loss of Subchapter S Status... [ read ]
January 4, 2023
UPDATE: SECURE 2.0: What You Need to Know... [ read ]
*UPDATE* President Biden has signed into law the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act.
December 29, 2022
SECURE 2.0: What You Need to Know... [ read ]
Just three short years after the passage of some of the most significant changes to the U.S. retirement saving and funding system in the form of the SECURE Act, Congress has passed "SECURE 2.0" as part of the recent spending package, the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, with Division T covering SECURE 2.0, a Senate Finance Committee summary. The Omnibus Bill is expected to be signed into law by President Biden ahead of the December 30th government funding deadline.
November 12, 2021
Gift Tax Annual Exclusion Amount Increases for the First Time Since 2018... [ read ]
As inflation recently hit a three-decade high, the IRS announced adjustments to various tax deductions, credits, and exemptions.
April 16, 2021
Texans, You (Probably) Didn't Miss Your 2020 Federal Tax Return Filing Deadline; Here's What You Need to Know... [ read ]
As mentioned in a prior blog post, 2020 tax year federal tax filing deadlines for Texans were postponed. As a result of the February 2021 winter storm that wreaked havoc on Texas, the IRS announced in late February that victims of the storm would have until June 15, 2021 to file various federal tax returns, and make relevant payments. Pursuant to IRS guidance, affected taxpayers include individual and business residents of all 254 counties in Texas.
June 15, 2020
*UPDATED* IRS HAS NOW ALSO EXTENDED DUE DATE AND PAYMENT DATE FOR GIFT AND GST TAX RETURNS, AS WELL AS ESTATE TAX RETURNS, AND ASSOCIATED TAX DUE, TO JULY 15, 2020.... [ read ]
As mentioned in a previous blog post, IRS Notice 2020-18 provides an automatic extension of time to file income tax returns and pay federal income taxes until July 15, 2020 for Affected Taxpayers-defined as any person, including any individual, trust, estate, partnership, corporation, or other entity under IRC 7701(a)(1), with a federal income tax return or payment otherwise due on April 15, 2020.
February 28, 2019
Utilizing a Relative's Unused Lifetime Exemption to Eliminate Capital Gains Tax... [ read ]
Fundamentally, estate plans are designed to pass assets to future generations as efficiently as possible. Nevertheless, it might be beneficial to employ an "upstream transfer" to eliminate built-in gains on highly-appreciated or income-producing assets. This technique achieves an income tax basis adjustment by purposefully causing inclusion of certain assets in an ancestor's non-taxable estate at death-thus utilizing a relative's lifetime estate and gift tax exemption that would otherwise be wasted. The assets then revert back downstream to the original owner or his descendants.
January 25, 2019
The Tax Balancing Act: Minimizing Estate Tax and Maximizing Income Tax Basis... [ read ]
The lifetime estate and gift tax exemption has risen more than 1600% over the past two decades. In 2017, with an exemption of $5,490,000, there were roughly 5,200 taxable estates but with an exemption of $11,180,000, that tally is expected to fall under 2,000 taxable estates for the 2018 tax year. As fewer estates are subject to federal estate tax, the intersection of estate tax planning and income tax planning is more pivotal than ever before.
October 29, 2018
The ‘Silver Tsunami' and the Golden Age of Wealth Transfer... [ read ]
Studies estimate that over the next fifteen years, society's aging population will transfer an unprecedented $25 trillion in wealth accumulation to the next generation. The recent spike of the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption amount inflates the opportunities for successful wealth transfer.
