John Draneas
John has been an Oregon attorney since 1977 and a CPA since 1978. His practice focuses on business and tax planning for individuals, many of whom are owners of family and other closely-held businesses.
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Estate Planning and Administration
John works with clients of all levels, handling modest-sized estates all the way up to the largest and most sophisticated. He has always been at the forefront of estate planning in the community, always eager to employ the latest and most creative techniques, yet always keeping estate plans as manageable and practical as possible. John regularly employs family limited partnerships and LLCs, sales to grantor trusts and specialized trusts for gifting purposes in his clients’ estate plans, as well as more common techniques such as living trusts and gifting plans. He is also experienced at planning estates for asset protection planning. John completes the estate planning process by administering estates and trusts of every size and at every stage of the process.
Income Tax Planning
John consults with clients and their CPAs on all aspects of income tax planning. Examples include selection of the appropriate business entity and structure for new businesses, partnership and LLC taxation, employment and independent contractor distinctions, §1031 like-kind exchanges, deduction planning, corporate reorganizations and a broad range of tax matters.
Tax Controversies
John represents clients at all levels of federal and state tax controversy work. He handles tax audits and appeals, and has successfully litigated in the U.S. Tax Court and the Oregon Tax Court. He also handles tax collection matters and offers in compromise.
Business Entities
John is skilled at organizing and managing business entities of every type – C Corporations, S Corporations, LLCs, general partnerships and limited partnerships. He has served on Bar committees that have assisted in the adoption of corporate and LLC legislation.
Business Acquisitions
John advises clients about business sales and acquisitions, including both tax planning and business law considerations.
General Business Matters
John regularly advises clients about a wide variety of business issues and transactions, and drafts business contracts of every description.
Collector Cars
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John has had a life-long interest in cars, which led him to develop an unusual focus on legal areas of interest to car collectors and enthusiasts. You may have read John’s Legal Files column that appears monthly in Sports Car Market magazine. He is also President and one of the founding board members of Friends of PIR, a non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving Portland International Raceway.
John is a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a professional association consisting of approximately 2,700 lawyers from throughout the United States. ACTEC Fellows are selected by their national peers on the basis of professional reputation and ability in the fields of trusts and estates and on the basis of having made substantial professional contributions to these fields. John serves on the ACTEC Estate and Gift Tax and Business Planning Committees, and on the Valuation and Tax Controversy subcommittees.
Each year since 2007, John has been selected by his peers as an Oregon Super Lawyer.