PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
OF
JOHN G. MANFREDA

PRIMARY AREAS OF PRACTICE

Mr. Manfreda's primary practice areas involve estate and business planning, estate administration, corporate, commercial and real estate law, including asset protection planning, business succession planning, related transactional work and the purchase and sale of businesses. He also has considerable experience in the area of probate litigation, including Will contests and defense of fiduciaries.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

Estate and Business Succession Planning. In the area of estate planning, Mr. Manfreda has represented high net worth families and individuals in the drafting of complex Wills and Trusts and other instruments designed to minimize the impact of Federal Estate and Gift Taxes. He has extensive experience in forming multi-jurisdictional Family Limited Partnerships for clients with closely held businesses and significant real estate holdings.

Elder Law and Medicaid Planning. Mr. Manfreda has extensive experience in drafting General and Limited Durable Powers of Attorney and Living Wills for clients, and counseling them in connection with elder law issues such as Medicaid and Long Term Care Planning in conjunction with Asset Protection Planning. He also has experience in drafting Special Needs Trusts for families with handicapped members.

Probate and Estate/Trust Administration and Litigation. Mr. Manfreda has experience in all aspects involving the probate of Wills and the administration of estates and trusts, including preparation of Federal Estate Tax and New Jersey Transfer Inheritance Tax Returns. He has also been involved in ancillary probate matters in many states throughout the country. Mr. Manfreda also represents numerous corporate fiduciaries such as bank trust departments in connection with fiduciary accountings and estate and trust termination matters, as well as matters involving general probate litigation and Will contests.

Asset Protection Planning, Corporate and Commercial Transactions. In the areas of corporate and commercial law, Mr. Manfreda has significant experience in the drafting of commercial and general business contracts including agreements for the purchase and sale of businesses. Mr. Manfreda gives advice in connection with the formation and dissolution of closely held corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships, as well as general and limited partnerships. Formation of these entities is often done in connection with complex estate planning and asset protection planning advice given by Mr. Manfreda to high net worth individuals and clients engaged in businesses which are potentially vulnerable to litigation claims.

Real Estate. In the area of real estate law, Mr. Manfreda routinely represents individual and business clients in connection with mortgage transactions, the purchase and sale of commercial and residential real estate, including office buildings, residences and acreage, and IRS Section 1031 Tax Free Exchange transactions.

EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Mr. Manfreda graduated with honors from Boston College in 1976. He received his law degree from The College of Law at Syracuse University in 1979. Mr. Manfreda was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1979 and the New Jersey Bar in 1980, and was associated with a large NJ corporate law firm before joining a small Flemington, NJ law firm as a partner in 1989. He operated his own law firm in Flemington, NJ specializing in estate and business planning for four years before joining Gebhardt & Kiefer, PC as a partner in 2000.
 

RECENT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Mr. Manfreda lectures extensively on estate and business planning matters.  He recently gave a presentation at the Small Business Development Center of Raritan Valley  Community College for small business owners.  The program covered topics relevant to small business owners including, but not limited to, choice of  operating entity and related tax and liability issues.  He also participated in the Runnymeade Lecture Series.  He presented  a program covering sophisticated estate planning techniques and transfer tax strategies for wealthy business owners, including the use of  Family Limited Partnerships.

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS

Mr. Manfreda is a member of the New Jersey and Hunterdon County Bar Associations. He is president of the Greater Middlesex/Somerset County Estate Planning Council for the 2005-2007 term, and has served continuously on its Board of Trustees since 1989. He previously served as president of that organization from 1994 to 1996. He is currently a director of the Rotary Club of Whitehouse, where he has served as Rotary Foundation Chair since 1998 and as a director from 1989 to 1996. He received a Paul Harris Award, the highest award given to a Rotarian, in 1996. Mr. Manfreda is also an Advisory Board Member of the New Jersey Association of the Deaf-Blind, Inc.