Expanding our team to benefit you

When I graduated from law school and moved to Atlanta, I was incredibly lucky to begin my estate planning career at a boutique firm with three brilliant senior partners. Not only did I learn by observing them, but these wonderful men took hours out of their weeks to teach me. This gift of time, expertise and patience is one that senior partners so rarely give to new associates these days, and I will be forever grateful to those attorneys for investing their time in me. I have absolutely no doubt that, had I started my legal career at any other firm, I would not have had the ability to perform at the level required of a Cohen Pollock Merlin Turner attorney as early as I did, and I might not have been recruited to join CPMT when I was. Ultimately, several years into my legal practice, I made the very bittersweet decision to leave my first firm and move to CPMT. It was difficult to leave the men who invested their time and energy into nurturing my estate planning and legal body of knowledge, but the opportunity to work in what I considered to be the preeminent estate planning group in the Southeast was one that I could not forgo.

Seven years after joining CPMT, I am so proud and overjoyed to welcome one of my original mentors, Douglas Wessinger, and another protégé of Doug’s, Ritesh Patel, to Cohen Pollock Merlin Turner.

We had been looking to grow CPMT’s estate planning practice for quite awhile, but finding the perfect fit was a challenge. Then, I heard from some former colleagues that Doug and Tesh might be interested in a move and I pounced at the opportunity to hire – not one but – two unicorns.

A former senior estate tax attorney with the IRS’ Estate and Gift Taxation Examination Group, Doug is familiar with all aspects of estate planning and tax controversies and he provides unique insight into both the technical and practical sides of dealing with IRS’ rules and procedures. In addition, Doug is one of the friendliest, most genuine and caring people that I know. Have worked with Doug, I knew he would be a perfect new member of the Cohen Pollock Merlin Turner family, and that the transition for Doug from my former firm to CPMT would be just as wonderful as it was for me.

Doug and his former partners hired Tesh Patel a few years after I moved to CPMT, and I have been hearing about Tesh ever since. Tesh’s colleagues and clients hold him in the highest regard. Not only is he a truly excellent attorney, but, like Doug, my partners, our associates and our staff, he is warm, funny and an overall wonderful person to be in the presence of.

From changing our name to Cohen Pollock Merlin Turner to snagging the two best estate planning hires of the year, we’ve had a great year at CPMT, and we are excited for other things that the future may have in store!