John Potter is an Estate Planning and Elder Law attorney in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area with offices in Ballantyne and Huntersville; John has been designated as a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation and a Board Certified Specialist in Elder Law by the North Carolina State Bar. John’s practice focuses on the use of Wills and Living Trusts in Estate Planning to help individuals protect their families and preserve their legacies after their deaths, but his practice also focuses on the critical issues of protecting individuals with dementia or other diminished capacity, assisting individuals in qualifying for Medicaid and other government benefits to offset the costs of long-term care, and providing special needs planning. John is admitted to practice law in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Ohio, and he is accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Education
John received his B.A. in Economics from Davidson College, in Davidson, North Carolina, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 2000. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2003.
Experience
After graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2003, John clerked for United States District Judge Jennifer Coffman in Lexington, Kentucky. In 2004, he joined the law firm of Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he practiced litigation, including trust and estate litigation. His experience with the tragedy of estate and trust litigation led him to estate planning to help families put proper planning in place to minimize family disputes.
John practiced estate planning and elder law in the northern Kentucky office of his family’s law firm beginning in 2008. In 2012, John moved to North Carolina and opened the Charlotte office of the Potter Law Firm.
Professional Affiliations and Community Involvement
John is a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys; the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, where he serves on the Board of the North Carolina Chapter; and the Estate Planning and Elder Law Sections of the North Carolina Bar Association, where he serves on the Estate Planning Section’s Legislative Committee and the Elder Law Section’s Communications committee. John has also served as Chair of the Estate Planning and Probate Section of the Mecklenburg County Bar.
John also presents continuing education to attorneys in the areas of estate planning and elder law. Recent presentations include:
“Putting It All Together — Case Studies in Elder Law and Special Needs Planning” for the North Carolina Bar Association Elder Law Section’s Basics of Elder and Special Needs Law, October 28, 2022
“2022 Estate Planning Annual Review” for the Mecklenburg County Bar, February 3, 2022
“Putting It All Together — Case Studies in Elder Law and Special Needs Planning” for the North Carolina Bar Association Elder Law Section’s Basics of Elder and Special Needs Law, October 22, 2021
“Estate Planning in 2021: Recent Statutory Changes, Cases & Legislative Proposals You Should Know About” for the Mecklenburg County Bar Estate Planning Section, March 11, 2021
“Case Studies in Asset Protection” for the North Carolina Bar Association Elder Law Section’s 25th Annual Elder and Special Needs Law Symposium, March 4, 2021
“Putting It All Together — Case Studies in Elder Law and Special Needs Planning” for the North Carolina Bar Association Elder Law Section’s Basics of Elder and Special Needs Law, October 23, 2020
“The SECURE Act and the New Required Minimum Distribution Rules: What You Need to Know” (co-presented with Christina Hinkle) for the North Carolina Bar Association’s Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section, March 1, 2020
