J. Aaron Bennett Printer-Friendly

Aaron Bennett has a broad-based practice serving individuals and families, businesses and entrepreneurs. He especially focuses on estate and tax planning, closely held business planning and employee benefits.

Before joining Carruthers & Roth, Aaron was a client services officer at a financial planning and wealth management firm, working primarily in trust administration. He also holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis on trust and investment management. By blending that education and experience with his knowledge of the law, he is able to provide skilled counsel on financial and wealth management strategies appropriate to each client’s unique circumstances.

Representative Cases

• Helped local companies to correct retirement plan qualification errors, obtain Internal Revenue Service approval and avoid the adverse tax consequences associated with plan disqualification.
• Designed specialized estate plans for several high net worth families – providing wealth succession over multiple generations and minimizing probate fees and estate taxes. In addition to common wills, revocable trusts and powers of attorney, a variety of sophisticated estate planning techniques were used, including dynasty trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), qualified personal residence trusts (QPRTs) and grantor retained trusts (GRATs and GRITs).

Client Case Study

Helping a Trucking Company Design New Owner-Operator Agreements with Drivers

A major local trucking company asked attorney Aaron Bennett to design an agreement that would transition company truck drivers to a new status as independent owner-operators. The successful transition required significant legal research on issues and rulings involving worker classification compliance, as well as a thorough understanding of the trucking company's unique customer requirements.

Bar and Court Admissions

• North Carolina, 2009

Professional Memberships and Activities

• Greensboro Society of Financial Service Professionals, Past President
• Greensboro Estate Planning Council, Director
• Greensboro Bar Association
• North Carolina Bar Association, both Business Law and the Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Sections
• American Bar Association

Awards and Recognitions

• Elon Law Review, Business Editor