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5811 Pelican Bay Boulevard
Suite 650
Naples, Florida 34108
Juan D. Bendeck is Chair of the Florida Estate Planning Practice Group and is certified by the Florida Bar as a Board Certified Specialist in Wills, Trusts and Estates. Board certification recognizes attorneys’ special knowledge, skills and proficiency in various areas of law and professionalism and ethics in practice. There are less than 300 Board Certified Specialists in Wills, Trusts and Estates in the State of Florida.
Estate Planning
Juan is a native of Southwest Florida and has over two decades as a wills, trusts and estates lawyer. Juan’s estate planning practice involves innovative and leading edge tools to accomplish goals such as wealth transfer planning and protection with an emphasis on tax efficiency. Juan’s client centric approach to estate planning involves clear, concise, prompt and effective client communication. Juan has substantial experience with wills, living trusts, complex transactions involving grantor trusts, planning with entities such as LLCs and partnerships, Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts, Charitable Remainder Trusts, Charitable Lead Trusts, Private Foundations, Irrevocable Trusts, Gifting Matters and Multi-Generational Planning.
Estate and Trust Administration
Juan’s estate and trust administration practice involves the representation of personal representatives and trustees in administering estates and trusts. Juan guides fiduciaries through all aspects of the administration process in an effective and easy to understand manner. Juan’s experience includes the administration of complex estates and trusts and assisting the fiduciaries resolve issues that arise in these matters. Juan also has substantial experience in the preparation of federal estate tax returns, gift tax returns, and generation-skipping tax issues. His experience includes the successful representation of fiduciaries in estate, gift and generation-skipping tax audits.
Fiduciary Litigation
Juan has extensive experience in representing both professional and individual fiduciaries with respect to contested estate and trust administration issues. In the course of his practice, Juan has successfully represented clients with respect to will and trust contests, breach of fiduciary duty claims, defending claims brought against fiduciaries, and bringing claims on behalf of beneficiaries.
Florida Domicile Planning
Juan assists his clients with a number of issues involved with relocating to and establishing a permanent residence in Florida. Juan advises his client on how to establish a Florida domicile and terminate their existing domicile. Juan also counsels on the potential state tax consequences after establishing Florida domicile, advice with regard to Florida’s homestead laws, assistance with the closing and settlement on the purchase of a residence in Florida, and the preparation and filing of a Florida Declaration of Domicile and related documents.
Community Involvement
Juan believes in giving back to the community and is actively involved with various organizations across the Southwest Florida community. He is a Trustee of the Collaboratory of Southwest Florida, and on the board of directors of the Naples Zoo and Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. Juan was formerly on the Board of Directors of the Florida Humanities Council and was chairman of its Finance Committee. In addition, Juan is Chairman of the Planned Giving Committees at Florida Gulf Coast University and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and a member of the Guadalupe Foundation Planned Giving Committee.
Juan is also a member of the Lee County School Board’s Equity Diversity Action Committee, which advises the Lee County School Board on various issues. He is also a member of the Site Selection Committee for the Lee County School Board.
Awards and Distinctions
In 2008, Gulfshore Business magazine selected Juan for its “40 Under 40” award. The award is presented to the most influential rising business stars in the Southwest Florida community. Juan and his wife, Enas, are one of the few couples to have both won the award. Juan has also been featured in “The Best Lawyers in America,” for Trusts and Estates 2019-2023, Tax Law 2023, and Litigation – Trusts and Estates 2023. He has also been featured in Top Lawyer, Naples Illustrated, Trusts and Estates 2020-2022.
University of Florida Graduate Tax Program, LL.M. in Taxation, 1997
Honors & Activities: Graduate Tax Program Fellowship
University of Florida College of Law, J.D., High Honors, 1995
Honors & Activities: Order of the Coif
University of Florida, B.S., Economics, Highest Honors, 1992.
Honors & Activities: Beta Gamma Sigma; Phi Kappa Phi
State of Florida, 1996
U.S. Tax Court, 2014
American Bar Association, Tax Section, Member
Florida Bar Association, Tax, Estate Planning and International Sections, Member
Collier County Bar Association, Member