Suzanne Tucker Plybon

Partner

Direct: 404.873.8730
Fax: 404.873.8731
Atlanta
171 17th Street NW
Suite 2100
Atlanta, Georgia 30363

Biography

Suzanne is a partner, vice-chair of the Private Wealth practice, and co-chair of the Tax-Exempt and Charitable Organizations industry team. A Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, she is included in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide for Private Wealth Law and The Best Lawyers in America®, where she has been named “Lawyer of the Year” in Atlanta in the specialty of Trusts and Estates. An AV Preeminent Rated® lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, she appears in Georgia’s Top-Rated Lawyers and has been included numerous times in Georgia Super Lawyers, where she was named a top 50 female lawyer in Georgia.

Suzanne focuses her practice on complex wealth transfer planning for high net worth clients, including international estate planning, sophisticated post mortem planning and administration, business succession planning, and charitable planning. She also works on a broad array of issues pertaining to the needs of tax-exempt entities. A certified public accountant as well as an attorney, she is an author and frequent lecturer on estate planning topics, including co-author of the comprehensive publication Georgia Estate Planning, Will Drafting and Estate Administration Forms, and has appeared as a tax law commentator for CNN, including appearances on “Daybreak,” “In the Money,” and “CNN Today.”

A member of the Board of Trustees of the Woodruff Arts Center, the Atlanta Estate Planning Council, and the Emory University Gift Planning Advisory Council, Suzanne has devoted substantial time and leadership to many charitable organizations over the years, including service on the Board of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, including as its Treasurer; the Board of the Capital City Club, including as its Secretary-Treasurer; the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, Inc.; the Planned Giving Council of Piedmont Hospital; the Emory University Board of Visitors; the Duke University Alumnae Admissions Advisory Committee; the Board of the Parents Association of The Westminster Schools; and as past Co-Chair of the Duke University Atlanta Women’s Forum Steering Committee.

Related Services

Related Industries

    Credentials

    Education
    • Emory University School of Law, Juris Doctor
    • Duke University, Bachelor of Arts,
      cum laude
    Admissions
    • State of Georgia
    Associations
      • State Bar of Georgia, Section of Fiduciary Law (Past Chair, Estate Planning Institute; Past Editor, Fiduciary Law Section Newsletter)
      • Atlanta Estate Planning Council (Member and Past Director)
      • North Carolina Society of Certified Public Accountants
      • Woodruff Arts Center, Board of Trustees
      • Emory University Gift Planning Advisory Council
      • Duke University Atlanta Women’s Forum (Past Co-Chair)
      • Emory University Board of Visitors (Former)
      • Capital City Club, Board of Directors (Former) (Past Secretary-Treasurer)
      • Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Board of Directors (Former) (Past Treasurer; Past Chair, Finance Committee)
      • Big Brothers / Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, Inc., Board of Directors (Former)
      • Duke University Alumni Admissions Advisory Committee (Former)

    Recognition

    • Chambers High Net Worth, Private Wealth Law
    • Best Lawyers in America®, Trusts and Estates, 2010-25
      • “Lawyer of the Year,” Trusts and Estates, 2018
    • Georgia Super Lawyers, Estate Planning & Probate
    • The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow
    • AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings

    News & Insights

    View More

    Thought Leadership

    Speaking Engagements
    • “Family Matters: Navigating Ethical Complexities in Family Representations”, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel 2022 Southeast Regional Meeting, September 2022
    • “How to Marry a Millionaire (And Where to Live While You’re Married) — A Practical Discussion of How Elective Share and Other Testamentary Restrictions Can Impact Estate Planning”, 56th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, March 31, 2022
    • “Gifting to Nonprofits: What Can Go Wrong and How to Avoid It”,  Annual Nonprofit Law Seminar, March 2020
    • “The Ties That Bind: Ethical Considerations in Family Representations”, Estate Planning Institute – Institute for Continuing Legal Education in Georgia (“ICLE”), February 2020
    • “Elective Share Traps for the Unwary”, Fiduciary Law Institute – ICLE, July 2019
    • “Building and Managing a Practice, a Panel Discussion”, Atlanta Estate Planning Council, May 2017
    • “Financial Decision Making: Key Life Decisions Around Money”, The Woodruff Arts Center Women’s Giving Circle, April 2017
    • “Estate Planning is Going International . . . Are You Ready?”, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel 2016 Southeast Regional Meeting, November 2016
    • “Going Global: The Complex World of International Estate Planning”, Wilmington Trust’s Sixth Annual Trust & Estate Symposium – Florida Continuing Legal Education, October 2016
    • “We’re Not in Kansas (or Georgia) Anymore! U.S. Estate Planning for Foreign Clients and Assets”, The Georgia Society of CPAs Annual Estate Planning Conference, July 2015
    • “Avoiding Controversy in Family Philanthropy”, Fiduciary Law Institute – ICLE, July 2015
    • “Navigating the Murky Waters: Ethical Considerations in Family Representations”, Estate Planning Institute – ICLE, February 2015
    • “Families and Philanthropy”,​ Georgia Planned Giving Council, August 2014
    • “Multigenerational Family Representations: The Pitfalls and Practicalities”, Fiduciary Law Institute – ICLE, July 2012
    • “Into the Looking Glass: The Complexities of Multiple Representations in a Family Context”, Fiduciary Law Institute – ICLE, July 2010
    • “Handing Over the Keys… Business Succession Planning Challenges and Solutions”, Georgia Federal Tax Conference, June 2010
    • “The Do’s and Don’ts of Planning with Real Estate”, Estate Planning Institute – ICLE, February 2005
    • “Estate Planning (And Investing) Through Turbulence and Uncertainty”, Fiduciary Law Institute – ICLE, July 2003
    • “Estate Planning and Will Format Basics”, Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, May 2003
    • “Estate Planning for Procrastinators: Those Who Wait Until the Very Last Minute”, Georgia Federal Tax Institute, June 2001
    • “Basic Will Formats”, Basic Fiduciary Practice – ICLE, March 2000, May 1998, May 1997
    • “An Overview of Charitable Planning Techniques”, Estate Planning Institute – ICLE, February 1997
    • “GST Planning: A Nuts and Bolts Approach”, Estate Planning Institute – ICLE, February 1995
    • “GRATS: Beating the Odds”, Fiduciary Law Institute – ICLE, July 1994
    • “Planning for S Corporation Stock in Estates and Trusts”, Estate Planning Institute – ICLE, February 1993
    Publications
    • Co-author, “Navigate the Complex World of Spousal Entitlements at Death”, Estate Planning, January 2020
    • Co-author, Georgia Estate Planning, Will Drafting and Estate Administration Forms, August 2019
    • Co-author, “Longer Lives and Greater Wealth: Solutions to the Gifting Dilemma”, Estate Planning, October 2008
    • Co-author, “Estate Planning Strategies for Clients Who Wait Until the Last Minute”, Estate Planning, October 2001
    • Co-author, “Estate Planning for Procrastinators: Those Who Wait Until the Last Minute”, Estate Planning, September 2001
    • Co-author, “Estate Planning with Electing Small Business Trusts”, Taxation for Accountants, February 1997
    • Co-author, “Estate Planning with Electing Small Business Trusts”, Taxation for Lawyers, March/April 1997