Jon R. Vaught

Jon R. Vaught has been certified as a Specialist in Taxation Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.  His certification as a Specialist by the California Board of Legal Specialization in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law is currently pending.  Mr. Vaught provides practical counseling and litigation services for clients in estate planning, trust and probate, taxation, asset protection, and business law matters.

Mr. Vaught received a B.A. with honors from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from the University of California Davis School of Law.  While attending law school, he was an editor for and contributor to the U.C. Davis Law Review.  He later went on to obtain his LL.M in tax law from Golden Gate University School of Law.  Since 1994, Mr. Vaught has been an adjunct professor of law in the Golden Gate University LL.M. Tax Program, where he has taught in the areas of Estate and Gift Taxation, Estate Planning, Advanced Estate Planning, and Professional Responsibility for Tax Practitioners. 

Mr. Vaught has been a member of the California State Bar since 1984.  He is also a member of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court in all four California Districts, and the U.S. Tax Court.  Mr. Vaught has had several of his cases published by the courts and continues to lecture to various legal organizations in the areas of estate taxation, estate planning, asset protection, and tax procedure.

Admissions

• State Bar of California, 1984
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1985
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 1985
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, 1985
• U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1985
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, 1985
• U.S. Tax Court, 1985

Education

• LL.M., Golden Gate University, 1994
• J.D., University of California, Davis, 1984
• A.B., University of California, Berkeley, 1981
• Certified Specialist by California Board of Legal Specialization, Taxation
• Certified Specialist by California Board of Legal Specialization, Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law (Pending)

Professional Associations

• Alameda County Bar Association
• Taxation Section, State Bar of California
• Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Section, State Bar of California

Publications

• Estate Tax Procedures, Decedent Estate Practice, 2nd Ed. Continuing Education of the Bar
• "Hydroelectric Power. The Federal Power Act and State Water Laws: Is Federal Preemption Water Over the Dam?," University of California Davis Law Review, Vol. 17, No. 4, (Summer 1984).

Awards and Recognitions

• Super Lawyer, San Francisco Magazine, 2004-2007, 2009, 2010
• Outstanding Instructor, Tax LL.M, Golden Gate University School of Law, 2005