John Griffing

John Griffing is an attorney at Griffing Leazer, PLLC, whose practice focuses on business, tax, and estate matters. He has more than 30 years of experience planning transactions and resolving or litigating controversies involving the Internal Revenue Service and the North Carolina Department of Revenue. His work combines tax planning, estate planning law, probate-related guidance, and business counseling with experience handling disputes before taxing authorities. He also brings accounting, finance, and investment credentials to matters involving financial and tax issues.

John earned his J.D. cum laude from Wake Forest School of Law, and his M.B.A. with distinction from Wake Forest’s Babcock School of Management. He earned his B.S. in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is admitted in North Carolina and South Carolina and before the US Tax Court. He is a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law, a North Carolina CPA, a Certified Management Accountant, and a Chartered Financial Analyst.

John began his career at Price Waterhouse before transitioning to legal practice. He later spent much of his career with a law firm in Gastonia. Since 1998, he has taught estate planning in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s M.S. in Accounting program. He has also served as an adjunct law professor teaching Corporate Tax and Tax Procedures at Wake Forest School of Law. His professional affiliations include the Gaston County Bar Association, North Carolina Bar Association, and North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants.

John Griffing has written and co-written on tax, estate planning, business, and professional practice issues. His published work has addressed employee ownership trusts, collaboration tools for lawyers, tax planning during difficult business conditions, health care choices for people with disabilities, partnership and LLC changes, bankruptcy and taxes, trusts, and probate planning. His combination of legal, accounting, tax, and investment experience supports a practice centered on business planning, estate matters, tax controversies, and financially complex legal issues for individuals and businesses.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Griffing Leazer, PLLC
• Member, Gaston County Bar Association
• Member, North Carolina Bar Association
• Member, North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants
• Member, Association for Investment Management and Research

Licensed State

• North Carolina
• South Carolina

Education

• Wake Forest School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Wake Forest’s Babcock School of Management
  Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Bachelor of Science (BS)

Awards & Badges