Michele Moore Echols

Attorney Brief

Mrs. Echols is an attorney in the Mandeville office. She is an experienced Board Certified Tax Law Specialist, certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. Her practice consists of estate planning (wills and trusts), successions, business transactions and litigation, business succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, fiduciary litigation (executor, administrator, trustee, shareholder/officer/director litigation), as well as taxation for non-profits and federal, state and local tax issues and litigation.

Education

Mrs. Echols received her Bachelor of Business Administration with a double major in Accounting and Finance from Loyola University of New Orleans in 1994, cum laude. She was awarded the degrees of Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor from Loyola University of New Orleans and the School of Law in 1998. She was awarded the degree of Masters in Tax Law (LL.M in Taxation) from the University of Florida School of Law in 1999.

Narrative

Mrs. Echols focuses on estate planning (wills and trusts), successions, business transactions and litigation, business succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, fiduciary litigation (executor, administrator, trustee, shareholder/officer/director litigation), as well as taxation for non-profits and federal, state and local tax issues and litigation. She draws from twenty-two (22) years of experience as she provides advice to fiduciaries, business owners and individuals. She acts as general counsel to many companies, providing various services which include choice of entity, entity formation documents, operating agreements, bylaws, buy-sell agreements, non-competition agreements, leases, stock and asset purchase agreements, employment contracts, minutes of meetings, resolutions, and other various contracts and documents. Mrs. Echols also provides dispute resolution and litigation services in contested succession matters, trust matters and business matters. Mrs. Echols’ tax background gives her a unique insight regarding succession planning of individuals and businesses. She also has been very successful in assisting businesses and individuals with tax planning strategies and securing the appropriate tax-exempt status, when warranted, with the Internal Revenue Service. Mrs. Echols has assisted numerous individuals and business taxpayers with resolving their Internal Revenue Service and state tax matters by effectively abating penalties, using the collection statute expiration dates, Offers in Compromise, innocent spousal relief and installment plans. Mrs. Echols was born and raised in St. Tammany Parish. She is a founding member and has served on the Board of Professional Woman of St. Tammany. She has also served on the Boards of Hope House, Covington Three Rivers Art Festival and the Catholic Community Foundation for the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Awards

• Board Certified Tax Law Specialist – Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization
• Louisiana State Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, 2014
• Southeast Louisiana Legal Services North Shore Pro Bono Project Award, 2012
• The National Association of Professional Women, Woman of the Year, 2012, 2013
• Louisiana Super Lawyers, “Rising Star”, 2012
• Louisiana Super Lawyers, 2018, 2019 and 2020

Bar, Courts & Professional Affiliations

Mrs. Echols is admitted to practice in all state courts in Louisiana and in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the United States Tax Court and the United States Court of Federal Claims. She is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the Northshore Estate Planning Council, the 22nd JDC Bar Association.