Watkins & Eager is pleased to announce that Clark C. Luke, a member in the firm’s Jackson’s office, has been elected to the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) as a Fellow.
ACTEC, established in 1949, is a national, nonprofit association of approximately 2,500 lawyers and law professors elected by their peers on the basis of professional reputation and experience in the preparation of wills and trusts, estate planning, probate, trust administration and related practice areas. The College aims to improve and reform probate, trust and tax laws, procedures, and professional responsibility.
To qualify for membership, a lawyer must be nominated by an attorney, not in their own firm, and pass through a careful review by both state and national membership selection committees. At least 10 years of experience in trust and estate law is required. Lawyers are elected to be Fellows based on their outstanding reputation, exceptional skill, and substantial contributions to the field by lecturing, writing, teaching, and participating in bar leadership or legislative activities. It is their aim to improve and reform probate, trust and tax laws, procedures, and professional responsibility.
Clark’s primary practice areas include estate and trust planning, estate administration, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and general taxation law. He is AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Since 2018, Clark has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law; Corporate Law; Elder Law; Tax Law; and Trusts and Estates. Beginning in 2020, Chambers has recognized Clark as a leading high net worth advisor in the private wealth market. He also has been recognized as Rising Star in estate planning and probate by Mid-South Super Lawyers.
Clark, also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants and has served on the Executive Committee of the Estates and Trusts Section of the Mississippi Bar Association for the previous six years.
Clark obtained his Bachelor of Accountancy and Master of Taxation from the University of Mississippi, his J.D. from the University of Mississippi, and his LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida. He is an active member of the Mississippi Bar and was formerly a member of the Tennessee Bar.