Thomas D. Sims

Tom Sims focuses his practice on trust and estate planning, tax planning, and probate matters for high-net-worth individuals, physicians, families, and closely held businesses. He advises clients on asset protection, estate and gift tax planning, and long-term wealth structuring with an emphasis on preserving family enterprises and minimizing transfer tax exposure across generations.

Tom brings a rigorous tax background to his estate planning practice, supported by advanced degrees in accounting and taxation and early experience in public accounting and tax-focused legal roles. That foundation informs a disciplined, detail-oriented approach to planning that integrates tax efficiency, fiduciary structure, and long-term family objectives.

A significant focus of Tom’s practice is advising physicians on asset protection, estate planning, and tax-efficient wealth structuring. He works closely with medical professionals to address the unique risks associated with their practices, including liability exposure, business ownership structures, and long-term planning for retirement and succession. Many of Tom’s physician clients maintain long-standing relationships with him, valuing his discretion, consistency, and ability to guide complex planning decisions over the course of their careers and into retirement.

Tom regularly represents families with estates exceeding $30 million, including clients with complex business interests, operating companies, and significant insurance and manufacturing assets. He has advised on trust restructurings, business reorganizations, and succession strategies that resulted in substantial reductions in projected estate tax liability, in some cases nearly eliminating transfer taxes altogether. His work often positions family enterprises for sale or transition while ensuring that resulting wealth is protected and deployed in accordance with long-term family plans.

Representative Matters

• Physician Asset Protection and Estate Planning: Advised physicians across multiple specialties on comprehensive asset protection and estate planning strategies designed to address professional liability exposure, complex compensation structures, and long-term wealth preservation. This work frequently includes coordinating estate plans with medical practice entities, real estate holdings, and investment assets.
• Large Estate Tax Reduction Planning: Structured estate and gift tax plans for high-net-worth individuals with estates exceeding $30 million, including several estates valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. In multiple matters, implemented planning strategies that substantially reduced projected estate tax liability and positioned assets to pass with little or no transfer tax at death.
• Family Business Succession and Trust Restructuring: Represented a multigenerational family-owned manufacturing company in a comprehensive trust restructuring and business reorganization that positioned the company for sale. The transaction funded long-term family trusts and allowed family members to realize the value created over decades of ownership.
• Insurance Company Ownership Planning: Advised the owner of a closely held insurance company on estate and tax planning strategies involving a projected estate exceeding $400 million. Developed and implemented a planning structure that significantly minimized anticipated estate tax exposure while preserving operational continuity.
• Family Office Representation: Served as primary outside counsel to high-net-worth families, providing ongoing advice on trust administration, real estate transactions, entity structuring, and coordination with litigation and transactional counsel. This role often involved acting as a central advisor overseeing legal strategy across multiple asset classes and family interests.
• Multigenerational Wealth Deployment: Structured trusts and planning vehicles that enabled beneficiaries to pursue new ventures, including hospitality and operating businesses, while maintaining asset protection and long-term tax efficiency.

Bar Admissions:

• Florida
• Georgia (Inactive)
• United States Tax Court

Education:

• University of Florida, LL.M. in Taxation
• Emory University, J.D.
• University of Florida, M., Accounting
• University of Florida, B.S., Accounting, cum laude

Awards & Recognition:

• Certified Public Accountant (Florida)
• Recipient of the Ernst & Young Tax Achievement Award
• Florida Super Lawyers®, Estate & Probate, 2025
• Selected as a Fellow of the Florida Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)

Community & Professional Organizations

• The James Museum
  • Board of Directors
• The All Children’s Estate Planning Seminar Committee
  • Member

Outside of the Office

Outside of his practice, Tom is deeply committed to his family and spends much of his time with his wife and their two children, both of whom are active in baseball. His days away from the office are often filled with practices, games, and the steady rhythm of family life that comes with raising young athletes. Tom is a devoted supporter of University of Florida athletics and closely follows Gator football, baseball, and basketball.

He and his family also enjoy traveling together and are drawn to destinations that offer a strong sense of place, whether through culture, scenery, or shared experiences. For Tom, time away from work is less about escape and more about connection, consistency, and being fully present with the people who matter most.