Jenifer S. Schembri

Jenifer Schembri is a principal at the law firm Blalock Walters, P.A. and practices in both of the firm’s Bradenton and Sarasota offices. She is the practice group leader for the estate planning and tax law service groups. Jenifer is Board Certified by The Florida Bar as an expert in Tax Law, in addition to having her LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida. Jenifer represents both companies and individuals in the areas of individual and business tax planning, entity selection and formation, corporate governance matters, mergers and acquisitions, business succession planning and transitions, charitable planning, tax controversy matters at the federal and Florida levels, and all aspects of estate planning, including trust and estate taxation and wealth preservation.

Jenifer has received the AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell. AV Preeminent is a significant rating accomplishment and a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of ethical and professional excellence. She was selected as a Legal Elite by Florida Trend in 2014.

Estate Planning Practice

Jenifer represents clients in all areas of estate and elder law planning, including the preparation of wills, trusts, and other ancillary documents such as powers of attorney, health care surrogates and living wills.  Jenifer’s significant tax background and estate planning experience also assists her in offering highly sophisticated estate planning and charitable planning, including charitable trusts, when it is consistent with a client’s goals and objectives.  In addition, Jenifer assists clients in evaluating and qualifying for Medicaid to assist with their elder care needs.  Jenifer’s estate planning practice also includes assisting families following the death of a loved one with both Trust administration services and probate.

Tax Law Practice  

Jenifer is Board Certified by The Florida Bar as an expert in Tax Law. Jenifer’s tax law practice includes representing and advising companies and business owners in connection with the formation, operation, acquisition, merger, joint ventures, reorganization and sale of their business entities.  In addition, she represents businesses and individuals with both the IRS and Florida Department of Revenue in connection with tax controversy matters.  In the area of estate planning, Jenifer represents clients in all aspects of estate and gift tax planning, together with charitable tax planning.  Jenifer’s practice focuses on providing proactive, timely and understandable tax advice to her clients in connection with their business and personal goals.

Business and Corporate Practice

Jenifer represents clients in all aspects of business and corporate transactions, including entity selection, formation, operating, partnership and shareholder agreements, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and general corporate matters.  One of Jenifer’s primary areas of practice is business succession planning, specifically with family owned businesses.  Jenifer focuses on working with the families over time to meet their business goals, tailoring their operative business documents and often times their estate planning documents to achieve their business and family goals.  In addition, Jenifer represents many charitable organizations, assisting with formation, IRS qualification, corporate governance, joint ventures, acquisitions and general corporate matters.

Honors

• Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America©, 2023
• AV Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell 
• Legal Elite, Florida Trend, 2014