Jeff Goethe was raised in Bradenton and graduated from Manatee High School in 1982. Jeff was a member of the 1981 District Championship football team at Manatee and continued to play football for four years at Maryville College in Tennessee while maintaining a Presidential Scholarship for academics. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in History at Maryville College, Jeff attended the University of Tennessee College of Law from 1987 to 1990. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves in 1986 and served while attending law school. After returning to Florida, he transferred to the Florida National Guard and served until 1992. Jeff lives in Bradenton with his wife, Jeannie. Together, they have raised seven children.
Jeff’s community involvement has included:
- The Hernando DeSoto Historical Society;
- The Board of Directors of the Manatee County Boys and Girls Clubs;
- Volunteer Pop Warner football coach;
- Volunteer Manatee County Family YMCA Coach; and
- Catechist, St. Joseph Catholic Church’s Parrish School of Religion.
Jeff strongly believes in the value of active participation in professional organizations. His memberships, including committees and leadership positions within those organizations, include:
- The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (2014 to present);
---- Elder Law Committee
---- Asset Protection Committee
- The American Bar Association;
---- Real Property, Trusts, and Estates Section
---- Fellow, The American Bar Foundation (2020-present)
- The Florida Bar (1990 to present)
---- Member, The Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section
---- Executive Council (2010 to present)
---- Florida Bar Journal Committee (2013-2021; Co-Editor 2015-2021)
---- Wills, Trusts and Estates Certification Review Course Committee (2012-2021; Chair
2015-2021)
---- Probate Law and Procedure Committee (2009 to present; Co-Vice Chair 2010-2011
and 2019-2020)
---- Homestead Issues Study Committee (2007 to present; Co-Chair 2016-2020; Chair
2020-present)
---- 2016 John Arthur Jones Annual Service Award
- Member, Elder Law Section
- Author, Chapter 14 – Final Distribution and Discharge, Practice Under the Florida Probate
Code, 10th edition (The Florida Bar 2020)
- Co-Author, Chapter 11 – Compensation Disputes, Litigation Under the Florida Probate
Code, 12th Edition (The Florida Bar 2020)
- Author, 2020 – A Challenging Year for Keeping Up With Changes to Probate and
Guardianship Rules and Statues (The Florida Bar Journal, March 2021)
- Co-Author, Homestead Planning Under Florida’s New “Safe Harbor” Statute (Florida Bar Journal, May 2019)
- Author, Trust Protectors Under Current Florida Law (The Florida Bar Journal, June 2017)
- The Florida Probate Rules Committee
---- Member (2006-2012 and 2014-2020)
---- Chair (2010-2011 and 2019-2020)
- The Florida Rules of Judicial Administration Committee (2020-present)
- The Manatee County Bar Association
---- Member (1991-present)
---- President (2014-2015)
- The Manatee Inns of Court, Emeritus Member
- The Manatee Estate Planning Council
- Lecturer and author for various professional groups in the areas of probate and estate planning.
- Author, Florida Wills, Trusts and Estates Blog.
Jeff has attained several professional ratings based on his experience and reviews from his peers:
- Board-Certified by The Florida Bar as a specialist in Wills, Trusts, and Estates (2010-present)
- “Superior” rating from the AVVO attorney rating service
- “AV-Preeminent” peer review rating through Martindale-Hubbell
- “Super Lawyer” recognition by Thomson Reuters through its peer review process. (2017- present)
Jeff can be reached at telephone extension #1323 or by email at jgoethe@barneswalker.com.
To schedule an initial appointment, please call 941-900-0870 and ask to speak with Carroll for estate planning matters or Rhonda for probate and trust administration matters.
