The Legal Elite
Top Taxes, Trusts and Estates Lawyer
Louis A. Mezzullo
Mezzullo & Guare

by Kathleen Coleman Thomas

Lou Mezzullo is a whirlwind. He has logged more than 1 million frequent flyer miles as a tax, estate planning and employee benefits guru who’s called upon to speak to groups nationwide. In 2000, he’ll travel 145 days to lecture on topics of interest in his legal specialty. He answers all messages religiously, whether he’s in Altoona or Atlanta, to make sure that his legal clients aren’t short-changed. "In fact, I answer the ones that I want to take the least, first," he adds.

Whatever the task, Mezzullo takes it on with focus and dedication. "I haven’t met anyone who is more committed to clients as well as professional development," says David Clark, McCandlish Kaine PC’s managing director who was mentored by Mezzullo.

When asked about her initial attraction to him, Judi, his wife of 31 years says, "I thought he would be something, whatever he did... He does so much and he does it all well."

What Mezzullo aims to accomplish, he usually does.

From the day he graduated from the T.C. Williams School of Law in 1976, his goal was to be a lawyer’s lawyer. He’s listed in "Who’s Who in American Law," "Who’s Who in Emerging Leaders," "Who’s Who in America," and "The Best Lawyers in America." He’s authored or co-authored eight books on estate planning and taxes and is current chair of the American Bar Association Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law.

Mezzullo has assumed many other leadership positions. "Because I think I’m efficient, I can get more done in a leadership role vs. sitting back as one of the Indians," he says. "When some other people are in charge, they don’t have the same concern about wasting people’s time." Case in point is his role as chair of the Business Council of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, a newly formed group that seeks to enhance the museum’s image in the business community. Mezzullo was given a list of 24 potential recruits. He subsequently got 20 of those individuals to agree to participate. "I told them that the meetings would be short and productive and run on time," he says.

Self-discipline is likewise prominent in his personal life. Take his exercise regime. To stay in shape, Mezzullo pedals a stationary bike for a half hour every morning, works out on other exercise equipment for 30 minutes every other morning and walks 50 minutes every night. Mezzullo is described by his peers as the consummate professional who demands a lot of himself and the people who work for him. He’s appreciated for his attention to detail and for his empathy in dealing with personal financial issues that often become strained in the face of familial discord. Clients must have a high level of trust in the tax and estate planning lawyer with whom their confidences are shared.

Mezzullo, who says he might have been a priest or a teacher if he hadn’t pursued law, says he isn’t motivated by money. In March he left the firm he founded in 1982 with Tom McCandlish and Larry Framme to open Mezzullo & Guare PLC, a boutique firm that focuses on estate planning and business plans for closely held businesses. "I decided that (my former firm) had gotten too big and the culture was changing to be more focused on profit," he says. "That’s fine, but it’s not necessarily my focus... I enjoy the practice of law but I also enjoy having a quality of life." That quality of life includes spending time with his wife who accompanies him on 95 percent of his travels, playing tennis and golf, serving as adjunct professor at the University of Richmond’s law school and savoring good food and wine.