John H. “Jay” Turner III focuses his practice on estate planning and administration with an emphasis on estate, gift, generation- skipping and fiduciary income tax planning. Prior to the firm’s name change in March 2020, Jay along with Mark Shepard co-founded Shepard & Turner, PLC. Prior to his current practice, Jay was a partner with Williams Mullen and served as chair of the firm’s estate planning section. Prior to joining Williams Mullen, Jay served as Senior Counsel in SunTrust Bank’s legal department.
Jay is a fellow of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar, where he served on the Board of Governors for the Trusts and Estates Section (2003-2009). Jay is a member of the Virginia Bar Association, serving on the legislative committee of the Section of Wills, Trusts and Estates. Jay is the past president of the Trust Administrators Council of Richmond and is a frequent lecturer for Virginia CLE. Jay is a co-author of Estate and Trust Administration in Virginia, published by the Virginia Law Foundation. Jay is listed in Best Lawyers in America in the Trusts & Estates category and is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, its highest possible rating.
Jay received a master of laws from the Georgetown University Law Center (LLM. taxation), his law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, and his undergraduate degree from Hampden-Sydney College. When not practicing law, Jay enjoys horseback riding, shooting sporting clays and spending time with his wife and children on their farm in Powhatan.