Strategic counsel for business owners, executives, and families making decisions that define what comes next.
You've built something. We make sure the legal structure underneath it is as strong as the business above it.
High-stakes decisions deserve counsel who understands both the law and the business context behind them.
Wealth transferred without strategy is wealth at risk. We build plans that carry your intentions forward — intact.
Selling a business. Planning an estate. Protecting an inheritance. The right moment to act is almost always now.
"Most attorneys tell you what's legal. We tell you what's strategic — then make it legal. That distinction is everything when the decision in front of you will define the next decade."
Most legal engagements begin when something has already gone wrong. Ours begin before that — with a conversation about where you are, where you're going, and what stands between you and that outcome.
With 20+ years of experience across private wealth planning, business law, and executive strategy, Debbie Faulkner serves as trusted counsel for business owners, executives, and multi-generational families who expect more from their attorney than documents.
Before you schedule a consultation, hear directly from Debbie Faulkner about how she approaches client relationships, what sets this firm apart, and why strategy — not just legal compliance — is the foundation of every engagement.
Schedule a Consultation
Every engagement answers one question: what does getting this right make possible for you?
Wills, trusts, and advance directives built around your actual life — not a template. Tax exposure minimized. Family conflict pre-empted. Peace of mind, permanent.
Explore Estate Planning 02 — ProbateEfficient administration of estates, protection of assets, resolution of creditor claims — handled by counsel who knows how to move things forward.
Explore Probate 03 — Business LawEntity formation, contracts, succession planning, and exit strategy — counsel that thinks like a business partner, not just a document reviewer.
Explore Business Law 04 — Business StrategistAdvisory counsel for acquisitions, exits, restructuring, and succession — combining legal authority with the business thinking that turns good decisions into great outcomes.
Explore Strategy AdvisoryStrategy over documents · Foresight over reaction · Outcomes over process · Long-term partnership over one-time transactions
A continuous lifecycle — not a file opened and closed. We stay in the conversation as your business grows, your family changes, and your goals evolve. The legal work is never done; it simply adapts.
A Continuous Lifecycle — Each step flows directly into the next
Understanding your full picture — business, family, risk, and ambition — before a single recommendation is made.
Mapping the legal and strategic path — aligned with your long-term goals, not just the immediate problem.
Precision structures — trusts, entities, agreements — that insulate what you've built from tax, liability, and uncertainty.
Handling the complexity, the filings, the negotiations — so you can lead, not manage legal issues.
An ongoing relationship — not a closed matter. We remain in the conversation as your life and business evolve.
Legal infrastructure that grows with you — regularly assessed, updated, and aligned to where you're going next.
Small enough that every client works directly with Debbie. Experienced enough to handle the most complex matters in estate planning, business law, and strategic advisory.
Cornell Law. LL.M. in Taxation. 20+ years serving Tampa Bay families and businesses with strategic precision and personal care.
Full Biography →Bio coming soon. Contact our office for immediate assistance.
Bio coming soon. Contact our office for immediate assistance.
Answers here are general in nature. For guidance specific to your situation, schedule a consultation.
Yes. Estate planning is not about wealth — it's about control. Without a plan, Florida law decides who receives your assets, who manages your finances if you're incapacitated, and who makes your medical decisions. A basic estate plan ensures those choices belong to you.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (July 2025) permanently raised the federal exemption to $15M per person ($30M for couples) starting January 1, 2026 — with no sunset. While the "use it or lose it" urgency has lifted, strategic gifting, dynasty trusts, and SLATs remain powerful tools for locking in appreciation outside your estate and protecting against future law changes.
Most businesses access legal counsel reactively — when something goes wrong. A Business Strategist operates proactively, as an ongoing advisor who understands your business deeply and helps you make smarter decisions before the problem arrives. Think of it as having a fractional Chief Legal Officer embedded in your strategy, not just your legal matters.
Review your estate plan after any major life event — marriage, divorce, birth of a child, death of a beneficiary, significant change in assets, or business transaction. At a minimum, review every 3–5 years. Tax law changes can also create planning opportunities worth discussing. An outdated plan can be as harmful as no plan at all.
If you have a co-owner, yes — without exception. A buy-sell agreement defines what happens when an owner dies, becomes disabled, wants to exit, or faces divorce. Without one, your business partner's spouse could become your new partner. It's one of the most overlooked and consequential documents a business can have.
Probate is the court-supervised process of validating a will and distributing estate assets. In Florida, formal probate typically takes 6–12 months for straightforward estates; complex or contested estates can take considerably longer. Summary administration may be available for smaller estates. Many of our estate planning clients structure their affairs specifically to avoid probate — saving their families time, cost, and the public exposure of court proceedings.
The same foresight applied to a client's business plan is applied here — in how we invest in the community that raised us.
At The Faulkner Firm, the practice of law is about more than legal results — it's about strengthening the community we call home.
Our Community CommitmentPregnancy resource center, Clearwater, FL. Debbie serves on the Board of Directors.
Supporting children in foster care and young adults aging out of the system.
Performing arts education for students across northern Pinellas County.
Investing in the spiritual formation and character of the next generation.