MEET THE TEAM

Trace Brooks

Trace Brooks is the Founder and Managing Attorney of Brightside Estate and Elder Law. After years of tax and estate planning experience in other firms, Trace founded Brightside Estate and Elder Law to help successful individuals and families protect their assets and build wealth by implementing comprehensive estate plans. 

In addition to managing the firm, Trace teaches Wills, Trusts, and Estates as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgia State University College of Law. Further, his research has appeared in several publications, including the prestigious ACTEC Law Journal. Trace is an active member of STEP (an international society for trust and estate professionals), the Estate Planning and Elder Law Sections of the Atlanta Bar Association, and various other professional organizations.

Education and Experience

Trace earned a Tax LL.M. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law – consistently ranked one of the top three tax law programs nationwide. Prior to attending the University of Florida, Trace graduated from the Georgia State University College of Law with highest pro bono distinction. At Georgia State University, Trace worked with the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, where he represented several clients before the IRS. During law school, Trace worked at the Yale University College of Law, the United States Depertment of Interior, and the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.

Trace holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Anthropology from Georgia State University. While studying anthropology, Trace worked on archaeological projects in Peru, Turkey, and throughout the southeastern United States.

Memberships

Trace is a board member for the Coldharbour Institute, an environmental nonprofit organization in Gunnison, Colorado, and a member of the 2021 class of Generation Green, the Georgia Conservancy’s junior board.

Selected Publications

Trace is an avid reader and word game enthusiast who aspires to publish a crossword in The New York Times.

• Incorporating Social Justice and Environmental Sustainability Into Estate Planning Through Conservation Easements, Trace Brooks, ACTEC Law Journal, Vol. 49, No. 2 (Fall 2023).
• Of Privacy and Publicity: Symbiotic Rights (or Wellspring of Obfuscation), Jeffrey L. Carson and Trace Brooks, ACTEC Law Journal, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Fall 2022).
• Heritage in the Global Economy: Protecting Cultural Heritage Through Nongovernmental and Voluntary Practice, with Marion Werkheiser and Ellen Chapman, in Relevance and Application of Heritage in Contemporary Society edited by Pei-Lin Yu, Chen Shen, and George S. Smith (August 2018).

Personal Information

In his spare time, Trace travels frequently, often to golf or pursue outdoor adventures with friends and family.