John W. Metzger | Attorney

John W. Metzger is a Senior Partner in May, Metzger, Zimmerman LLP, having joined the firm in 1977.

Trust and Estate Administration. In keeping with the firm's main focus, Mr. Metzger has extensive experience in representing fiduciaries in the context of decedent's estates and trusts. Mr. Metzger's other main focus is estate planning on complex family situations, and in addition, he has substantial background in handling guardianship proceedings.

Orphans Court Litigation. Mr. Metzger has handled a substantial volume of Orphans' Court litigation including will contests, paternity suits, surcharge actions as well as various other remedial actions against fiduciaries.

Appellate. Mr. Metzger has handled a considerable volume of appellate work related to Orphans Court matters and the establishment of paternity. In this vein, Mr. Metzger's achievements in the landmark case of Faust vs. Faggart, 406, Pa. Super 357, were instrumental in cementing a change in the law of Pennsylvania involving critical presumptions of paternity pertaining to married persons where a child is born to the mother of that union.

Fiduciary Income Tax. Building upon a strong background in personal income taxation, fiduciary income taxation, death and transfer taxes (including the Federal Transfer Tax, Generation Skipping Transfer Tax and the Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax), Mr. Metzger designed and implemented a comprehensive fiduciary income tax regimen and supporting infrastructure for the firm. The tax department, in addition to preparing personal and fiduciary income taxes for fiduciaries represented by the firm, has prepared returns for a number of banks and wealth management groups.

Professional and Community Activities. Mr. Metzger is a frequent lecturer on estate, probate, will, fiduciary, taxation and estate planning topics and has presented programs for both the National Business Institute (NBI) and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI). Mr. Metzger has also taught estate administration and related courses for the Paralegal Division of the National Business Institute and for the Paralegal Program of the Pennsylvania State University.

In 2005, Mr. Metzger and his wife, Mary, as general contractor, directed the rehabilitation and expansion of the 1721 Abraham Herr House in Lancaster Township, which project garnered the Craftsmans Award from the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster.

Mr. Metzger served as a trustee of the Heritage Center Museum of Lancaster and headed its planned giving committee as well as the cultural Heritage Museum. Mr. Metzger negotiated and prepared the lease purchase documentation that helped to spearhead the initial establishment of the Quilt & Textile Museum in the Lancaster Trust Building in Lancaster City, as well as substantially contributing to the analysis of the technical and engineering studies that eventually resulted in the ultimate purchase of the Lancaster Trust Building as the permanent home for the museum and its supporting dependencies.

As an ancillary discipline to an active zoning practice and a commitment to the civil well-being of the municipality, Mr. Metzger has been a member of the Lancaster Township Zoning Hearing Board since 1990 serving as chairman from 1996 until the present.

Mr. Metzger maintains memberships in the Pennsylvania and Lancaster Bar Associations.

Education. Mr. Metzger received his B.A. degree from Richmond College of the University of Richmond in 1974. In addition to graduating cum laude, Mr. Metzger was awarded the Charles T. Norman award for the most distinguished graduate in the English curriculum.

Mr. Metzger received his juris doctor degree from The Temple University School of Law in 1997 with distinction in the Contracts discipline.