M. Travis Hayes
Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
T: (239) 514-1000
F: (239) 594-7313
E: thayes@gfpac.com
Education
University of Miami, LL.M., Estate Planning, 2005
University of Florida, J.D., 2004
University of Florida, B.A., Business Administration, 2001
Bar Admissions
Florida
Professional Involvement
American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
Fellow
Member, Fiduciary Litigation Committee
Member, Fiduciary Income Tax Committee
Member, Communications Committee
Graduate, Inaugural Class of the Florida Fellows Institute
The Florida Bar
Past Chair, Florida Probate Rules Committee
Past Member and Chair-Elect, Grievance Committee 20B
Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar
Member, Executive Council
Chair, Probate Law and Procedure Committee
Past Chair, Florida Business Corporation Act Task Force
Past Vice-Chair, Legislation Committee
Past Vice-Chair, Digital Assets and Information Study Committee
Past Vice-Chair, Member Communications and Information Technology Committee
Past Vice-Chair, Legislative Update Committee
Member, Trust Law Committee
Member, Probate and Trust Litigation Committee
Member, Estate and Trust Tax Planning Committee
Member, Asset Protection Committee
Member, Strategic Planning Committee
Past Lead Circuit Representative for the 20th Judicial Circuit
Collier County Bar Association
President and Member of the Board of Directors
Past Chair, Trusts and Estates Section
Past Chair, Young Lawyers Section
Estate Planning Council of Naples, Member
Planned Giving Council of Naples, Member
Community Involvement
University of Florida Advisor Network (UFAN), Member
University of Miami Graduate Program in Estate Planning, Student Advisor
Ave Maria School of Law, Guest Lecturer
Collier County Bar Foundation, Board of Directors and Past President
United Way of Collier County, Past Member of Board of Directors
David Lawrence Center, Past Member of Young Executives Board of Directors
Red Cross of Lee County, Past Member of Planned Giving Committee
Drug-Free Collier Foundation, Past Member of Operations Committee
Naples Chamber of Commerce, Graduate of the Inaugural Class of the Growing Associates in Naples (“GAIN”) Program
Professional Experience:
Travis Hayes is a shareholder of Grant Fridkin Pearson, P.A, and has practiced law in Southwest Florida since 2005. Travis focuses his practice in estate planning, estate and trust administration, and probate and trust litigation. He is a frequent speaker and author on estate planning and estate and trust administration topics. He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Trusts & Estates since 2018, and he holds an AV Preeminent peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Travis is a member of the Executive Council for the Real Property, Probate & Trust Law (“RPPTL”) Section of The Florida Bar and currently serves as the Chair of the RPPTL Probate Law and Procedure Committee. He is a past Vice-Chair of the RPPTL Legislation Committee and a past Vice-Chair of the RPPTL Digital Assets and Information Study Committee. Travis is a past Chair of the Probate Rules Committee for The Florida Bar.
Travis is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (“ACTEC”). He currently serves on the Fiduciary Litigation Committee and the Fiduciary Income Tax Committee for ACTEC. He has been named by Florida Trend magazine as a “Legal Elite” in Florida, by Super Lawyers as a Florida Super Lawyer, and by Naples Illustrated as a Top Trusts & Estates Lawyer. Travis was selected as one of the Top 40 under 40 Trusts and Estates attorneys in the State of Florida for 2015 and 2016 by the American Society of Legal Advocates. In recognition of his service to the RPPTL Section, Travis was awarded the At-Large Member of the Year award in 2014 and the Rising Star award in 2018.
Travis is currently serving as President of the Collier County Bar Association. He is a past President of the Collier County Bar Foundation and past Chair of the Trusts & Estates Section of the Collier County Bar Association.
Practice Areas: Trusts & Estates
Areas of Concentration:
Representing individuals in their estate planning
Representing fiduciaries in the administration of estates, trusts and guardianships
Representing fiduciaries and beneficiaries in disputed matters involving estates, trusts and guardianships
Advising clients in the avoidance and minimization of estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes
Advising clients in charitable planning
Advising clients in business succession planning
Attorney Publications/Presentations:
Co-Author: Florida Estate Planning (treatise published by Thomson-Reuters as part of West’s Florida Practice Series)
Co-Author: “Relationship Dissolution Planning” (a chapter of The Florida Bar practice manual, Asset Protection in Florida)
Speaking engagements throughout the State of Florida (including recent presentations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota, and Fort Myers) to Bar Associations, Estate Planning Councils, and other Trusts & Estates-related groups.