James D. Pretorius

Associate Attorney
Heuston Legal PLLC

Before becoming an attorney, James served as a business executive, high school calculus teacher, and young men's tennis coach in central Florida prior to moving to Melbourne to begin his legal career with Heuston Legal. During law school at the University of Florida, James focused on tax-related coursework, clerked at a local Gainesville Elder Law firm, and served as the President of the Association for Tax Law. James participated in tax law-related events in his role for the Association for Tax Law. He oversaw the student-led UF Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to provide free basic tax preparation services to individual at-risk taxpayers. James also served as a general editor on the Florida Journal for International Law at the UF College of Law.

James's passion for helping others fits well with Heuston Legal's focus on representing charities. James practices daily at helping our clients through the difficulty of a loved one's passing by advising them on the processes and procedures for administering probate estates and probate-free trusts after a death.

Preparing unique and cost-efficient estate plans for our clients is important to James. He is skilled at drafting wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, and health care surrogate documents, specifically tailored for each client's unique family situation.

James' practice also focuses on trust administration and probate litigation and offers clients an empathetic understanding of the non-legal world as a second-career lawyer. He represents his clients with a high degree of compassion, skill, and integrity.

You will likely find James on the tennis court or involved in local community service projects outside the office. He looks forward to building his career at Heuston Legal and securing a Wills, Trusts and Estates Board Certification from The Florida Bar in the coming years. Go Gators!