About Steven D.
Steven D. Beres built his legal foundation at Florida State University. He earned a B.S. in Business in 1978, followed by a J.D. in 1981. He stayed in Florida for postgraduate study and received an LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law in 1982. During law school he served on the Florida State University Law Review, an early signal of his interest in the technical side of the law.
His legal career spans decades of practice in probate, wills and trust matters. He is a shareholder at Crary Buchanan, where he has handled estate planning, trust administration and probate tasks for individual and institutional clients. He holds a certification in Wills, Trusts and Estates from The Florida Bar, a credential that reflects additional study and peer review in that area of practice.
Beres has combined private practice with community involvement. He currently serves on the board of the Martin Health Foundation. He has also held leadership roles in United Methodist-affiliated organizations, including time as chairman of the board of the Florida United Methodist Development Fund, Inc. and board membership with the Florida United Methodist Foundation, Inc.
Local civic work has been part of his professional life. He has participated in the estate planning committee at First United Methodist Church in Stuart, Florida, and served on the board of the YMCA of Martin County Foundation. These roles have kept him engaged with nonprofits and local institutions that intersect frequently with estate and charitable planning issues.
Within the legal community he maintains membership in The Florida Bar and the Martin County Estate Planning Council. His certification from the bar and long-standing involvement in bar-related planning groups reflect a practice that emphasizes the mechanics of estate documents and administration. Colleagues describe him as methodical and pragmatic in handling complex trust and probate matters.
Clients and local organizations have relied on his counsel in matters that range from straightforward wills to multi-faceted trust arrangements and the administration of estates. The combination of his LL.M. in Estate Planning and decades of practice informs the technical advice he gives. He continues to practice at Crary Buchanan, concentrating on wills, trusts, estate administration and related matters.
