Top best Estate Planning Lawyers in Charlotte | 179 available

Debra Foster is a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.  She focuses her practice on estate planning and estate administration matters.  Debra is certified by the North Carolina State Bar as a Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law and for seven years she served on the North Carolina State Bar committee charged with the certification of qualified attorneys in this area of practice.  In 2009-2010, Debra chaired the North Carolina State Bar Estate Planning and Probate Law Specialization Committee.  She is a past Chair of the Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, having served as its Vice-Chair, its Secretary, and as the Chair of the Section's Continuing Legal Education Committee for two years.  She now serves on the Section's Ethics Committee.  Debra is a member of the Charlotte Estate Planning Council and has lectured and continues to lecture extensively on matters pertaining to estate planning and charitable giving.

Christopher J. Leddy, Jr. was born in the Catskill mountains of upstate New York. Chris moved to Stuart, Florida with his family at the age of 5. Growing up in the Sunshine State is what sparked his love and desire to practice in very focused areas of the law: Estate Planning & Elder Law. Prior to beginning his career, Chris worked diligently over a four year period to obtain the Gold Congressional Award Medal. During 2007, this honor was bestowed upon only 273 youth across the nation who completed over 400+ hours of community service, 200+ hours of physical fitness, 200+ hours of personal development, and a 4 night expedition. Chris learned valuable life lessons while completing these goals that he still uses to this day.. Chris attended the University of South Florida (USF) for his undergraduate studies. He received his Bachelor's Degree with a double-major in Political Science and History. This degree focus has fostered both a passion for civic engagement and a love for the United States military. Upon graduation from USF, Chris spent the beginning years of his professional career working for the Martin County Supervisor of Elections in Stuart, Florida. This experience fostered his love for elder law issues and it was after this experience that Chris decided to pursue a legal career.. During law school, Chris clerked for a private firm that focused on Estate Planning, Estate Administration and Elder Law issues such as Medicaid Pre-Planning, Medicaid Crisis Planning and Veterans Affairs Aid & Attendance. Chris was also a member of Moot Court Team during law school, where he competed in the Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition. His passion for appellate advocacy and civil litigation stems from this experience. Upon graduation, Chris worked for a small Estate Planning firm in Fort Mill, SC while he studied for, sat for, and passed the South Carolina Bar Exam. The following July, Chris sat for, and passed, the North Carolina Bar Exam.. Chris takes pride is a "client-first" approach as well as his attention to detail. His main focus is to assist clients leverage their options to maximize their wealth, in order to preserve their heritage and legacy for future generations. These foundations have provided the Heritage Law Firm mission, "Your Life, Our Passion.". On a personal note, Chris is married to the love of his life, Macy. The two live in Indian Land, SC with their beautiful daughter, Kinsley, and their three dogs, Daisy, Bailey, & Kahlua. Chris & Macy are active parishioners at St. Matthews Church in Ballantyne.

Christian has practiced law in Charlotte for over 10 years and has substantial experience advising individuals, families and institutions on estate planning, business succession planning, asset protection, tax, and estate administration and probate law issues.  Christian also represents beneficiaries and fiduciaries in trust and estate related disputes, including breach of fiduciary duty claims, matters of will and trust construction, will caveats, actions for removal of trustees and executors, and actions for trust modification and termination.  He is licensed to practice law in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Chris counsels both individual and corporate clients on a wide range of legal issues with a special focus on tax and estate planning. His background in real estate development has enabled him to effectively counsel clients on development, construction and sales of both land and building projects. He is dedicated to seeing his clients achieve their entrepreneurial goals and realizing their professional and familial visions.. Chris began his legal career at Pricewaterhouse Coopers after graduating from Georgetown University’s tax law program. At PwC, Chris worked as a tax associate charged with advising and assisting national companies with various jurisdictional tax compliance goals.. Wanting to bring this same level of expertise and attention to individual clients and their families, Chris joined a boutique estate planning and business law firm in Charlotte. There, he served high-net worth families by advising and implementing estate planning strategies designed with the twin goals of wealth preservation and generational planning. He also assisted entrepreneurs at all stages of their business development.. Chris then served as general counsel at a real estate development and investment partnership where he was able to combine his legal background with his prior experience as a real estate broker. There, he supervised and helped administer multiple sales and development campaigns in addition to managing both commercial and investment real estate portfolios. He also provided individual estate and tax planning services to partners and their families.. Prior to attending law school, Chris worked as a real estate broker and as an award winning newspaper journalist.

Born and raised in Charlotte, Attorney Michael Trotter graduated from Myers Park High School and went on to study Political Science at North Carolina State graduating from North Carolina State Michael returned home to attend Charlotte Law.. While in Law School Michael interned with the Gaston County Public Defenders Office and the Honorable Graham Mullen U.S. Senior District Judge. After graduating from Law School with High Distinction Pro Bono Honors, Michael opened the doors of Trotter Law PLLC intent on providing clients both small and large Practical Legal Advice in the areas of Family, Business, & Estate Planning.. “Communication is one of the most important aspects of every relationship. I strive to develop open lines of communication with my clients allowing us to work towards a level of trust which ultimately puts me in the best position to provide practical advice.”. Being an Attorney is only one aspect of my life. While I take great pride in my work I know the importance of living a balanced life. In my free time you can find me relaxing with my family, cheering on the Wolfpack or “attempting” to play a round of golf.. -Michael J. Trotter

Bobby and his wife Katie have lived in Belmont, North Carolina since 2005. They are kept busy with their 3 kids: Tripp and the twins, Gavin and Audrey. Katie is a fellow attorney, practicing in Cleveland County as an Assistant District Attorney.. Prior to becoming an attorney, Bobby served in the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a combat engineer platoon leader and executive officer. He was deployed to Iraq with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Unit, and he was awarded the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal for his service.. Since joining Clawson & Staubes in 2011, Bobby has represented individuals, companies and local governments. While Bobby began his career in litigation, he now focuses on asset protection, estate planning, and helping families put the proper tools in place to ensure the continuation of the families’ legacies.. As a husband and father, Bobby understands that the key to ensuring spouses, children and loved ones are well protected and taken care of is detailed and effective planning.. Bobby is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section. He is licensed to practice law in every county in North Carolina as well as the 3 federal district courts. Bobby is also licensed in South Carolina.. He attended Auburn University on an ROTC Scholarship, graduating cum laude. He graduated magna cum laude from the Charlotte School of Law.. In his free time, Bobby loves to cook, read, and lose golf balls while attempting to play golf.

Bill Culp helps clients structure their business and personal affairs to minimize taxes and maximize their wealth. He represents a variety of clients, from entrepreneurs and private investors to large corporate clients. Clients look to him for guidance in structuring complex business arrangements and transactions, and for solutions to the most challenging business problems.. Bill has extensive experience in federal and state income, estate and gift taxation. His practice includes family business planning, wealth preservation planning, tax controversies, and trust and probate controversies. He is also involved in business and real estate matters including acquisitions, dispositions, and complex entity ownership planning.. Bill advises clients on multi-generational trust arrangements. He serves as trustee for a number of large trusts and as trustee is intimately involved in all aspects of trust administration. Over the years, Bill has assisted numerous clients in the preparation for sale and sale of their family businesses.

After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Jonathan Meek received his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Shenandoah University in 2004. He worked for two years in the banking industry, becoming well-versed in the areas of retirement planning and asset management. In 2007, he left the financial arena to attend Charlotte School of Law. Three years later he received his Juris Doctor from the school and passed the 2010 NC Bar Exam. He began practicing in Mecklenburg County on Oct. 1, 2010, and subsequently founded Meek Law Firm.. As a small business owner, Meek has a passion for working with others who found and work for small- and medium-sized businesses. His goal is to not only help them protect and grow their businesses but also to resolve any personal legal issues they might face along the way.. Meek is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the Mecklenburg County Bar Association, and the North Carolina State Bar. He is also on the board of Open Aperture Productions, a legal videography firm that he began in 2003. In addition, he participated in many hours of pro bono service during his law school career, including an externship with the Mecklenburg County District Attorney.

Adam J. Tan is an associate at Essex Richards, specializing in Business and Corporate Matters, Contracts, Labor and Employment, Estates and Probate, and General Civil Litigation Matters.Legal Background:Prior to joining Essex Richards, Adam practiced law in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate with varied experience in Government Contracts and Acquisitions, Regulatory Compliance, Employment law, Estate Planning, and Criminal Litigation.  He also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the district of South Carolina and the district of Idaho.  Adam is admitted to practice law in the State of North Carolina, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.  He is also accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs to represent claimants before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.. Adam continues to serve as a JAG, part-time, with the 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard in Charlotte, North Carolina.. Behind the Resume:. Adam was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland.  In August of 2000, he enlisted in the United States Air Force as an Aircraft Electrical and Environmental Systems Maintainer, deploying to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Southern Watch in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.  By July of 2003, he was selected for the prestigious SOAR program (Scholarships for Outstanding Airmen to ROTC) to pursue a commission as an Officer.  Adam attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he completed four years of ROTC and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.  Adam then moved to North Carolina, earning his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  While studying law at UNC, he was dually assigned to the Air Force Institute of Technology and UNC’s ROTC program.  He also served as a Carolina Law Ambassador and was a merit-based scholarship recipient. In his spare time, Adam enjoys spending time with friends and family, SEC football (Go Gators!), ACC basketball (Go Heels!) and his dogs, Parker and Spooky.  His wife, Kristen, is a native Charlottean and practicing Nurse Anesthetist.