Talmadge C. Reynolds

I started law school knowing I wanted to practice in a way that would make a positive difference in my clients' lives. The area of law I ended up drawn to was estate planning (and later, business transition planning). This area of the law really resonated with me because growing up, I had seen what not having a plan in place did to the family members left behind when someone became incapacitated or passed away.

 

I remember the heartache that came when my grandfather on my mother's side came down with Alzheimer's and the family found out he had never gotten a financial power of attorney in place. Several of the children in that family did not get along, and the ensuing battle over who would serve as his Conservator cost tens of thousands of dollars and created a rift in that side of the family that has led to several of them never again speaking to each other, even decades after he passed.

 

At the time, this was doubly shocking because he had a long time lawyer that had worked on his documents over the years. At the time, I thought surely he must have committed malpractice to not have such a basic document in place. After practicing in this area for a few years I now understand, looking back, that he probably just wasn't a great fit for the job. You see, almost every attorney you'll meet says they can do wills and basic estate planning documents such as powers of attorney. However, few really focus on that area or work to understand the complex issues involved.

 

When my partner and I discussed creating a law firm, it was because we both wanted to create something different. We had both worked at some of the largest law firms in the state at the beginning of our careers. After witnessing how law was practiced there, we decided that wasn't a great fit for what we wanted to create. At most firms, everything is billed hourly and clients can sometimes be scared to call, knowing that as soon as someone picks up the phone the meter is running, and they are often being billed $400 or more per hour. This leads to clients deciding not to call to ask what can be very important questions, such as how to properly title assets to work with their estate plan. Doing this incorrectly can cause huge issues down the road and make the documents the clients originally spent so much time and money on essentially worthless.

 

We don't want that to be the experience for our clients, so we do not do any hourly billing in our estate or business transition planning practice. Instead, we quote flat fees for the work so clients aren't hesitant to pick up the phone when they have a question. You'll always know what the work will cost in advance when working with us, which tends to give my clients a lot of peace of mind when they begin working with us. We have also spent years building a truly exceptional staff. This is important because we want to make sure there is someone here to answer quick questions for clients when they call so they aren't sitting around waiting for a call back.

 

We work hard to help guide clients to get their plans set up correctly and to have everything properly funded. We also include free lifetime communications for questions about funding to ensure our clients' plans continue to work in the future. This is often the first time our clients have had that experience, and is one of the reasons many of them continue to refer their own friends and family members to us.

 

 

Areas of Practice

• Estate Planning
• Probate Administration
• Elder Law
• Real Estate Transactions

• South Carolina

Education

• University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, South Carolina
  • J.D.