Area peers have named Gregory Parker, the principal attorney at Parker Law LLC, as a Top-Rated Estate & Trust Litigation Attorney in the Columbia, South Carolina area. This award recognizes Mr. Parker’s acumen in this area, as well as his dedication to estate and trust litigation and related matters.
“Frankly, I was totally blindsided by this award. I’m so focused on my clients that I didn’t even know I was up for consideration,” Mr. Parker said. “Nevertheless, I’m very grateful for this prestigious honor. It proves that the simple formula we use, which is dedication to clients, hard work, and legal expertise, really works,” he added.
Mr. Parker opened his law practice during the 2020 coronavirus lockdowns. He has previously been named as a Rising Star in the area by a national legal publication.
Estate Planning
Most South Carolinians do not have wills, mostly because they are uncertain about the process. In general, an estate plan can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be.
Most people at least start with the basics. After as little as one virtual or office visit, an attorney can draft a comprehensive basic estate plan, which usually includes:
- Will,
- Living will (directive to physicians), and
- Power of attorney.
There are several types of POAs. In general, these documents allow you to transfer decision-making power to a trusted individual in the event of your incapacity.
More advanced estate planning options often include trusts. These documents make your wishes clear and enable you to bypass probate court. Furthermore, an attorney can tailor a trust to fit your family’s needs. Some examples include:
- Inter Vivos (Living) Trust: Settlors (people who create trusts) move their assets from their own name into the corpus (body) of the trust. The testator and trustee (person who manages the trust) is usually the same person. When the trustee/testator dies, the corpus passes to a beneficiary or beneficiaries.
- Spendthrift Trust: Beneficiaries must comply with certain conditions before they inherit the property in the trust. Common conditions include completing college, taking over the family business, or completing a financial management course. In this way, the testator exerts some behavioral control over the beneficiary.
- Special Needs Trust: If you have a child with special needs, a “Rain Man” trust might be for you. These trusts give children access to money without affecting Medicaid or other government benefits.
There are many other examples which are too numerous to list here. Once we understand your needs, we can recommend an appropriate estate planning vehicle.
Estate Litigation
At Parker Law, our estate planning lawyers usually serve as advisors or as protectors of our clients’ legal and financial rights.
Most testators (people who make wills) select independent administrators on the basis of trust. So, these individuals are often overwhelmed. Our attorneys walk these individuals through the probate process and offer additional advice about matters like paying and resolving claims against the estate.
On a related note, we often serve as court-appointed guardian ad litems. We serve as a strong voice for people who might otherwise get lost in the shuffle.
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A long, drawn-out probate action is the last thing anyone wants. However, if there are questions about a document’s validity, such as a deathbed change to a will, we stand up for your rights while attempting to resolve the case as quickly as possible.
About Rising Stars and Super Lawyers
Many lawyer recognition awards are basically vanity awards, like Who’s Who. If you buy the book, you are listed in the book, regardless of your qualifications.
Super Lawyers and Rising Stars are different. An independent, blue-ribbon panel carefully examines all qualified lawyers, mostly based on peer recommendations. The top 2.5 percent of qualified lawyers (under 40 with at least 10 years of practice experience) are Rising Stars. As for Super Lawyers, the panel rejects over 90 percent of qualified applicants.
About Greg Parker
Upon graduating from the Law School at the University of South Carolina, Greg clerked for two prominent Richmond County probate judges. Today, he is an active member of several state and regional bar associations. Greg and his family live in Chapin.