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A veteran attorney who's served Columbia for more than two decades, Bert focuses on helping small businesses in every stage of their life cycle, from creation to handing off to the next generation. His primary practice areas are business succession planning and estate planning, areas often tightly tied for small business owners. He can assist with all areas of business formation, including choice of entity planning; taxation of estates and trusts and business entities; and corporate law.

He's a South Carolina Supreme Court Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law as well. He frequently lectures on estate planning as part of the South Carolina Bar's continuing legal education program. Bert also is a member of the Columbia Estate Planning Council and fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He teaches estate planning as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law.


Contact & Links
Location
  • Palmetto Armory Office Building
    1812 Lincoln Street
    P.O. Box 1390
    Columbia, SC 29202-1390
Education
  • Furman University, BS, graduated 1987
  • The University of South Carolina, MBA, graduated 1990
  • The University of South Carolina, JD, graduated 1991
  • New York University, LLM - Taxation, graduated 1992
Bar Admissions
  • South Carolina, 1991
Court Admissions
  • U.S. Tax Court, 1993
  • U.S. District Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1992
  • U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, 1992

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2025 - Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2022 - Litigation - Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2019 - Litigation - Trusts and Estates
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Columbia, SC (2025)
  • Trusts and Estates, Columbia, SC (2024)
  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Columbia, SC (2022)
  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Columbia, SC (2019)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 for work in:
  • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates
  • Tax Law
  • Trusts and Estates
Special Focus:
  • Estate Planning
  • Probate
  • Trust Administration
Awards:
  • Best Lawyers in America, Trusts and Estates, 2008 to present; Litigation – Trusts & Estates, 2018 to present; 2019 Lawyer of Year
  • South Carolina Super Lawyers, Estate Planning & Probate, Closely Held Businesses, 2010 to present
  • AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

Publications

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