Edward has broad, significant experience representing both individuals and organizations in the areas of Private Wealth and Corporate Law. It’s the depth and breadth of this experience that allows him to solve complex legal issues in practical and often innovative ways. He is always willing to look outside of the box to help his clients address their tax, business, and family matters.
Edward’s practice focuses on family office, wealth transfer and charitable planning, as well as trust and estate administration and fiduciary litigation. He provides his corporate and individual clients with sophisticated tax and charitable planning advice that is comprehensive and customized to meet their needs. In addition, he advises charitable organizations and clients in the Education Sector about governance, tax compliance, grant-making, and fundraising issues. His experience extends to representing alumni associations and clubs, private foundations, supporting organizations, public charities and other nonprofit organizations.
Edward has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite, and 40 Under Forty. He is a frequent speaker on trusts and estates topics and a fellow in The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.
Edward has significant experience counseling clients on the following matters:
- Family office planning
- Multi-generational planning, including gift, estate and generation-skipping tax planning
- Business succession planning
- Asset protection planning
- Planning with qualified and nonqualified stock options
- Family limited partnerships and family limited liability companies
- Judicial and non-judicial modifications and terminations of irrevocable trusts
- Sales to grantor trusts
- Grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs)
- Charitable remainder and charitable lead trusts
- Planned giving (including charitable gift annuities, charitable donations, scholarships and endowments)
- Power of attorney matters
- Estate and trust disputes (Will caveats)
- Elder law planning
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Created customized estate plan for high net worth client to maximize the use of federal tax exemptions while providing client with relative “control” over the use of assets in the future
- Assisted client with tax planning related to the sale of his closely held business in order for client to shift wealth to the next generation, obtain a charitable deduction and minimize and defer income taxation
- Reorganized charitable client’s corporate structure and created for-profit subsidiary to allow for the sale of intellectual property and corresponding services without creating unrelated business income tax
- Modified client’s irrevocable trust to incorporate more flexible administration provisions and limit the use of trust assets and therefore protect them for future generations
- On behalf of beneficiaries of an estate, disputed the validity of a will on the basis of incapacity and undue influence.
Professional & Civic Engagement
- Fellow, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
- Member, North Carolina Bar Association
- Chair, Endowment Committee, North Carolina Bar Foundation
- Board Member, Senior Services, Inc.
- Member and Past President, The Estate Planning Council of Winston-Salem, Inc.
- Past Chair and Board Member, Forsyth Tech Community College Foundation, Inc.
- Past Chair, Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section of the NCBA
- Past Member, Wake Forest University Planned Giving Advisory Council
- Graduate, North Carolina Bar Association Leadership Academy (2011)
- Past Board Member and President, The Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem, Inc.
Honors & Awards
- Chambers USA Ranked Lawyer, Private Wealth Law (High Net Worth – HNW Guide), North Carolina, 2019 – Present
- Recognized in Business North Carolina magazine's Legal Elite, Tax/Estate Planning, 2020, 2021, 2023; Corporate, 2022
- Recognized in North Carolina Super Lawyers (Thompson Reuters) (2018-2023)
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings) in the fields of Trusts and Estates, Litigation – Trusts and Estates, 2014 – Present
- Selected to the North Carolina Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), Rated Estate Planning & Probate, 2015 – 2017
