Charlotte, NC · Summerville, SC
Estate planning and probate for families in Charlotte and Summerville
Planning ahead, or handling a parent’s estate with the house still in their name? Start with a first meeting. You’ll leave knowing the next legal step and who will handle it. The fee comes in writing before any work begins.
Most families call us at one of two moments
Both moments come back to the same three questions. What happens next? Who has the authority to act? What will it cost? We answer those first.
Waiting rarely makes either one easier. After a death, some legal deadlines start running soon, and an empty house still needs insurance, taxes and upkeep. Before one, a plan that was never signed can’t help anybody.
Planning ahead
Before anything has happened
The first is before anything has happened. A baby arrives, a second marriage changes who should inherit, a parent’s health shifts, or the will in the drawer was signed years ago. You want the decisions made while you’re still the one making them.
Christine Hart puts it simply: give what you have, to who you want, the way you want it. For most families that means a will, sometimes a trust, a power of attorney naming who can act for you if you can’t, and a health-care document. If you already have a plan, we start with the documents you already have and what has changed since you signed them. See estate planning, wills and trusts.
- Start with
- Wills · Trusts · Medicaid and long-term care
- Who handles it
- NC: Christine Hart · SC: Justin Montgomery, Tiffany Lumpkin
- What it costs
- Estate planning is a flat fee, in a written fee or scope letter before any work begins
After a death
Someone has to take charge
The second is after a death. Someone has to take charge, and it’s usually whoever answers the phone. The bank wants paperwork. The house sits empty with the deed still in a parent’s name. Two siblings have different ideas about what should happen to it.
Probate is the court process that settles someone’s estate. We take you through it step by step, in order, before the right court for the county where the person lived. That’s Mecklenburg County for Charlotte and Dorchester County for Summerville. Columbia-area estates go to Richland or Lexington County. See probate in North Carolina and South Carolina.
- Which court
- Mecklenburg (Charlotte) · Dorchester (Summerville) · Richland or Lexington (Columbia area)
- Who handles it
- NC: Christine Hart · SC: Justin Montgomery, Tiffany Lumpkin
- What it costs
- Probate is a flat fee, in a written fee or scope letter before any work begins; court and filing expenses are additional
The house
When the estate includes the family home
The house is often where things get hard. Keep it, sell it, or deed it to one relative? The family may not agree, and the deed may still name someone who died years ago. We prepare the deeds and handle the legal side of keeping or selling inherited property, including family land that has passed down without clear title. We don’t handle real estate closings.
The attorney for your state
North Carolina and South Carolina settle estates through different courts under different rules. So your matter goes to the attorney who practices in your state.
North Carolina · Charlotte
Christine Hart
Christine Hart handles our North Carolina matters from our office at 122 N. McDowell Street.
Christine HartSouth Carolina · Summerville
Justin Montgomery and Tiffany Lumpkin
Our South Carolina attorneys, Justin Montgomery and Tiffany Lumpkin, work from 201 Sigma Drive, Suite 300. They also handle Columbia-area estates. We don’t have a Columbia office.
Meet the attorneysFamily in both states? Maybe a parent lived in Summerville and the children are in Charlotte, or there’s land across the state line. Tell us about both places at the start. Each state’s work goes to its attorney, and one firm keeps the whole picture in view.
What you get before you commit to anything
- A real meeting with the attorney. You explain what’s going on in your own words. The attorney reads the papers you bring, then tells you the next step and whether we can take the matter on. The first meeting is a paid meeting.
- The fee in writing. Estate planning and probate are each a flat fee. Before any work begins, your written fee or scope letter sets out the fee and what it covers, so you know the cost before you agree to anything. Court and filing expenses are additional to the fee.
- Remote when distance is the problem. Our attorneys do much of their work remotely. If you live far from the office, or far from the estate, ask about meeting without the drive. Some steps, like signing a will, may still need you in person.
Other work families bring to us
- Medicaid and long-term care. Planning how a parent’s care will be paid for, in North Carolina or South Carolina. See Medicaid and long-term care planning.
- Guardianship in South Carolina. When a person can no longer make their own decisions, a South Carolina court can name someone to make them.
- Prenuptial agreements in both states. See prenuptial agreements.
- Criminal defense, traffic and personal injury. Christine Hart reviews each of these inquiries herself and decides case by case whether we can take it on. See criminal defense, traffic tickets and personal injury.
Questions people ask before they call
Is the first meeting free?
No. It’s a paid meeting with the attorney, so you get answers about your own situation rather than a sales pitch. We’ll tell you the meeting fee when you book.
Do I need a lawyer to settle an estate?
Not always. Some families handle simple estates themselves. A first meeting shows which parts you can do and where legal help is worth it.
I already have a will. Do I need a new one?
Not necessarily. We read the documents you already have, check them against what has changed, and tell you whether anything needs updating.
Which office should I call?
Same number for both. Tell us which state the matter is in, and we’ll set the meeting with that state’s attorney.
Get your next step in one meeting
Bring what you have. A will, a deed, a letter from the court. A missing paper won’t stop the meeting, and you can ask about meeting remotely.
We answer Monday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Responsible attorneys: Christine Hart, 122 N. McDowell Street, Charlotte, NC 28204. Justin Montgomery, 201 Sigma Drive, Suite 300, Summerville, SC 29486.