Attorney Greg Herman-Giddens has appointments available at all offices.

He will be in Chapel Hill April 1-15,  April 29-May 10, June 10-14,  July 22-23, and July 29-August 8, 2024.

Mr. Herman-Giddens is licensed in North Carolina, Florida, New York and Tennessee.  He serves clients in those states from TrustCounsel’s offices in Chapel Hill, NC and Naples, FL.  Mr. Herman-Giddens also maintains home offices in Miami, FL and New York, NY offices (available by appointment only).  Mr. Herman-Giddens regularly serves as an expert witness as well as co-counsel or consulting attorney on complex matters throughout the United States. 

 Greg Herman-Giddens is a problem solver. Ever since opening his own law firm to focus solely on estate planning and probate work in 1996, Greg has relished the daily challenge of figuring out the best legal solutions for his clients.

“I like the intellectual challenge of my work and the fact that no matter how long I practice I can still increase my knowledge and skill sets that will benefit my clients,” he says. “I just really like being able to solve problems for people.”

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina in 1984 and his juris doctorate from Tulane University Law School in 1988, Greg worked primarily in family law at a small Durham, North Carolina firm for a time before he determined that estate planning and probate work were what he most wanted to do. He enrolled at the University of Miami School of Law and received his LLM in Estate Planning in 1993. He then practiced for a couple of years with firms in Naples, Florida, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, before opening his firm.  Greg was also a partner in other firms from 2019 to 2023.

From the start, Greg has offered a full array of estate planning and related services to clients, including estate planning, estate, gift, and income tax planning, creation of irrevocable trusts, small business and nonprofit organization formation, and estate and trust administration.

“Beyond giving advice, I feel my job is to educate people to help them choose what they feel works best for their family situation,” he says. “I want to make sure that people are aware that there are things they can do to protect their assets in the hands of their loved ones.”

No matter what service he’s providing, his top priority is always the best interests of the client.

“One thing I value highly is being responsive to clients,” he says. “I stress that for myself and for my entire firm – we need to be very prompt in following up with people and trying to get back to people within 24 hours, whether it’s a phone call or email.”

In addition to his busy practice, Greg is active in professional activities. He became a Certified Financial Planner™ in 2007 and uses that knowledge to better serve his clients and those for whom he acts as a fiduciary. He’s a regular speaker at continuing education programs for lawyers, and serves as an expert witness in trust litigation matters.  Greg often serves as a mentor to younger attorneys and offers consulting and co-counseling services to attorneys throughout the U.S. Greg proudly offers pro bono legal services to organizations and individuals as well.

Greg’s leisure pursuits include traveling and gardening with tropical plants. A former long-distance runner, he received a silver medal in a 50-mile race run to celebrate his 50^th birthday.

Practice Areas

Estate Planning, Probate Law; Trust Administration; Trust Modification and Decanting; Trust Protector services; Fiduciary Income Tax; Estate and Gift Tax; Individual Income Tax; Taxation of Deferred Compensation.

Bar Admissions

England and Wales (Solicitor), 2011; New York, 2011; Tennessee, 2004; U.S. Tax Court, 2001; U.S. Supreme Court, 1998; Florida, 1992; U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina, 1988; North Carolina, 1988.

Education

University of Miami School of Law, LL.M., Estate Planning, 1993; Tulane University Law School, J.D., 1988; University of North Carolina, B.A., 1984.