Greg Herman-Giddens is a Partner at Galbraith, PLLC’s Naples, FL and Chapel Hill, NC offices practicing in the areas of estate planning and trust administration.
He offers a full array of estate planning and related services, including the creation of irrevocable trusts, estate, gift, fiduciary and individual income tax planning and compliance, asset protection planning, estate and trust administration, trust modification and decanting, and trust protector services. He also serves as an expert witness in trust and estate lawsuits.
He is also a Certified Financial Planner and uses that knowledge to better serve his clients and those for whom he acts as a fiduciary. He is also a regular speaker at continuing education programs for lawyers, accountants, and financial planners.
Greg is a Registered Trust and Estate Practitioner (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) and a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law (North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization).
Before joining the firm, Greg was an attorney at Henderson Franklin. Prior to that, Greg ran his own law firm in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Miami, Florida and New York, New York.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina and his Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University Law School. He earned his Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degree in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law.
Over his 30+ year career, Greg has received much recognition, including being honored as a Florida Super Lawyer in Estate Planning and Probate Law (2021), a North Carolina Super Lawyer in Estate Planning and Probate Law (2007, 2011, and 2017-2020) and named a “Top Lawyer” by Naples Illustrated magazine (2020-2021).
He was also named one of North Carolina’s Legal Elite in Tax and Estate Planning (2007, 2011) and a Triangle Impact Financial Leader (Triangle Business Leader Magazine, 2008). He is a member of the 2018 North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society, is a recipient of the Pro Bono Publico Award from the New Hanover County Bar Association and Legal Aid of North Carolina Wilmington, and received the President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2018.
He was named to the 2020 North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society for donating over fifty hours of legal services during the year. Greg is passionate about providing no cost legal services to those in need, particularly for the disabled.
Greg is admitted to practice in all Florida, New York, North Carolina, and Tennessee state courts, as well as in the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina. Greg is also qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales.
Greg is an avid runner and ran a 50 mile race to celebrate his 50th birthday. He also enjoys travel and spending time with his family.
Articles and Publications
-Estate Planning for Franchise and Multilevel Marketing Business Owners
-Should You Own Your Timeshare in Your Trust?
-Leave Your Trust Unguarded. Use a Trust Protector!
-What if My Pet Outlives Me?
-Estate Planning: Retiring on a Smaller Budget
-COVID-19 Estate Planning: What Documents are Essential?
–“Income Taxation of Estates and Trusts” WealthCounsel Quarterly, 2016
–“IRA Tax Deferral: Trusts, Rollovers, and Distributions” Estate Planning, 2014
(See Avvo estate planning lawyer profile for a complete list of publications and selected presentations.)
Professional And Civic Affiliations
Greg is a member of the Florida Bar and its Senior Lawyers Committee, Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section, Tax Section and leads its newly-formed Mental Health Project, as part of the Section’s Mental Health and Wellness Initiative. He is also a member of the Lee County and Collier County Bar Associations, and is a member of the Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. Additionally, Greg is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and is a past president of both the Orange County (NC) Bar Association and the 18th Judicial District Bar.
Greg is a member of WealthCounsel, LLC. He serves on the Carolina Meadows Board of Directors in Chapel Hill, NC, serves on the Membership Committee of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), and is a pro bono panel member for North Carolina Center for Nonprofits. He previously served on the Board of Directors for the Chatham County Chamber of Commerce and Habitat for Humanity for Orange County. Greg is also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology.
