Columbus Estate Planning Lawyers

Welcome. At Riley Law Firm, I work with clients in the areas of wills, trusts, estate planning, real estate closings, and general business matters. With offices in Buford (Hamilton Mill) and Johns Creek, I offer my experience and dedication to build lasting client relationships in order to better serve my clients and help them make informed legal and financial decisions.

After spending seven years working for herself, Marlys A. Bergstrom decided to transition back into law firm life. Stearns-Montgomery & Proctor was the perfect fit. The focus on their clients and their strong ethical philosophy resonated with Marlys.

My name is Shelley Elder and I have been practicing law for over 20 years. I am admitted in the state of Georgia and Virginia to practice law. I specialize in estate planning to include wills, trusts, probate, and guardianship. I ensure all of my clients' needs are identified and met in the most beneficial way possible.

If you are looking for a knowledgeable and friendly attorney to handle your legal matters, then please call Elder Law Firm for a free consultation.

Robert Sneed has more than eleven (11) years' of experience in all aspects of litigation. Robertâs primary focus of practice is in the area of personal injury and wrongful death, products and premises liability, insurance coverage disputes, estates, domestic matters, general tort litigation, and corporate formation and representation. Robert has tried numerous jury and non-jury trials, representing plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts in Georgia and other jurisdictions. He has appeared before arbitral forums such as the American Arbitration Association, and has successfully mediated hundreds of civil cases in Georgia. Prior to forming McConnell & Sneed, Robert previously served...

Judge Tom Cauthorn is the founder of Cauthorn Nohr & Owen, a boutique law firm that provides general civil, probate and criminal legal services. He is an experienced trial lawyer and judge, and has participated in hundreds of jury and non-jury trials in his more than 45 years practicing law.

Judge Cauthorn’s professional experience includes Court America as a principal in mediation, arbitration and case evaluation; Georgia Supreme Court Special Master; Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution as a registered mediator, arbitrator, and case evaluator for general civil and domestic relations matters; and, Cobb County Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution as an...

Kent Bailey is a dedicated and results-driven attorney with 8 years of experience providing comprehensive legal counsel to businesses and individuals. He is committed to delivering personalized and effective legal solutions to his clients across a variety of legal topics. His practice focuses on Business, Real Estate, and Construction law with litigation a primary focus. Kent also serves as In-House Counsel to numerous small businesses across Atlanta handling a wide variety of legal tasks from Corporate formation and Contract/Vendor management, to collections and shareholder disputes. With his primary practice area presenting a need for service, Kent has also recently expanded his...

Christy, as she likes to be called, is a native of Cobb County, born and raised in Marietta, Georgia. After graduating from Mt. Paran Christian School, located in Cobb, she attended Kennesaw State University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2006, receiving her Bachelor of Science degree. While at Kennesaw State University, Christy served as President and Vice President of various honor clubs as well as an intern for the Georgia State Senate. Christy attended Georgia State University College of Law graduating Cum Laude in 2009. During her tenure at Georgia State, she was a member...

George D. Menden is a cofounding partner of MendenFreiman LLP. His practice focuses on the areas of business law, business tax planning, wealth planning, wills, trusts and asset protection. His expertise in highly complex midmarket transactions, combined with his extensive knowledge of business, tax and estate planning, provides his clients with world-class representation and wealth transfer strategies. George represents companies with domestic and international operations in manufacturing, distribution and service sectors. He often advises business clients throughout all stages of their development from business formation, growth, maturity and ultimately a sale, which results in financial freedom for his clients. ...

NANCY J. MARTIN ESQ. was born in Syracuse, New York. She earned a BA in Education with emphasis on English as a Second Language at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (The Javeriana University), She moved to Georgia four (4) decades ago. Since that time, she has dedicated herself to the assistance of others. As a former paralegal, she provided legal assistance through Georgia Legal Services Migrant Farmworkers Division in Tifton, Georgia where she was trained in Administrative and Immigration Law. While in their employ, she was elected the National Co-Chairperson of WIC, the Special Supplemental...

Prior to graduating from Harvard Law School, Mr. Oles earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an MBA in Finance. Mr. Oles applied his advanced education as a successful entrepreneur in the highly-competitive auto industry.

Mr. Oles developed valuable experience as a transactional, business and estate planning lawyer with two prestigious national law firms in Georgia and New Jersey. At that time he represented numerous health-care companies and practitioners with problems ranging from business formation and capitalization to employee relations and regulatory compliance.

Mr. Oles’ success at representing corporate clients is derived from his own passion for business; but his devotion...

In 2011, Jim McKenzie was honored by Martindale Hubbell/Lawyers.com for having maintained an “AV” rating for highest or “pre-eminent” legal skills and ethical standards for thirty consecutive years (1980-2010). He continues to achieve that consistent “AV” rating. The significance of the “AV” Rating by Martindale.com and Lawyers.com is described as follows: “The AV preeminent [rating] is a significant rating accomplishment- a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.” www.martindale.com/products-services-peer-review-rating. (Martindale-Hubbell and Lawyers.com are the national legal locator and ranking service). Atlanta native and a Gwinnett...

Attorney Blanchette has been a member of the Georgia Bar Association since 1999 and has nearly two decades of jury trial experience. She has practiced throughout the State of Georgia and has extensive experience in the areas of Criminal Law & Immigration Law. Her practice also includes Estate Law and Family Law. Attorney Blanchette is most recognized for her work as a former Prosecutor for the State of Georgia for over 7 years where she has served as a Lead Trial Assistant District Attorney in 3 Judicial Circuits

As a prosecutor, she handled both Felonies and Misdemeanor...

We provide legal services in the areas of Business and Corporate law, Estate Planning and Probate, Tax, Real Estate, and Trademarks..

Before law school, I witnessed the guilt and stress my family endured when caring for loved ones. There was no plan, and important conversations happened too late. It is my mission to protect other families from facing the same situation. I studied at the University of Georgia and graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and minor in Anthropology. Understanding people, families, and their unique needs is the heart of my career. I continued my studies at the University of Georgia School of Law and graduated at...

Legal Practioner with over 30 years of experience. Undergraduate degree in both Finance and Accounting. Have handle matters for companies from small local mom and pop to multi-state and multi-national companies. Routinely handle estate planning for large complex estates. Routinely provide Wills and Living Trusts. Routinely handle business formation and business purchases and sales. Handle real estate matters, both residential and commercial. VA certified and trained in Elder Care representation.

Five years ago, Lindy Moody started her law practice as an Assistant District Attorney for the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office. After years of dedication and hard work, all while moving up the ladder, Lindy made the difficult decision to branch out into another focus of the law.

Lindy left her position as the Elder Abuse Prosecutor and began practicing in the private sector. Her new focus and caseload involved worker’s compensation and personal injury litigation. Eventually her hard work was recognized and she was offered yet another position at a new law firm. This new opportunity expanded her skillset to...

Chip Gaskill has spent his entire career practicing law in the Metro Atlanta area. He is dedicated to exhibiting professionalism and high ethical standards with a view toward creating a relationship of confidence and trust with his clients. He is an experienced attorney focused on results. His personal interests include marathons, enjoying high school and college football and being a devoted husband and father to two teenage girls.

John Alexander has been a member of the Georgia Bar since 2001. He has been a civil litigator for over 20 years. John is active in all areas of the firm’s practice and appears in all trial and appellate courts throughout the State, focusing on surety and construction litigation. John is also proficient in corporate formation, lien law, probate matters and estate planning, including wills, trusts, healthcare directives, guardianships, and all types of power of attorney. John has extensive experience in meeting his clients’ needs. John received his undergraduate degree from Georgia State University in...

John Q. Vaughan, Sr. attended the University of Southern Mississippi, where he graduated with honors. Early in his career, John was a highly successful businessman, being internally promoted within the corporate world to an executive position at a young age. Although John had this early success, he longed to pursue his lifelong goal of becoming an attorney. He picked up his family, moved to Georgia, and a few short years later, he graduated from John Marshall Law School with his Juris Doctorate. As a result of his business acumen and relationships with clients, he was offered a partnership with a...

Diane Baker is an AV-Rated Estate Planning and Business Law attorney. She has over 30 years experience practicing law in Atlanta.

She enjoys working with families to develop personalized Wills, Trusts and estate plans, based on each individual's personal goals. She also helps clients through the complexities of Probate, and the challenges of Will Contests and Estate Disputes. Her goal is to address each client’s personal objectives, while making the legal process understandable.

Diane's other major area of practice is business law, which she has practiced for over 30 years. Her work in this area includes general corporate law, limited liability...

Employment Law and Estate Planning expert Nancy Sprattlin focuses her practice to helping business owners and professionals with their employment law and legacy planning matters. As the founder and managing member of Castor Sprattlin Law Group, LLC, Ms. Sprattlin leads a powerful team of professionals who all share a passionate dedication to providing clients with the highest levels of legal care. Their experience as employment law litigators and business counselors has enabled them to approach employment law matters creatively and cost-effectively. As an estate planning attorney, what distinguishes Ms. Sprattlin from many other estate planning attorneys is her pragmatic...

Claire Mattson joined Fox+Mattson, P.C. in 1996. Claire develops and implements tax planning and other strategies for individual and business clients, including the coordination of all estate planning and transactional documents. She also handles probate and estate work. Claire graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. degree in International Studies, Soviet Studies and History. She was also named to Phi Beta Kappa while at South Carolina. Claire earned her law degree at Emory University where she was active in the Moot Court Society and coached Emory’s team to a win in the National Moot Court Championship. Claire...

Matthew P. “Matt” Collins has spent over 25 years helping individual and small businesses that face varied legal challenges.

As an undergraduate from the University of Georgia, Mr. Collins graduated with a business degree and thus understood early the importance of sound business decisions.

Law school was the next challenge where Mr. Collins hoped to use his business experience to help clients with legal needs. Mr. Collins attended law school at the Atlanta Law School where he graduated with honors and immediately went to work helping small businesses and individuals with their legal needs. Twenty-five years later, Matt is still working to...

Nick Booth joined O’Dell, O’Neal, Hungerford, & Blanchard in 2017, and works in a variety of different civil practice areas, including business and civil litigation disputes, construction law, personal injury, property law, estate planning, and small business formation and consultation. Nick is a native of Cobb County, a Double Dawg, and a proud member of the Gridiron Club. When Nick is not practicing law, he is an avid fly fisher, gardener, musician, golfer, and outdoorsman.

I am married with two children and five grandchildren. During my 46 years of experience in business and corporate law, estate planning and probate administration, it has been my objective to provide a combination of expertise, experience and close client relationships, resulting in personalized and innovative legal representation to clients in an efficient and cost effective manner.

Tiffany Jones Ellenberg was born in Atlanta and raised in Morgan County. After graduating with Honors from Rutledge Academy, Ms. Ellenberg attended Georgia College and State University on a scholarship; she graduated with Honors, receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree and Master of Public Administration Degree. She attended John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Georgia, and in November of 1998, Ms. Ellenberg was admitted to the practice of Law in Georgia. Ms. Ellenberg is licensed and experienced to practice in State and Federal Court at pretrial, trial and appellate level. She handles Probate, Magistrate and Municipal Court cases, as well....

Partner at Wolfson & Osmus LLC Practice Areas: business formations/contracts/disputes, contract drafting/negotiation/disputes, creditor’s rights, civil litigation, landlord tenant issues, demands, collections, estate planning and probate matters

Cortney M. Stuart's legal background began with the Superior Court of Athens, Georgia, where she interned while studying as an undergraduate at the University of Georgia, from which she graduated with Bachelors in Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Political Science. She later graduated from the Florida Coastal School of Law, cum laude, receiving her Juris Doctor in May of 2011, subsequently sitting for the Georgia and Tennessee Bars in July of 2011, and being admitted to both in November of 2011. In 2012, she began her career as an associate at the Law Offices of Edwin Marger, LLC. Under Edwin Marger's...

As an Athens attorney at Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley, P.C., David Alan Dismuke assists clients with a broad range of legal matters, including tax law, corporate transactions, estate planning, estate administration, and trust administration. An attentive person, David always takes a great interest in the concerns of his clients. He strives to treat people in the way that he would like to be treated. Many of the issues that David handles can be incredibly complex, which is why he takes the time to explain everything in a way that is easy to understand. He believes that the more informed...

Meghan Ryan Noblett has practiced family law since her admission to the Georgia Bar in 2009. She has experience handling all matters relating to family law in the Magistrate Court, Superior Court and Juvenile Court. Born in Norwalk, Connecticut and raised in Roswell, Georgia, Mrs. Noblett earned her bachelors degree in English, magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia in 2006. While at UGA, she was a National Merit Scholar, a United Parcel Service James E. Casey Merit Scholar, a UGA Charter Scholar, and a member of the UGA Honors Program. She also spent a semester studying abroad at Oxford...

Ruslyn D. Ruby has practiced law since 2017. She focuses her practice on family law, probate and general civil litigation. She was born and raised in Georgia and has lived in Forsyth County since her childhood. Mrs. Ruby graduated with a bachelors degree in Business Management, cum laude, from the University of South Carolina Aiken. While at USC-Aiken, she was the captain of the cheerleading squad and a member of Alpha Omicron Pi. In 2016, Ruslyn received her Juris Doctorate from Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law. While in law school, she was a member of the Association of...