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Ellis Lawhorne Trust Litigation

Submitted by: Melanie Lux on Feb 22, 2010 at 2:44 pm Tagged with: Trust Litigation Source: Lux Strategic Communications

Ellis Lawhorne Attorneys Beach and Sojourner Help Clients Unravel
the Twists and Turns of Complex Trust Disputes

COLUMBIA, S.C., February 22, 2010 - - Trusts have become a popular way of protecting and directing wealth for heirs. Yet even with thoughtful estate planning and carefully crafted trusts, the transfer and subsequent management of funds can create the very real prospect of disputes. Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims attorneys John F. Beach and David C. Sojourner, Jr. have teamed up to offer clients a multi-disciplinary approach to trust litigation.

Trust litigation combines two legal disciplines, trusts and estates law and litigation. At Ellis Lawhorne, it is a highly focused area of law that brings together the knowledge, skills, and combined experience of Beach and Sojourner, attorneys whose backgrounds are steeped in multiple areas of law, from high-stakes investment fraud to estate planning and trusts preparation. The two attorneys are concentrating their efforts on high-risk, high-dollar trust disputes. The complexities of such cases can have many twists and turns, requiring a high level of knowledge and analysis to reach a successful resolution.

Ellis Lawhorne Managing Shareholder William P. McElveen, Jr., explains, “The volume of trust litigation has grown in South Carolina as a result of the growing popularity of trusts and the recent volatility of the value of investments held by trustees. Recent high profile cases involving public figures have placed trusts and how they are managed under increasing public scrutiny. It has also created demand for attorneys like Beach and Sojourner who are experienced in this type of litigation.”

Beach is a shareholder attorney and a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group. He has been an attorney for 27 years, and has spent much of that time providing counsel and litigation
services to clients on technically complex financial and regulatory disputes. He is a member of the American Bar Association's Committee on Securities Litigation and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association's Compliance and Legal Division.

Sojourner is a shareholder attorney and a member of the Trusts and Estates Practice Group. With 22 years of experience, he is a Certified Taxation Specialist and a Certified Estate Planning and Probate Specialist, helping individuals and families establish comprehensive, effective estate and business succession plans. Mr. Sojourner is recognized as a Best Lawyer in America® and as a South Carolina Super Lawyer.

About Ellis, Lawhorne & Sims, P.A.
Established in 1980, Ellis Lawhorne is among South Carolina’s largest law firms, with more than 35 attorneys. The Firm serves regional and national corporate and individual clients in four main practice groups: Business, Real Estate and Finance; Litigation and Dispute Resolution; Trusts and Estates; and Workers’ Compensation. For additional information about the Firm, visit www.ellislawhorne.com.

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For 300dpi electronic images of Mr. Beach and Mr. Sojourner, contact Jean Triskett, 803.376.1603 or jtriskett@luxandassociates.com.