May 20, 2022
Annette Lazzaro joins Merline & Meacham, P.A.
Merline & Meacham is pleased to welcome our new Paralegal, Annette Lazzaro, to the firm! Recently relocated from Carmel, New York, Annette has more than 15 years of Family Law experience in the State of Connecticut. Annette is excited for the opportunity to apply her skills within the legal field of Merline & Meacham. Prior to her legal career, Annette served as a Health and Physical Education teacher for a nonprofit organization for children and their families. Outside the office, Annette enjoys bass fishing, hiking, biking and running her small online craft business. Annette and her husband Anthony reside in Simpsonville with their Boxer, Shelbi and their Boston Terrier, Layla. They have four grandchildren.
May 16, 2022
Merline and Nelson selected as Super Lawyers 2022 South Carolina Rising Stars
Merline & Meacham is pleased to announce that Andrew D. Merline and J. Aaron Nelson have each been selected to the Super Lawyers 2022 South Carolina Rising Stars list. Rising Stars are the Top 2.5% of statewide practicing attorneys who are under 40 years of age and have been practicing 10 years or less at the time of nomination. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from various practice areas who have achieved a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and evaluations. Congratulations!
May 12, 2022
Merline and Meacham selected to 2022 SC Super Lawyers list
Merline & Meacham is thrilled to announce that David A. Merline, Jr. has been selected to the 2022 South Carolina Super Lawyers list for the 15th consecutive year, and Keith G. Meacham for the 10th consecutive year. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from various practice areas who have achieved a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and evaluations. Congratulations!
May 11, 2022
Julienne Trees joins Merline & Meacham, P.A.
Merline & Meacham is pleased to welcome our new receptionist, Julienne Trees! Originally from Van Wert, Ohio, Julienne graduated Cum Laude from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. With experience in communications and event planning, Julienne is excited for the opportunity to apply her skills within the legal field. Outside of the office Julienne enjoys being outdoors (especially swimming), reading, baking, and video games. Julienne and her husband Joey reside in Greenville.
March 28, 2022
McGough provides help within the Pro Bono Program
Betsy Goodale, the Director of the Pro Bono Program for the South Carolina Bar Association, does great work connecting applicants with attorneys for pro bono work throughout the state. She recently gave our own W. Verne McGough some recognition on a case he helped with. If you need free legal advice, contact the Pro Bono Program, they will point you in the right direction! https://www.scbar.org/…/get-legal-help/talk-lawyer-free/
January 5, 2022
W. Verne McGough, Jr. named Shareholder with Merline & Meacham. P.A.
Merline & Meacham, P.A. is pleased to announce that attorney W. Verne McGough, Jr. has been named a shareholder in the firm. Verne focuses his practice on personalized estate planning, representing individuals and businesses in tax controversy and tax collection matters, and assisting professionals and small businesses in tax efficient corporate planning and transactions. He also leads the firm’s Columbia, SC office. He earned his Master in Taxation Law Degree (LL.M) from Boston University, and his Juris Doctor Degree, from the University of South Carolina.
“Verne is a talented and hard-working attorney who leads our Columbia office,” stated David Merline, Jr. “We are pleased to have him join us as a shareholder.”
McGough is a member of the American Bar Association, the South Carolina Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Section, the South Carolina Tax Law Section, the Richland County Bar Association, and the Columbia Estate Planning Council.
Since 2013, McGough has been awarded the Legal Elite of the Midlands. In addition, Verne is listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for 2022 in the fields of Tax Law and Trust and Estates.
December 30, 2021
SC Best in Business 2021 Awards has awarded Merline & Meacham, P.A. 1st Place, as Best Tax Law Firm in South Carolina.
Merline & Meacham, P.A. is pleased to announce that Greenville Business Magazine’s inaugural SC Best in Business 2021 Awards has awarded the firm 1st Place as Best Tax Law Firm in South Carolina. SC Best in Business 2021 Awards recognized the best companies and individuals from around the state that bring success to South Carolina’s business community. We are honored to receive this recognition!
December 2, 2021
November 10, 2021
Merline & Meacham, P.A. recognized in The Best Law Firms in America© for 2022
Merline & Meacham, P.A. is pleased to announce their inclusion in the 2022 Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms”. The firms’ practice areas are being awarded at the Metropolitan Tier 1 level in Greenville, SC.
The following areas are being recognized in The Best Law Firms in America© for 2022: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation – Tax, Litigation – Trusts & Estates, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Nonprofit and Charities Law, Tax Law, and lastly Trusts & Estates Law.
The firm’s Columbia office was also awarded at the Metropolitan Tier 1 level for Tax Law. The firms’ main concentrations are tax, estate planning, trusts and estates, corporate and business transactional law. With over a century of shared experience, Merline & Meacham still prides themselves on the fact that they can provide well-equipped attorneys who have all earned a Master of Law degree in Taxation.
The U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on an extensive evaluation process that includes the collection of not only client and lawyer evaluations, but also peer reviews from leading attorneys in the field. The firm also had to submit general demographic and background information. Combined, all this data contributed to the recognition at the Metropolitan Tier 1 level.
November 10, 2021
Douglas O’Neal elected as ACTEC Fellow
Merline & Meacham, P.A. is pleased to announce that Doug O’Neal, has received an invitation to become a Fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC).
Doug O’Neal joined Merline & Meacham in 2008 and his expertise lies in the areas of estate planning (wills, trusts, asset protection, and trust modification/decanting), business entity work (formation of partnerships, LLCs and corporations, partnership and corporate tax, mergers and acquisitions, corporate lending and financing transactions, preparation and negotiation of corporate contracts and business succession planning).
O’Neal attended Furman University and received his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law. O’Neal also received his LL.M in Taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and is a Certified Specialist in Taxation Law and Estate Planning and Probate Law. O’Neal was listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for 2022.
ACTEC is an organization of almost 2,400 trust and estate lawyers and law professors who have been elected by their peers in recognition of having made outstanding contributions to the practice of trust and estate law. ACTEC brings together top lawyers in the profession to maintain a high quality of trust and estate legal services through mutual education, to create and foster networking among those lawyers based on the highest order of trust and confidence, and to contribute to the improvement of the areas of law in which trust and estate lawyers practice. Congratulations Doug!