Dave Merline has been serving clients since 1984 in the areas of Mergers and Acquisitions, Business and Transactional Law, Succession Planning, Estate Planning and Estate Administration, Taxation, LLCs, Partnerships, Family Limited Partnerships and Corporations, Asset Protection Planning and ERISA.
He is a member of the Rotary Club of Greenville and Buncombe Street United Methodist Church.
Dave and his wife, Barby, have four children – Andy (1989), Will (1992), Marshall (1995) and Darcy (1997). He enjoys tennis, fishing and water and snow skiing.
Education
- University of Miami, (LL.M) Taxation (1985)
- University of South Carolina School of Law, (J.D.) (1983)
- Furman University, (B.A.) Magna Cum Laude (1980)
Professional Qualifications
- South Carolina Supreme Court, Certified Specialist in Taxation Law
- South Carolina Supreme Court, Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law
- AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™
Professional Associations and Memberships
- American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) (Fellow)
- American Bar Association – Business Law Section (Member)
- South Carolina Bar:
- Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Section (Member)
- Tax Law Section (Member)
- Greenville County Bar Association (Member)
- Greenville Estate Planning Council (Member)
- Greenville County Estate Planning Study Group (Member)
- Rotary Club of Greenville – Paul Harris Fellow
Awards and Honors
- Ranked as one of the Top 25 Lawyers in the 2016 – 2018 South Carolina Super Lawyers magazine
- Ranked as a Leading Attorney in Private Wealth Law in South Carolina by Chambers Professional Advisers (2019 – 2020)
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for 2023 in the fields of:
- Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) (Lawyer of the Year 2013, 2016 and 2020 in Greenville, South Carolina)
- Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law (Lawyer of the Year 2014 in Greenville, South Carolina)
- Corporate Law (Lawyer of the Year 2021 in Greenville, South Carolina)
- Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (Lawyer of the Year 2017 in Greenville, South Carolina)
- Litigation – ERISA (Lawyer of the Year 2019 and 2022 in Greenville, South Carolina)
- Litigation – Trusts and Estates
- Litigation and Controversy -Tax (Lawyer of the Year 2023 in Greenville, South Carolina)
- Mergers & Acquisitions Law
- Non-Profit/Charities Law
- Tax Law (Lawyer of the Year 2010 in Greenville, South Carolina)
- Trusts and Estates (Lawyer of the Year 2018 in Greenville, South Carolina)
- Greenville Business Magazine Legal Elite Award Recipient (2012-Present)
- 2022 Top Vote Recipient in the Upstate for Corporate Law – Mergers & Acquisitions
- 2021 and 2022 Top Vote Recipient in the Upstate for Tax & Estate Planning Law
- 2020 Top Vote Recipient in the Upstate for Tax & Estate Law
- Named to South Carolina Super Lawyers (2008-Present)
Publications and Presentations
- The Evolution of Legal Malpractice in Estate Planning in South Carolina, South Carolina Lawyer, Co-Author – (2016)
- Co-author of the book South Carolina Limited Liability Companies, South Carolina Bar CLE Division (5th Ed. 2020)
- Co-author of the book South Carolina Corporate Practice Manual, South Carolina Bar CLE Division (2d Edition, 2005)
- Author of The Expanded Scope of the IRS Summons Power After United States v. Arthur Young & Company South Carolina Law Review 265 (1986)