Estate Attorney

Job Description

Job Description

This isn't a seat-warmer role. We're looking for an estate planning attorney who brings exceptional legal skill, genuine client empathy, and the drive to do their best work — every single day.

At Carolina Estate Planning, we've built a firm where talented attorneys can focus on what they do best: delivering rigorous, thoughtful estate plans that protect families and create lasting legacies. You'll work directly with firm owners, handle sophisticated client matters, and play a meaningful role in a firm that's growing fast and doing it right.

If you hold yourself to a high standard, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and believe that great legal work can genuinely change people's lives — we built this role for you.

Base salary: $110,000 – $140,000, commensurate with experience. Incentive compensation: Performance-based bonus structure.

• Maintain client files to ensure they are properly organized and up to date
• Discuss plans with clients for distributing clients’ assets
• Advise clients regarding retirement plans, charitable giving, and insurance options
• Assist clients effectively by understanding their needs, analyzing the situation, then strategizing and deciding on a proper course of action
• Attend court proceedings as needed to represent clients

What You'll Do

You'll own your client relationships from first consultation through final delivery, guiding families through some of the most important legal decisions of their lives. Day-to-day, that means:

• Consulting with prospective clients and leading them through our proprietary estate planning process
• Providing expert legal counsel and delivering superior estate planning and asset protection work products
• Researching, designing, and executing complex, customized estate plans — wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and more
• Educating clients on retirement strategies, charitable giving, and insurance options
• Guiding clients through the probate process with clear, actionable advice that cuts through complexity
• Representing clients in uncontested guardianship and probate hearings
• Maintaining detailed, organized client records that ensure seamless service and full compliance
• Attending court proceedings as needed

• Must have worked on estate planning and probate law issues for at least 1-2 years
• Wide range of knowledge regarding real estate-related topics such as title insurance, wills and trusts, property management, and litigation
• 4-year degree with a legal background and J.D. degree are necessary for this position
• Active member of the ABA (American Bar Association)
• Great communication skills, particularly in stressful and emotional situations

What You Bring

Required:

• Active North Carolina Bar license in good standing
• J.D. from an accredited law school
• 5+ years of estate planning, probate, and trust administration experience
• Proven ability to lead and manage in a fast-paced, service-oriented environment
• Exceptional communication skills — especially in high-stakes, emotionally sensitive situations
• Strong working knowledge of complex trust planning, probate and trust administration

Preferred:

• LL.M. in Taxation or Estate Planning & Probate Board Certified Specialist designation
• Experience with WealthDocx Estate Planning or ElderDocx Elder Law software
• Active involvement with the American Bar Association (ABA)

Who Thrives Here

Our core values aren't aspirational — they're operational. The right candidate will recognize themselves in all of them:

• Integrity — You hold yourself to the highest ethical standards, always.
• Impact & Influence — You want your work to matter beyond the billable hour.
• Initiative — You anticipate problems and solve them before they escalate.
• Everyone Gets Helped — You believe great legal work ripples outward, and you show up fully for every person you encounter.
• 100% Accountability — You own your outcomes, no excuses.
• Growth Mindset — You're committed to continuous improvement and you push those around you to grow too.
• Rigor — You know that in estate planning, the difference between good and exceptional lives in the details.

At Carolina Estate Planning, we don't just practice law — we make peoples' lives better. We've built a culture where talented people thrive. That means genuine work-life balance, open and honest feedback, and a leadership team that's invested in your personal, professional, and financial success.

Our core values:

• Integrity — We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards, always.
• Everyone Gets Helped — Great legal work ripples outward. We show up fully for every person we encounter — client or not — because we're in the business of making people's lives better.
• 100% Accountability — We own our actions and our outcomes, no excuses. That standard applies at every level of the firm.
• Growth Mindset — We're committed to continuous learning and helping every team member reach their full potential.
• Rigor — The difference between good and exceptional lives in the details. We hold ourselves to a standard that sets us apart.