Anne Kelley is a trusted advisor to individuals, families, business owners, and fiduciaries facing complex wealth transfer, tax, and succession planning challenges. Known for her practical judgment and sophisticated problem-solving skills, AK helps clients navigate highly personal and often complicated matters with clarity, discretion, and efficiency.
Based in Charleston, AK leads the Private Wealth Team’s South Carolina and Georgia offices. She advises clients throughout South Carolina and Georgia on estate planning, wealth preservation, business succession planning, trust and estate administration, and charitable giving. She works closely with clients to develop tailored strategies that preserve family wealth, achieve personal objectives, and minimize transfer tax exposure.
Holding a Master of Laws in Taxation, Anne brings a deep understanding of the tax, legal, and fiduciary considerations that affect multigenerational wealth planning. She regularly assists clients in structuring and implementing sophisticated estate planning techniques while translating complex legal concepts into practical solutions.
AK also advises personal representatives, trustees, and other fiduciaries on all aspects of trust and estate administration, including probate proceedings, fiduciary income tax matters, estate tax compliance, and asset distributions. When disputes arise, she represents beneficiaries and fiduciaries in trust and estate controversies, including will contests, elective share proceedings, breach of fiduciary duty claims, and trust modifications.
AK is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law in South Carolina and a Fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC).
Professional & Civic Engagement
- The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow
- American Bar Association Real Property, Trust & Estate Section
- Vice-Chair, Charitable Organizations Committee
- Member, CLE Committee
- Member, Groups & Substantive Committee
- South Carolina Bar Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Section
- Former Chair, 2021-2022
- Council Member, July 2015 – Present
- Charleston Estate Planning Council, Member
- Charleston Tax Council, Member
- The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America
Thought Leadership
Presentations
- Co-Presenter, South Carolina Bar, 2024 Probate Bench Bar, Strategies for Digital Assets in Estate Planning and Administration, September 2024
- Co-Presenter, Charleston Estate Planning Council, Estate Planning with Digital Assets, April 2024
- Co-Presenter, South Carolina Bar, Lunch and Learn Seminar: Digital Estate Assets and Strategies, July 2023
- Chair, Probate Estate and Trust Section CLE for the 2022 South Carolina Bar Convention
- Speaker, Charleston Estate Planning Council, Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act: Planning for the End of the Stretch IRA”, February 2020
- Panelist, American Bar Association (ABA) Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section e-CLE entitled: The SECURE Act: Planning for the End of the Stretch IRA, February 2020
- Speaker, 2020 South Carolina Bar Convention, "Effective Use of Transfer on Death (TOD) and Payable on Death (POD)", January 2020
Publications
- Co-Author, Profiles in Digital Assets: A Primer on Estate Planning for Crypto, NFTs, and Social Media,” South Carolina Lawyer, March 2023
- “From This Day Forward, The Abolishment of Common-Law Marriage in South Carolina,” South Carolina Lawyer, March 2020
Honors & Awards
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings) in the field of Trusts and Estates, 2022 - Present
- Named the Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year" in Trusts and Estates-Charleston (2027)
- Recognized in Charleston Business Magazine's Legal Elite, Tax & Estate Planning, 2021 – Present
