Scott James Golightly

Working with Scott on our estate planning was an outstanding experience from start to finish. He combines deep legal expertise with a warm, approachable manner that immediately puts you at ease. Scott took the time to truly understand our family's unique needs and guided us through the entire process... with clarity, patience, and professionalism. What really sets Scott apart is his ability to explain complex legal concepts in a way that’s easy to understand. He never rushed us, always answered our questions thoroughly, and ensured we felt confident in every decision we made. His attention to detail and dedication to getting things right gave us peace of mind that our future—and our family’s future—is in good hands. If you're looking for a knowledgeable, trustworthy, and compassionate estate planning attorney in Richmond, look no further than Scott. We feel incredibly fortunate to have found him and would recommend his services without hesitation.

It was two before my wife's surgery and our wills needed updating. We also needed a living will.The law firm we had been using was dragging their feet.We called the Golightly law firm.We explained our problem. Three days before my wife's suggery we had a new will, general POA,medicalPOA and a li...ving will.It gave us peace of mind working with the professional Golighty staff.

I am a 70 year old, retired professional who moved to Richmond 4 years ago and needed to re-do my Will, Revocable Living Trust, healthcare and financial power of attorneys and medical directive. I had decided to make a respected trust company in Philadelphia my Trustee and, since my daughters were o...lder adults now, to change the executor of my Will. This was quite a change from my previous estate planning documents and there were dozens of decisions to make in order to effectively integrate the various documents. It was much more complicated than I had initially imagined. But it was very important to me at my age to get it right. I found Mr. Scott Golightly to be a very good listener and problem solver. He worked very effectively with the team at the trust company. Scott presented the various alternatives and their consequences clearly so that I could make good decisions. He was readily available by email or telephone and always encouraged questions and discussions so I could reach my best decisions. Scott was prompt and well prepared for our meetings and had a plan for how to proceed so our time together was productive. At my age, I found the task daunting at times but Mr. Golightly was always patient with me even when I was frustrated. Scott made the planning process as positive an experience as possible. In the end I am extremely pleased with the results and believe that I have left my daughters with the best estate plan that could be devised. Furthermore Mr. Golightly will be an excellent resource for them after I pass away.

I recently needed to get my parents trusts revised and was very fortunate that our financial advisor recommended Scott for the revisions. A revision had been done in 2009 and was written in language that was difficult to understand. One of the first questions Scott asked was what our family goals w...ere both short and long term and what we felt could be improved in the trust revision. The ability to clearly communicate, both written and oral, and to make sure the client understands and their wishes are executed were both important points to establish our trust and belief in Scott. Scott was sensitive to family matters and communicated necessary facets that needed to be executed for the trusts. Scott was additionally very efficient without any compromise in execution. Whenever I had any question, I would email and quickly received a complete and thoughtful assessment. Scott would provide not only one solution, but would consider different resolutions and would delineate the advantages and disadvantages for each. Scott has a rigorous and solid understanding of trust and estate laws and worked with us so that my parents wishes were executed and minimized stressful situations that may occur upon trust execution. He understands how tax laws may play a role and Scott worked closely with our financial advisor to structure the trusts to protect their integrity. Scott will gather information from substantial resources that lead to the best final decision and you will understand how the decisions are made. Scott has a very strong commitment to the client and I would do reading regarding questions and Scott would help to decipher the vast information base available. Scott was always pleased that I would present questions, he never viewed this in a negative manner. Some lawyers want you to accept their mechanisms of execution and view questions as confrontation, however this never occurred with Scott. Scott has resources that he will suggest and as for real estate transactions, these may greatly enhance the execution of an estate. I never felt pressured to use these, however, as Scott is so complete, he presents a panel of resolutions that was very beneficial. Unless you are a lawyer, you cannot understand the implications of the different decisions and I always felt comfortable and would receive thoughtful answers when I contacted Scott. The care and attention, to both legal and personal matters, was exceptional and I recommend him as a lawyer in the highest degree.

While originally Scott helped my wife and I with our wills and trust arrangements, he now consults to me for contract issues and debt collection with great results for my business. Scott has been fantastic to work with and we highly recommend him to any friend or business associate with personal or c...orporate legal matters. He’s always professional, responsive and a pleasure to work with.