Overall Rating
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.
4.9 /5.0
28 Client Reviews
Free Consultation
$0 first 60 minutes
PRO
Charles N. Griffin III
also known as Chess Griffin
Free Consultation
About Charles
Biography
Mr. Griffin is a native North Carolinian who is admitted to practice law in North Carolina and South Carolina. He attended college at Vanderbilt University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in English. He then attended the Wake Forest University School of Law where he received his Juris Doctor degree in 1997. During law school he was a member and Senior Articles Editor of the Wake Forest Law Review. He was also a member of the Wake Forest Moot Court Board and the Wake Forest Elder Law Clinic.
Mr. Griffin is a member:of the American Bar Association (Business Law, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, and Tax Sections), the North Carolina Bar Association (Business Law, Estate Planning, Elder Law, and Tax Sections), National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Wake County Bar Association, and the Wake County Estate Planning Council. He is accredited to practice before the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs. He is also a member of the Legislative Committee and CLE Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association, Estate Planning Section.
Mr. Griffin is a shareholder in the Raleigh law firm of Kirschbaum, Nanney, Keenan & Griffin,P.A. For almost twenty years he has provided legal advice to clients in matters relating to estate planning, wills, trusts, probate, elder law, guardianship, and tax. Mr. Griffin is a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the North Carolina State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization.
Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law.
Practice Areas
3
Practice Areas
Estate Planning
50%
29 years
Corporate and Incorporation
25%
29 years
Probate
25%
29 years
Fees and Rates
Cost
Hourly Rates
$ 200-400 per hour
Retainer
Sometimes
Payment Methods
- Cash
- Check
- Credit Card
Awards
2017 2016 2015
Licenses
Licensed in South Carolina for 28 years
State: South Carolina
Acquired: 1997
No misconduct found
Licensed in North Carolina for 28 years
State: North Carolina
Acquired: 1997
No misconduct found
Location
Gallery
Online Presence
Other places you can find Charles online.
Charles N. Griffin III's Reviews
Filter Avvo Reviews (27)
Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.
Showing 1 - 5 of 5 reviews | Character & Conduct
Posted by Barbara | July 13, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning
Estate Planning
My husband and I finally finished our Estate Planning. We are 78 and it should have been done years ago. We had so many questions and Chess Griffin heard and answered each one. He is so easy to work with and very personable which put us at ease. Family and friends highly recommended Chess so we trus...
Posted by Rob | October 04, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning
Outstanding Estate Planning & Legal Support
My wife and I needed a complete review and re-write of all of our estate planning documents; our revocable trust needed to be cancelled; and we needed to understand any impacting differences between North Carolina law and the laws of our previous residence (Canada). Chess Griffin and his legal team ...
Posted by Dave | January 25, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning
Excellent Service
Chess was exactly what we were looking for when my wife and I needed to get our estate in order. Chess spent the time up front to explain to us in detail what we needed and what he recommended and made sure that we understood every step in the process. This was a very low pressure situation -- he w...
Charles Griffin
Replied last January 25, 2017Thank you very much for the kind words! We try very hard to provide excellent legal work at a fair price with down-to-earth and personable service. I appreciate you taking the time to leave the review!
Posted by Tim | November 15, 2015 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning
Excellent Estate Services
I was introduced to Charles through my financial advisors to establish trust documents for my family. I found Charles thorough and professional, taking time to listen to our concerns and explain questions we had during the process. His calm demeanor gave us confidence in the decisions we made in our ...
Posted by anonymous | December 27, 2016
Uninterested
The attorney seemed uninterested for whatever reason in even learning more about my case. All of his responses were based upon assumptions or his fee and basically had nothing to do with what my issue was. This was just a strange exchange and experience. Our family has since found an attorney willing...
Charles Griffin
Replied last December 27, 2016Hello and good morning! We hope you and your family had a happy holiday season. Thank you for posting your comment and giving us an opportunity to explain how we work with new prospective clients. We are very, very fortunate to have many repeat clients and many new clients who come to us from personal referrals and recommendations based on our reputation for excellent legal services at fair prices with great customer service. We try to stay laser-focused on what we do well and we work hard to take care of our clients. As a result, however, we cannot take on everything. We have to assess our current workload and make sure we can still give our current clients the top-notch service they expect and that we strive to deliver. So, when a new prospective client contacts us, someone in our firm will personally respond usually within a day by phone or email. We will have several back-and-forth communications to try and figure out what it is the prospective client might need. Sometimes this is straightforward, and sometimes it is tricky. Sometimes the situation might appear to be one thing, but after we dig a bit more, it turns out the situation is something else. Overall, we are trying to help the client figure out whether we are the right fit since we do not want to waste the client's time or money if it is not something in our wheelhouse. Even if it is the type of matter we generally handle, based on our current workload we might not be able to take it on. If we are able to take on the matter, then we often (but not always) have a free face-to-face consultation as the next step and proceed from there. On the other hand, if we are not able to take on the matter, then we often refer the prospective client to another attorney who might be able to help. We believe that trying to work through these issues beforehand is fair and reasonable to everyone involved. Thank you again for taking the time to reach out to us. We are sorry that we were not able to take on your matter but the most important thing is that you found an attorney who could, and for that we are very glad. We wish you and your family all the best and hope you have a happy new year!
Charles N. Griffin III's Lawyer Endorsements
"We have different clients in a probate matter. Chess is quite knowledgeable and epitomizes the positive professionalism.to which we aspire."
"I endorse this lawyer. I know Chess Griffin from working with him and collaborating with him on complex tax issues at continuing education events; further, he uses the most advanced software to insure that his clients receive the best documents that can be written. Importantly, he values taking good care of his clients. Plus, Chess is brilliant but humble, and very easy to work with on any matter. He is a top lawyer in my book."
"I am impressed with Mr. Griffin's thoughtful advice and answers to legal questions on Avvo. He has an in-depth understanding of the law and an ability to communicate legal concepts clearly and effectively. I endorse this lawyer!"
"I endorse this lawyer. Chas is a very capable and diligent lawyer, and he takes care of his clients. Fred Morelock"
"Chess and I worked together on a specialized planning matter and I found him to be knowledgeable, personable, and dedicated to serving his client. I endorse this lawyer."
"I have known Charles for many years and highly recommend his abilities. We have worked not only on matters jointly together, but he and his firm have also provided direct legal services to my law firm. He has the highest level of work ethic, reliability, integrity and character."
Gregory Herman-Giddens
Estate planning lawyer
William Alexander
Elder law lawyer
Larry McBennett
Estate planning lawyer
Fred Morelock
Divorce and separation lawyer
Experience
Honors
2025
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2024
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2023
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2022
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2021
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2020
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2019
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2018
Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters
2018
Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers
2016
AV Preeminent Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
2014
Board Certified Specialist - Estate Planning and Probate Law, North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization
Work Experience
1998 - Present
Attorney, Kirschbaum, Nanney, Keenan & Griffin, P.A.
1997 - 1998
Attorney, Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart
Associations
2014 - Present
North Carolina Bar Association, Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section, Legislative CommitteeMember
2000 - Present
North Carolina Bar Association, Elder Law SectionMember
2000 - Present
National Academy of Elder Law AttorneysMember
1998 - Present
North Carolina Bar Association, Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law SectionMember
1998 - Present
North Carolina Bar Association, Tax Law SectionMember
1998 - Present
Wake County Bar AssociationMember
1997 - Present
American Bar Association, Business Law SectionMember
1997 - Present
American Bar Association, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law SectionMember
1997 - Present
American Bar Association, Taxation SectionMember
1997 - Present
North Carolina Bar Association, Business Law SectionMember
Sample of Legal Cases
Estate of Smith
We were able to help the parties resollve this matter in an amicable manner without resulting in litigation. It was a very messy probate and there were hard feelings all around but ultimately I think we got it resolved to everyone's mutual satisfaction.
Education
1997
Wake Forest University School of Law
JD - Juris Doctor
1991
Vanderbilt University
BA - Bachelor of Arts
Speaking Engagements
2016
Estate Planning Dinner
Estate Planning
2014
Catholic Convocation
Advance Directives: What You Need to Know
2005
End of Life Planning
Nuts and Bolts of End-of-Life Decision Making
Publications
1998
South Carolina Lawyer
Trade Secrets in South Carolina: New Act Changes Outlook for Employers
Languages
English
Activity
Legal Answers
Legal Guides
Legal Answers
Q&A
How to have an executor of a will to get registered with wake county NC?
06 Jun 2017
Q&A
Which power of attorney do you need so it covers everything (insurance, financial ,property real estate)??
31 May 2017
Q&A
How long can an estate stay open in nc?
14 Nov 2016