Matthew B. Edwards

Name: Matthew B. Edwards
Position: Principal, Attorney
Bar Admissions: South Carolina
Alma Mater:
- University of Florida Levin College of Law
- University of South Carolina School of Law
- Furman University
Email: medwards@tfelawfirm.com
Social: LinkedIn

As a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law and a Certified Specialist in Taxation Law, Matt Edwards is one of only 17 attorneys in South Carolina who is dual certified. Matt became a principal at Thomas, Fisher & Edwards in 2015, the same year Greenville Business Magazine© first recognized him as a Legal Elite of the Upstate. He has received this honor every year since. In addition, Matt has been honored by The Best Lawyers in America® every year since 2019. His focus areas include taxation, business formation and commercial law, complex estate planning, probate and trust law, business sales, mergers and acquisitions, and non-profit/charities law. For his work in tax law, The Best Lawyers in America named Matt the “Lawyer of the Year” in Greenville, South Carolina in 2022. He has served as a board member of the Taxation Law Specialization Advisory Board of the Supreme Court of South Carolina; as a council member of the tax section of the South Carolina Bar Association, where he is an ongoing member; and in multiple positions including President on the Greenville Estate Planning Council. Matt also works closely with the Greenville County Bar Association and the Greenville Estate Planning Study Group. He has been published multiple times in SC Lawyer magazine and presented on tax and estate planning topics at the 2023 South Carolina Bar Convention Continuing Education seminar.

Matt’s expertise extends beyond his private practice and professional affiliations to the Greenville community. He has fulfilled multiple roles with the Christian Learning Centers of Greenville County, the Neighborhood Cancer Connection (formerly the Cancer Society of Greenville County), and the Greenville Rotary Club.

Educational Background

After earning a BS in Computer Science and Business Administration from Furman University, Matt attended the University of South Carolina School of Law. He graduated cum laude in 2008. During law school Matt received the Capers Bouton Memorial Scholarship, the John Holland Scholarship, CALI awards for outstanding academic achievement, and the Albert C. Todd, III Estate Planning Award for academic and leadership achievements. After completing his JD, Matt earned his LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. In 2023 he graduated from the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) Southeast Fellows Institute program for future leaders.

University of Florida Levin College of Law, Master of Laws in Taxation, 2009
University of South Carolina School of Law, Juris Doctor (cum laude), 2008
- South Carolina Law Review
- Moot Court Bar
- CALI Award for Professional Responsibility
- CALI Award for Fiduciary Administration
- Capers Bouton Memorial Scholarship Recipient
- John Holland Scholarship Recipient
- Albert C. Todd, III Estate Planning Award
Furman University, Bachelor of Science, Computer Science and Business Administration (cum laude), 2002

Honors

Received the Accredited Estate Planner® Designation in 2024
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 for work in:
- Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Corporate Law
- Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Nonprofit/Charities Law
- Tax Law
- Trusts and Estates
Legal Elite of the Upstate 2024, Greenville Business Magazine©
- Corporate Law – Business Organizations (top vote recipient)
- Corporate Law – Mergers & Acquisitions
- Estate & Trust – Planning
- Tax and Estate Planning
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2024 for work in:
- Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Corporate Law
- Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Nonprofit / Charities Law
- Tax Law
- Trusts and Estates
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2023 for work in:
- Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Corporate Law
- Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Nonprofit / Charities Law
- Tax Law
- Trusts and Estates
Southeast Fellows Institute, Class I Graduate, 2023
Selected to 2023 South Carolina Super Lawyers
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by The Best Lawyers in America for Tax Law, Greenville (2022)
Legal Elite of the Upstate 2023, Greenville Business Magazine© (Corporate Law – Mergers & Acquisitions, Estate & Trust – Planning, Tax and Estate Planning, and Corporate Law – Banking & Finance)
Legal Elite of the Upstate 2022, Greenville Business Magazine (Corporate Law – Banking & Finance, Corporate Law – Mergers & Acquisitions, and Tax & Estate Planning)
Legal Elite of the Upstate 2021, Greenville Business Magazine (Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions – top vote recipient, and Banking and Finance)
Legal Elite of the Upstate 2020, Greenville Business Magazine (Tax & Estate and Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions – top vote recipient)
Legal Elite of the Upstate 2019, Greenville Business Magazine (Tax & Estate and Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions – top vote recipient)
Legal Elite of the Upstate 2018, Greenville Business Magazine (Tax & Estate and Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions – top vote recipient)
Legal Elite of the Upstate 2017, Greenville Business Magazine (Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions)
Legal Elite of the Upstate 2016, Greenville Business Magazine (Mergers & Acquisitions and Tax & Estate)
Legal Elite of the Upstate 2015, Greenville Business Magazine (Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions)
Eagle Scout

Professional Organizations

Board Member of the Taxation Law Specialization Advisory Board of the Supreme Court of South Carolina, 2023-present
Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the South Carolina Supreme Court, 2018-present
Certified Specialist in Taxation Law by the South Carolina Supreme Court, 2019-present
South Carolina Bar: Probate Estate Planning and Trusts Section, 2009-present
South Carolina Bar: Tax Law Section, 2009-present (Council Member, 2017-2019)
Greenville County Bar Association, 2009-present
Greenville Estate Planning Council, 2009-present (Secretary, 2016-2017; Vice President of Membership, 2017-2018; Vice President of Programs, 2018-2019; Board of Directors, 2013-2021; President, 2019-2020)
Greenville Estate Planning Study Group, 2009-present
Haynsworth Perry Inn of Court, 2018-present

Professional Publications

SC Lawyer Article – Uncommon, but Useful, Trust Distribution Standards, May 2024
“The Ins and Outs of the Corporate Transparency Act,” Co-Author, SC Lawyer, September 2023
“Erasing the Past: Tax Rescission and the Ability to Undo Completed Transactions for Federal Tax Purposes,” Co-Author, SC Lawyer, November 2018
“Income Tax Basis Planning for Your Estate,” Author, The Advisor, Furman University, 2015
“Non-Tax Uses of Trusts in Estate Planning,” Author, The Advisor, Furman University, 2013

Community Organizations

Director, Christian Learning Centers of Greenville County, 2021-present
Secretary, Christian Learning Centers of Greenville County, 2021-present
Chairperson, Endowment Committee of the Christian Learning Centers of Greenville County, 2021-present
Director, Neighborhood Cancer Connection, formerly known as Cancer Society of Greenville County, 2019-present
Member, Finance & Investment Committee of the Neighborhood Cancer Connection, 2022-2024
Chairperson, Nomination & Governance Committee of the Neighborhood Cancer Connection, 2024-present
Member, Greenville Downtown Rotary Club, 2017-present

Speaking Engagements

South Carolina Bar Convention Continuing Legal Education Seminar for the Probate, Estate Planning & Trust Section, Author and Lecturer, 2023
- “Estate, Gift and GST Exemption and Portability”;
- “The Corporate Transparency Act of 2021”;
- “SECURE 2.0”; and
- “Specificity Requirement for Waiver of IRC § 2207”
“Erasing the Past: Tax Rescission and the Ability to Undo Completed Transactions for Federal Tax Purposes,” Co-Author and Recorded Video Co-Lecturer, SC Bar, Recorded 2019
“Estate Planning in the Digital Age: Issues and Coming Solutions for Estate Planners and Fiduciaries,” Author and Lecturer, Greenville Estate Planning Study Group, 2013
“Heirs of My Body: Intervivos and Testamentary Transfers of Organs and Tissues, with Consideration of Potential Tax Effects and After-Conceived Children and Descendants,” Author and Lecturer, Greenville Estate Planning Study Group, 2010

Bar Admissions

South Carolina

I find great satisfaction in meeting client needs across the range of practice areas that we offer at TF&E. Whether navigating estate and trust administration or helping my clients work through the intricacies of mergers and acquisitions, I’m driven to bring their plans across the finish line knowing that my clients will walk away winners.

Matthew B. Edwards

Matthew B. Edwards

Practice Areas

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