A native of Sarasota County, Florida, Michael B. Bridges, a partner with the Dobson Law Group, has been in Greenville since 1996 and practices in the areas of taxation, special needs trusts, estate planning, elder law, veteran’s benefits, Medicare and Medicaid planning,  general business, asset protection planning, probate administration, conservatorships and guardianships.  Mr. Bridges regularly assists his clients with a variety of issues such as special needs trusts, estate and gift tax planning, the preparation of wills and trusts, Medicaid planning and asset protection planning.

Mr. Bridges, a Certified Estate Planning and Probate Law Specialist since 2005, earned his Juris Doctor from the Cumberland School of Law (magna cum laude).  He earned Master of Laws in Taxation from University of Florida and Master of Laws in Estate Planning from the University of Miami and earned his Masters and Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Alabama.

Mr. Bridges places a priority on community and professional involvement.  He is a member of Taylors First Baptist Church in Taylors, South Carolina, Trout Unlimited, the Greenville Estate Planning Council, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), President (2010-2011) and Vice President (2009-2010) of the South Carolina Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the South Carolina Bar Association, Chair for the South Carolina Bar Elder Law Committee (2012-2014), the Greenville County Bar Association and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Elder Law, Tax law, and Trusts and Estates.

Named in Premier Tax Lawyers

• Exclusive Featured Attorney Representing Greenville ( 2023)

Named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers for:

• Trusts and Estates, Greenville (2016)
• Tax Law, Greenville (2015)

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for work in:

• Elder Law
• Tax Law
• Trusts and Estates

Selected for South Carolina Super Lawyers

• Representing the top 5% of lawyers within South Carolina)

Mr. Bridges is admitted to practice in South Carolina, Florida and North Carolina.  He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. District Court, Middle and Western District of North Carolina.

Dobson Law Group

Our experienced Tax Planning attorneys at the Dobson Law Group bring deep Tax Planning experience and expertise to our clients as part of our legal services. We provide Tax Planning services to individuals, businesses (all types), estate executors, and trustees. Our certified Tax Specialists provide experienced representation before the Internal Revenue Service, the South Carolina Department of Revenue, as well as county and municipal taxing authorities.  We handle federal and state tax controversies and tax litigation, involving income, estate, sales and property taxes, of either civil or criminal nature, including investigations, audits, appeals, and litigation.

Estate & Personal Tax Planning

Federal and state tax laws surrounding the planning and preparation of estate and personal tax continue to change and evolve. We develop and implement aggressive tax planning strategies in collaboration with estate planning, asset protection and our elder law legal services with our clients.  The Tax laws and Tax Planning strategies, choices, and options are broad and complex and we work diligently as trusted advisors to understand your unique situation and make recommendations based on your current and future requirements and goals. Preservation of wealth, asset protection and limiting taxes and tax liability are the guiding principles by which we develop and implement our clients’ legal tax strategies, some of which include:

Estate and Personal Tax Planning Strategies, Options

• 1031 exchanges
• Business succession planning
• Capital gains upon the sell of real property
• Charitable gifting strategies
• Cost basis; Stepped up cost-basis
• Estate tax planning
• Family Limited Partnerships (FLP)
• Generation-skipping tax options
• Gifting & gift planning strategies
• Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs)
• IRA and Stretch IRA planning
• Irrevocable Gifting Trusts
• Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs)
• Life insurance trusts
• Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)
• Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs)
• Revocable Trusts
• Sales to Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (IDGTs)
• Valuation and reduction of value strategies

Business Tax Planning

Our highly skilled and certified Tax Law Specialists have extensive Business Tax Planning experience advising business and corporations of all sizes including public, private, and family-owned business clients on tax matters including:

• Sole Proprietorships
• General and limited partnership
• Limited Liability Corporation
• Corporations
• Professional Corporation
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Equity investments;
• Debt and equity financing
• Joint ventures, strategic alliances
• Executive compensation
• Qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation plans
• SEP IRA, Simple IRA, Self-Employed 401k, 401K
• Business succession planning
• Commercial real estate
• IRS and state taxing authorities tax disputes, audits

Tax Controversy, Disputes & Tax Court Litigation

Our experienced Tax Litigation attorneys at the Dobson Law Group provide aggressive and skillful representation for individuals and business owners involved in tax disputes and controversies with the Internal Revenue Service and State taxing authorities including estate and gift tax controversies, especially those involving difficult-to-value assets, such as interests in closely held businesses, family limited partnerships, and limited liability companies. Our Tax Controversy, Disputes and Tax Court Litigation lawyers represent individuals and business owners involved in IRS audits, IRS appeals, and United States Tax Court Litigation and serves clients in Greenville and throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.