Rita Bragg Caughman

Rita works with clients and financial advisors in developing and implementing estate plans and related tax planning that address individual needs as well as family and business interests. Her extensive experience includes advising clients on tax and planning issues, including strategies to manage assets, minimize taxes, and provide for an effective plan of distribution utilizing wills, trusts and other appropriate documents. Her clients include high net worth individuals, business owners, land owners and professionals.

Rita helps families implement multi-generational asset transfers using generation-skipping trusts. She assists those planning for family business succession. In addition to counseling clients on premarital agreements and asset protection strategies, Rita can recommend strategies to achieve charitable giving goals. She further assists clients with representation in the context of estate and trust litigation. As a result of her experience as both a trust officer and as an attorney specializing in this area of the law, Rita is a sought after consulting and expert witness in trusts, estates and fiduciary litigation matters.

As a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Rita serves on its Fiduciary Litigation and Professional Responsibility Committees and is the Immediate Past South Carolina State Chair of the College. She has previously served as a Commissioner on the Supreme Court of South Carolina Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization, Past Chair and Member of the Estate Planning and Probate Specialization Advisory Board of the Supreme Court of South Carolina Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization, Past Chair and Council Member of the South Carolina Bar Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Section and Past President and Board Member of the South Carolina Planned Giving Council.

Rita currently serves on the boards of the University of South Carolina Educational Foundation, New Morning Foundation and the South Carolina State Museum Foundation. She is a Sustaining member of The Junior League of Columbia as well as a Founding Member of Women in Philanthropy. She previously served on the University of South Carolina Alumni Association Board of Governors, the University of South Carolina School of Law Alumni Association Board, and for many years served as Chair of the University of South Carolina Guardian Society.