Sojourner, Caughman & Thomas
Karen Hudson Thomas

Direct

803.212.4961

Fax

803.978.5978

Email

kthomas@sctlawfirm.com

Assistants

Nataly A. Weih, Probate Paralegal
803.343.1252
nweih@sctlawfirm.com

Karen Hudson Thomas

Shareholder

Certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a specialist in both taxation and estate planning and probate, Karen provides legal counsel to professionals, farmers, owners of closely held businesses and large land holdings, and other wealthy families and individuals. Her practice is focused primarily on complex probate and trust administration and postmortem tax planning. She assists families in the steps that must take place after the death of a client, such as probating a will, funding and administering trusts, and complying with the filing requirements of the Probate Court and the Internal Revenue Service.

Karen's experience includes advising clients on a variety of tax and planning issues, including guiding families in the tax, practical and personal issues in the administration of an estate or trust after the death of a family member.

Karen served as chair of the Estate Planning and Specialization Advisory Board and as chair of the Taxation Specialization Advisory Board, both of the South Carolina Bar Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization. She has served as the president of the Columbia Estate Planning Council and currently is an adjunct professor of estate planning at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

She has served as president of Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital Advisory Board and as a member of the boards of directors of the South Carolina Division of the American Cancer Society and of the Junior League of Columbia.


Education

  • B.S., Clemson University – Administrative Management, cum laude, 1985
  • J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law, cum laude, 1988
  • LL.M., New York University School of Law – Taxation, 1989
  • Arthur B. Custy Award for Outstanding Tax Student
  • Member, Order of the Coif and Order of the Wig and Robe
  • Student Works Editor of South Carolina Law Review
  • Graduate Editor, Tax Law Review, New York University School of Law

Membership & Admissions

  • Member, South Carolina Bar
  • Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
  • Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law – South Carolina Supreme Court
  • Certified Specialist in Taxation Law - South Carolina Supreme Court
  • Member, Columbia Estate Planning Council
  • Member, Columbia Tax Study Group
  • Selected, 2014 and 2016 Best Lawyers in America Columbia Trust & Estates Lawyer of the Year
  • Selected, Legal Elite in Greater Columbia Business Monthly
  • Selected, Best Lawyers in America (2008 - present)
  • Selected, South Carolina Super Lawyer (2008 - present)