Rob and his family have lived in Guilford County since 2013.  Before that, Rob worked at a small firm north of Raleigh handling a wide variety of matters including estate planning and residential real estate.  Upon moving to the Triad, he served as an attorney for the Guilford County Department of Social Services handling child abuse, foster care, and adult protective services cases.  In 2017, he transitioned to Stegall & Clifford, PLLC where he has focused on estate planning for a wide variety of clients.

After graduating from App State, Rob spent a year as a paralegal at a major law firm in Washington, D.C.  Rob then decided to continue his education at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law to jump start a career in public service. Since graduating and passing the Bar in 2009, he continues to enjoy helping people solve their legal needs and protect them from life’s curveballs.  Having dealt with families in crises for a substantial portion of his career, he focuses his efforts now on preventing families and individuals from being harmed by unforeseen scenarios of illness, mental health, financial difficulties, and death.

In combination with some of the area’s best financial advisors, Rob works to ensure that his client, their assets, and their families are protected from taxes, creditors, and changes in the family dynamics both during life and after death.  Seeing the results of elder abuse, Medicaid liens, divorce, mental illness, and when parents of young children pass away unexpectedly has given him a front row view of what can happen when individuals and families fail to take the necessary steps to protect themselves before something happens.

While some families have large assets or complicated family situations that require more extensive planning, many clients may only need a simple Will, Power of Attorney, Healthcare Power of Attorney, and related advanced healthcare directives.  In these situations, an adequate Estate Plan can often be drafted, signed, and finalized in one short meeting while still protecting the individual and family.  If you have a mixed family, ownership in an LLC or privately held company, assets in multiple states, potential creditors, special needs heirs, or the potential to apply for Medicaid, a Revocable Living Trust (RLT) may be the more appropriate method to structure your estate plan.  While a bit more expensive, the RLT can provide a lot more protection from life’s hurdles and also prevent the need for costly estate probate at death.  Either way, Rob will spend as much time as needed to ensure his clients are comfortable about the decision they make moving forward.

When not helping people with their legal needs, Rob is a member of the Hartley YMCA Board of Directors and enjoys taking his two boys backpacking, skiing, canoeing, and rock climbing.  He is also an avid international traveler, lover of live music, and motorcyclist.

One of his favorite quotes is from Hunter S. Thompson: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a Ride!’”  As great as that quote is, not everyone should live exactly like Hunter S. Thompson.  You can live life to the fullest, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the proper precautions.  Let’s at least start with some basic estate planning.