Clarke, Phifer, Vaughn, Brenner & Mcneill, PLLC

I have done 2 transactions with this firm. Tabitha being the main point of contact for each. I am only giving two starts because the transactions closed and there were not any huge issues that held up closing. Tabitha is not someone that I would ever work with again. She is rude, and has no communication skills whatsoever as well as no customer service skills. It felt like I was inconveniencing her when I would call to ask questions. I get several emails with documents attached to them with absolutely no explication on what they were. If I didn’t have experience in the real estate industry I wouldn’t have had a clue what they were. I will be taking my business elsewhere in the future.

We’re about 6mths into settling an estate from out of town, and I can’t sing the praises of Mark Vaughn, Spenser Combs and Crystal loud enough. I’m serving as the Executor, and they have been truly fantastic to work with. Most importantly they have helped me avoid mistakes BEFORE making them! I hate redoing work that should have been done right and would require extra explanation to the probate court to correct, so I GREATLY appreciate that when they say, just call/email and ask us first, they MEAN it :) Also, on several occasions that I’ve come to town to clear out the house, they have bent over backward to assist me on minor and major tasks I saw as unsolvable *problems* but to them, it was Par for the course and easily addressed. After being in this now for several months, a couple notes of advice to offer, for those looking for estate planning & administration: 1) Request for them to do an “Heirs meeting” so they can interpret the Will/trust/whatever documents FOR you. Don’t even try to explain what you don’t know will occur on your own. Let the heirs ask the *attorneys* answer any questions they’re allowed to and describe who works for whom, and why. They essential represent the person who died so they’re basically not allowed to disclose or advise almost anything to the heirs; only the PR is under obligation/allowed to update them (and should do so regularly as the heirs sole their touch point). Having the meeting will keep costs down in the end, since they’ll not need to field all those calls/email from heirs, and not have to reexplain the correct wording, when you explain something wrong or *incompletely* accidentally LOL. When you’re deep in fresh grief after the loss of your loved one, do NOT even try to answer everyone’s questions on your own right off the bat. I’ve learned that even what I read online is grossly inaccurate for how it *actually* works so just ask them every question you have. 2) Take their advice. They really do know their stuff — backwards and forwards. Rely heavily on them b/c mistakes will cost time or money, or both. Better to get it right the 1st time. Pro Tip: Set up your financial accounts for the estate with Susan/Martha/Dana over at FirstBank in the *Pinterest Plaza* location. Together, with this firm, they have been an efficient dream team, after a very rough start at another local bank. You won’t regret using either. Lastly, we had to sell property and used Craig Phifer to review the listing agreement and close our side, and had a great experience. Very knowledgeable, very detail-oriented, fairly-priced, and clear instructions. (Not a lot of “hand-holding” since they’re probably used to dealing with higher-end clientele who know what they’re doing already LOL) But, that said, every single question I had if Melissa (his paralegal/assistant), she was happy to answer clearly and in as much detail as I needed :) This office is everything a team of attorneys SHOULD be.

I hired Atty. Clarke for my daughter’s legal seperation and rehired again for her divorce. I’m extremely soooo soooo happy how he handled her divorce. He was very thorough in every aspects and really looked after my daughter’s and granddaughter’s well being with dignity and pride. I highly recommend him and this office. Job well done! Thank you very much!

Jim McNeill specializes in Real Estate law. Jim is easy going, laid back, and patient. He handles closing home buyer transactions in Moore County North Carolina. His office is located in Pinehurst. If you are purchasing a home Jim can help you close it! #lovepineslivelocal #localguide

Do not retain Jim McNeill for your estate attorney. I have never been treated with such unprofessionalism. I am a paralegal myself and have worked in various law offices over the years. In my 30 years of serving as a paralegal I must say that I have never been treated in such a manner. REPLY: I understand professional conduct. I was not asking anything that would jeopardize any "professional conduct". All I needed was a "brief" update that the personal representative would not give. She actually stated that she had not no knowledge of the status of the estate. This has been going on for almost two years and we as "heirs" have been left in the dark. I was an estate paralegal in North Carolina for over 5 years and was allowed to give updates without crossing any lines. In essence all I wanted to know is what the anticipated date of closing the estate.