SARAH CLINGMAN grew up in the Shandon area of Columbia. She earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in English Literature from Columbia College in 1983, a Master of Arts degree in the History of Colonial America in 1985, and a Juris Doctorate in 1990 from the University of South Carolina. Upon graduation from law school, Ms. Clingman was awarded the Kenin Fellowship and practiced law in Washington, DC during her fellowship year. After returning to SC, Ms. Clingman practiced with Charleston and Beaufort law firms, then returned to Columbia. She maintains a specialized legal practice assisting those planning for disability, long term care, special needs. Her practice includes state-wide estate and disability planning, estate administration, guardianship and conservatorship proceedings and other related areas. In providing these legal services, Ms. Clingman provides estate and disability planning, medicaid and benefit eligibility review and planning, special needs and long term care planning, and guardianship, conservatorship, estate, and other judicial protective proceedings. Our mission is to provide quality legal services in the most cost-effective and ethical manner to individuals and families struggling to cope with challenges presented by disabilities and special needs. We maintain a holistic approach by coordinating services so that all aspects of present as well as anticipated future needs are evaluated. We believe that educating and informing individuals and their families is essential to successfully navigating health care systems and identifying and accessing available benefits. We regularly perform pro bono community services by speaking with individuals and local groups about our practice areas and frequently present continuing education programs designed for lawyers, accountants, social workers, medical professionals and care managers.

Ms. Clingman has been a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) since 1992 and serves on the Board of Directors of the SC NAELA Chapter. She is a charter member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners. She is also a member of the Elder Law Committee and Probate, Estate, and Trust (PET) Sections of the South Carolina and Maryland Bar Associations and has served on the SC Probate Code Revision Subcommittee of the PET Section.
Ms. Clingman has over 30 years of experience in the Columbia. She is admitted to practice in all South Carolina and Maryland federal and state courts and in the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals as well as the United States Supreme Court. She is a member of the American, South Carolina, Richland and Lexington County Bar Associations, the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association and the Maryland State Bar Association. She is one of only five SC attorneys who have earned the designation of Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA), offered by the National Elder Law Foundation, and is recognized by the SC Supreme Court as a specialist in this area. She is also a Certified Circuit Court Mediator.

Firm Description

The firm’s practice is limited to Elder Law, including guardianship and conservatorship, estate and special needs planning, probate, estate administration, fiduciary administration, and issues impacting elderly and special needs clients or family members.

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