StewardshipLegacyFamily Flourishing

My approach to this work has been shaped by what I have witnessed over the years.

I have seen the security that wealth can bring to a family. I have also seen the wounds it can leave behind.

I have seen relatives divided by money and inheritance, and brothers and sisters ultimately facing one another in court over family property. I have seen children grieving the sudden loss of a parent while, at the same time, feeling anxious and unprepared as they confront substantial wealth, complex assets, and unfamiliar legal arrangements. I have also seen couples who supported one another through the most difficult years of building a business and a life together, only to grow apart after success and financial comfort arrived.

As a lawyer, I once regarded mastery in the use of trust-planning tools, legally sound and compliant structures, and reasonable and efficient tax outcomes as the highest aims of my practice. But after witnessing one difficult family story after another, I gradually came to realize that if planning begins with wealth and ends with distribution, something essential may still be missing beyond the pages of even the most carefully drafted legal documents.

In 2017, I stepped away from the field of corporate law in which I had worked for many years and began focusing increasingly on private wealth planning, trusts, and family legacy.

My work evolved from offshore trusts to U.S. domestic trusts; from focusing on trust structures to evaluating the tax consequences of those structures; from concentrating primarily on assets themselves to considering how financial capital intersects with family relationships, human and social capital, intellectual capital, and spiritual capital; from a traditional model that begins with money and ends with distribution to a longer-term perspective centered on purpose, relationships, and generational development; from focusing on a beneficiary’s immediate interests to considering how wealth planning may help the next generation develop the capacity, sense of responsibility, and discernment needed to receive and steward wealth well; and from viewing wealth primarily through the lens of ownership to placing greater emphasis on stewardship—the responsibility, purpose, and long-term impact that accompany wealth.

Through this journey, my understanding of estate and wealth planning has continued to move from technique toward purpose, and from assets toward people.

These experiences have convinced me that wealth, by itself, does not automatically create security, harmony, or a lasting legacy. What often determines whether a family can endure and flourish over time are the values, relationships, capabilities, and choices that stand behind the wealth.

For that reason, trust planning should not be reduced to a one- or two-hour exchange of questions and answers between lawyer and client. It should be grounded in substantive communication, thoughtful explanation, and trust. A lawyer should understand not only the client’s assets, beneficiaries, and distribution objectives, but also the client’s intentions, legal challenges, practical concerns, and deepest hopes for family and future generations.

It is through those conversations that abstract legal provisions begin to connect with the experiences, choices, and aspirations of a real family. The resulting legal documents are no longer merely cold words on paper. They can carry the client’s most important intentions and entrusted wishes with warmth and humanity—and stand the test of time through the many years ahead.

My work is to bring these principles into practice as faithfully as I can.

I have therefore come to believe deeply that:

Legal documents should carry not only the weight of the law, but also the warmth of the intentions entrusted to them. Wealth planning should not only preserve what a family has built, but also prepare those who will one day receive and steward it.

For me, wealth and estate planning is a journey I walk alongside clients—a journey in which everything begins with purpose and ultimately returns to relationships.

To practice work that I genuinely care about, and to do so with passion, is something for which I am deeply grateful.

I hope to bring that same sense of gratitude to every client I serve.

Professional Experience

In addition to his role with Cedar Stream Law, Greg currently serves as Of Counsel to Taylor Odachowski Schmidt & Crossland LLC (TOSC).

For more than two decades, Greg held leadership roles with the National Christian Foundation, including service as Executive Vice President for Gift Planning. His work included helping develop and advance sophisticated charitable-giving strategies involving non-cash and complex assets, including interests in privately held companies and real property.

Before joining the National Christian Foundation, Greg co-founded the law firm of Sperry and Odachowski on St. Simons Island, Georgia. His practice focused on estate planning, taxation, and charitable giving. Earlier in his career, he helped establish the Christian Ministries Foundation, served in development leadership with MAP International, and directed legal-services offices serving low-income clients in Tennessee.

Greg’s work in international philanthropy also includes his role in establishing TrustBridge Global Foundation, a Swiss charitable foundation that operates international donor-advised fund programs and related cross-border giving structures. He previously served as Secretary to its Board and currently serves on its Board of Advisors.

Charitable & Legacy Planning

Charitable planning often raises questions that extend beyond a particular gift:

• How much is enough for the family?
• How can generosity reflect the family’s values and shared sense of purpose?
• How should charitable intentions be coordinated with estate, tax, business-succession, and legacy planning?
• How can rising generations participate in the family’s giving?
• Which charitable structures may be appropriate for the assets involved?

Greg brings substantial experience with charitable gifts involving privately held business interests, real estate, donor-advised funds, charitable trusts, private foundations, and other non-cash or complex assets. His work has also involved coordination among families, professional advisors, and charitable organizations.

Philanthropy as Family Stewardship

At Cedar Stream Law, Greg contributes charitable-planning experience to a broader family-centered planning process. His perspective helps families consider how generosity may be connected with estate planning, family relationships, stewardship, succession, and multigenerational legacy.

Philanthropy can become more than a transfer of property. When approached thoughtfully, it may provide a practical setting in which family members clarify shared values, prepare rising generations, practice stewardship, and pursue meaningful purposes together.

Generosity can be more than a transfer of assets. It can become a practice of stewardship across generations.