Attorney Gregory S. DuPont

After I first graduated from law school, estate planning was my initial focus. As a former accounting major, the detailed financial component was a perfect fit. Beyond that, I was able to counsel my clients, help solve their problems, and serve their needs — everything I originally set out to do. I became an attorney knowing that it was a useful trade, and I seemed to be fulfilling my duty just fine. It wasn’t until years later that I realized I could do more, provide more, be more.

Back in my early years, I was working on a case that involved a trust dispute. While representing the family in a deposition it struck me that the family was ultimately burning through at least $1,500 an hour paying for all of the counsel in the room. I realized that the entire situation could’ve been prevented with proper planning ahead of time, if the family had an advisor they trusted. Although my team and I were meeting a need by helping them settle their conflict, we weren’t addressing the real issue, which was how the problem arose in the first place. It was then that I had a sudden epiphany: I didn’t want to simply capitalize on unfortunate situations — I wanted to safeguard them from happening in the first place. So, I made a change.

MY TRANSITION

I took a few years off from focusing on growing my law practice to take a position with a national financial planning and financial services firm.  During that time I also engaged in additional studies to become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). My hope was that a broader understanding of the financial services industry and the tools of financial planning would eventually allow me to better guide the clients at my own law firm. Thus, after gaining what I considered to be sufficient experience in the world of finance, I ultimately began to merge my financial planning and legal practices together. I have found that this comprehensive combination gives me the opportunity to more effectively serve both individuals and their families. Now, I get to do what I set out to do all those years ago.

Today, my clients can give me a call and ask advice without worrying about the hourly billable factor. If you’ve seen my commercials, you know that I describe myself as “a friend in the law,” and that’s exactly what I aim to be. Really, it’s not difficult given that I’m a Columbus native, and the people here truly are my friends and family.

To be honest, I find that this friendly approach benefits myself and my clients alike. You see, what I didn’t realize when I was younger was that I didn’t truly just want to master a trade. I experienced work that was soul-sucking, and I came to understand that what I valued most was my relationships with my clients. That’s what gave my work meaning, so that’s what I began to focus on.

I sit down with my clients and ‘peel back the onion’ so they can understand the ins and outs of their case.

In the end, my clients appreciate that they’ve been properly educated about all of their options and often joke that the process wasn’t as painful as they expected. As an attorney, I’d say the ability to put people at ease is one of my biggest strengths. After all, I have been guiding people through some of their most emotional times for well over 20 years. I meet with clients every day, and I’d like to think I’ve gotten pretty good at taking the stress out of probate and the estate planning process.

I remain calm and centered in part because I have a great support system. Outside of the office, you’ll hardly ever see me without my wife or my teenage daughter, and that’s perfectly okay with me. My clients and my family are all I need.

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER?

A Certified Financial Planner (CFP)  is a professional certification mark for financial planners conferred by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. To achieve this designation, one must meet certain education, experience, and ethics requirements and pass a certification test covering the following areas:

• General Principles of Finance and Financial Planning
• Insurance Planning
• Employee Benefits Planning
• Investment and Securities Planning
• State and Federal Income Tax Planning
• Estate Tax, Gift Tax, and Transfer Tax Planning
• Asset Protection Planning
• Retirement Planning
• Estate Planning
• Financial Planning and Consulting