Charles is a native of Charlotte, having graduated from Charlotte Catholic High School and North Carolina State University. After beginning his practice with a large firm in Atlanta, Georgia, he returned to the Charlotte area in 2010 with the ultimate goal of opening the Riney Law Firm, PLLC to assist entrepreneurs, professionals and families with their business law and estate planning needs. In addition to owning Riney Law Firm, PLLC, Charles and his wife, Sara, have four sons, Charlie, Sam, Weston, and Max. When he is not in the office or spending time with his family, Charles enjoys running and recently completed the 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Charles’ first.

Bar Admissions

North Carolina, 2006
Georgia, 2008 (inactive)

Education

University of Florida Levin College of Law, Gainesville, Florida
LL.M. – 2007
Major: Taxation

Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, Michigan
J.D. cum laude - 2006 
Law Review: Thomas M. Cooley Law Review, Associate Editor, 2005 – 2006

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
B.A. – 2003
Major: Political Science

Published Works

The Everyday Client Situation: Getting Strategies, (Co-Author), GA Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2010

Classes/Seminars

The Everyday Client Situation: Getting Strategies, (Co-Presenter), GA Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2010 – Present

Professional Associations and Memberships

Estate Planning Section of Mecklenburg Bar, Member, 2011 – Present
Charlotte Estate Planning Council, Member, 2011 – Present
Georgia Bar Association, Member, 2008 – 2010
Cobb County Bar Association, Member, 2008 – 2010

Law Experience

Stewart Law, P.A., Charlotte, NC 2010-2014

• Sophisticated estate and wealth transfer planning, including revocable living trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs), beneficiary defective trust (DBITs)
• Business formations including limited liability companies, corporations, non-profit corporations, and professional limited liability companies
• Advised dentists and oral surgeons regarding the negotiation and sale (or purchase) of dental practices, including close consultation regarding the tax implications of certain transaction structures.
• Structured and closed multi-million dollar asset purchase transactions

Brock, Clay, Calhoun & Rogers, PC, Marietta, GA 2007-10

• Corporate transactions, including asset purchases, and stock/membership interest purchases
• Structured partnerships and other business and investment instruments for clients seeking tax planning and creditor protection strategies
• Advised and assisted executors in the administration of large estates
• Developed complex estate plans and tax-advantaged succession strategies
• Drafted 403(b) and cafeteria plans for large public school district and counseled administrators on the administration thereof

Austin is a native Iowan who moved to Alabama for the later half of his adolescences. He graduated from Troy University with honors, then continued his education at the Stetson University College of Law. After obtaining his Juris Doctorate, he was drawn to the city of Charlotte with the plan of helping people create, manage, and protect their business, along with assisting families in planning for the future. After being raised in a family centered around a small business, Austin chose to become a business and estate planning attorney because he understood the importance and relief of knowing your business and family are safeguarded to the maximum extent under the law. While away from the office, Austin enjoys taking his dog on adventures through the State of North Carolina, spending time with family, and attending local events in the Charlotte area.

Bar Admissions

North Carolina, 2021

Education

Stetson University College Of Law, Gulfport, Florida

JD – 2018
Major: Political Science

Professional Associations and Memberships

North Carolina Bar Association
Mecklenburg Bar Association