Today we’d like to introduce you to David Thompson.
Hi David, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area of Florida. As a child, all I ever wanted to be was a baseball player. I would spend hours and hours every day practicing with my father. One day I arrived early to practice for some extra batting practice. After one of my swings, I felt an intense pain in my back. I would find out later that I fractured my spine by swinging the bat. I would repeat this injury 2 more times over the next year and a half (a total of 3 spinal fractures). In addition, I would have my pinky finger severely fractured and surgically reconstructed with pins, as well as a severe bone bruise in my right elbow.
With all of this occurring in a short time frame of around 1.5-3 years, we knew something was wrong. Eventually, I would be diagnosed with certain kidney disorders, as well as autoimmune disorders. These allowed me to become a Make-A-Wish kid. Knowing I had a lot of time to make up to achieve my goals of playing college or professional baseball, I wished to have a pitching lesson with Tom House. Tom was a major league baseball pitching coach for many years and coached some all-time greats, such as Nolan Ryan. He is famous for using science to help players achieve optimum results. He has also recently been portrayed in a Disney movie called “Million Dollar Arm.”
My wish consisted of flying out to Los Angeles (he was the pitching coach of the University of Southern California at the time) and having a biomechanical analysis done. With his help (and a lot of physical therapy), I was able to get healthy and earn a scholarship to play baseball at Anderson University. I was a starter there for 2 years and was able to live out my dream of playing baseball.
However, as I grew older, I realized my passion for law and was allowed to intern for Judge Lawton McIntosh in Anderson. He sits on a special business court in South Carolina, which exposed me to several exciting issues. I enjoyed my time there so much that I decided to go to law school to pursue a new goal. I attended the University of South Carolina School of Law and graduated in 2019. I would then go on to clerk for Judge Cordell Maddox in Anderson. Following my clerkship, I returned to school and received my Masters of Laws (LLM) in Taxation from the University of California, Irvine, in 2021.
Since graduating from the University of California, I have worked as an attorney at Merline and Meacham, P.A., a Greenville law firm specializing in Estate Planning, Business, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Taxation.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
My teenage years certainly were not smooth. I was constantly sick and injured, and it seemed never-ending. Continually being in pain from numerous back injuries and other issues was no walk in the park. In addition, some of my illnesses led me to have a compromised immune system. Luckily, I had some great doctors who helped me get healthy. In addition, my clerkship with Judge Maddox was interrupted by COVID-19. The court system was shut down for some time and had to make dramatic pivots. This made it a less traditional experience as a clerk, but it allowed me to work with Judge Maddox and others to solve some interesting issues.
As you know, we’re big fans of Merline & Meacham, P.A. For our readers who might need to be more familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I work at the law firm of Merline and Meacham, P.A. The firm specializes in Estate Planning, Business, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Taxation. I practice in and specialize in all of these fields as well.
I am most proud of our excellent reputation in the community. Our firm has been around for over 50 years and is unique because every lawyer we have has an LLM in Taxation. Solving business and estate planning issues is enough to provide incredible value to clients, but advising on the tax consequences also allows us to go above and beyond.
I want the readers to know that our goal is for us to gain a place in their families and business as trusted advisors. A core clientele of ours is local small and family businesses. We will often advise these business owners on the legal aspects of their business (either formation, events that occur during the business’s life, or an exit via a sale or transfer to family members such as children), as well as on the estate planning process. When we serve clients on such a broad range, we get to know them, their employees, and their families personally. This allows us to become trusted advisors across the board for our clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.merlineandmeacham.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merlineandmeacham
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/merline-&-meacham-p.a.
