My new newsletter bio

Here is the new bio I started using with my email newsletter.

ABOUT ME

My name is David Otis Edwards and I founded Edwards Group LLC in December 2008 to serve the planning needs of individuals, families, businesses, and non-profit organizations through lifetime-focused strategies. My clients include young families with minor children, families with special needs children of all ages, farmers, business owners, established families with dynasty goals and the elderly. I also regularly represent churches and non-profit organizations in carrying out their missions. In matters of estate planning, I provide tailored plans that focus on passing on more than just financial wealth, but also spiritual, emotional and intellectual assets.

My goal is to become the trusted advisor and lifetime legal counsel for my clients. I keep ongoing contact with my clients through newsletters as well as through our client maintenance program, which helps clients keep their planning up to date, so it's ready when they need it.

I have a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law. During law school, I served as an Associate Editor of the school's law review (academic law journal) and was honored as part of the Order of the Coif, an honor society for those in the top 5% of their law school class. In recent years, I have been honored by the Springfield Business Journal as one of the "40 under 40" for 2006 (40 top business leaders under age 40). During 2008 and 2009, I was named as a Rising Star by Super Lawyer Magazine, which is an award chosen by my peers and given to only the top 5% of attorneys in Illinois under the age of 40. I have represented clients before the Illinois Supreme Court, as well as every other federal and state appellate court in Illinois.

I am a member of the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys, whose members are devoted to pursuing the highest quality estate planning practices (both as to client experience and as to legal expertise), even when that means bucking the legal industry by exposing weaknesses in traditional legal planning.

I believe in making a difference in my community. I serve on the board or other leadership capacity in various local organizations, including Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County, Rutledge Youth Foundation, Brother James Court, Delta Church, and the Young Philanthropists of the Sangamon County Community Foundation. The community room in my office (which seats up to 20 people) is available to any community group needing a place to meet.

I have some of the most wonderful and interesting clients any attorney could wish for. I am honored to share life with my clients and their families.

I enjoy serving my clients, but my even greater joy comes from spending time with my wife Michelle and daughter, Bailey. Michelle is a nurse at Memorial Medical Center and is a certified teacher. She is also my personal historian and scrapbooker. Bailey is 2 1/2 years old, full of energy, and loves to make up songs, read books, play with her dolls, and go down the slide at the park.