More Than Black and White

Angela Kirby has long worked at the intersection of law and numbers. 

A certified public accountant turned estate planning and probate attorney—and, for five pivotal years, an associate probate judge—Kirby has built a career defined by foresight, problem-solving, and a commitment to helping families navigate some of life’s most personal and complex challenges.

Kirby began as an accountant at KPMG in the ’80s, following the expected trajectory of accounting professionals: earn a CPA license, work in audit, and eventually move into tax. She loved that world and still does. 

“Accounting is very black and white,” she says. “There isn’t much controversy.” 

When she enrolled at the University of South Carolina School of Law, she wasn’t thinking about practicing law; she meant to bolster her tax background before returning to accounting. That plan shifted dramatically once Kirby discovered probate and estate planning. The field blended her tax and accounting expertise with something she hadn’t anticipated: meaningful, long-term relationships with people. 

“Estate planning and probate are really about helping families,” she says. “You’re contributing to family legacies, solving tax problems and working with multiple generations. It’s very people-oriented, and it’s incredibly rewarding.”

Kirby then took another leap, accepting an appointment as associate probate judge for Richland County Probate Court, a role she held for more than five years. Serving on the bench gave Kirby a rare and invaluable perspective on complex probate issues. While she had never been drawn to litigation or courtroom conflict, the experience exposed her to the disputes that arise when estate plans fail or family dynamics unravel. 

“It completely changed how I thought about planning,” she says. “I could see the problems I wanted to avoid on the drafting side, and learn how to resolve conflict before it arises with families. Seeing those cases made me a better estate planner and a better probate attorney.”

Many of those disputes, she recalls, stemmed from unaddressed family tensions in sensitive situations: passing generational wealth from one family to another, protecting children with disabilities and chemical dependencies, second marriages when there are children from the first, and more. 

“I learned how to meld personalities together and ensure everybody feels protected,” she says. Today, her planning process emphasizes transparency, communication and asking difficult “what if” questions before they become the real-world conflicts she saw on the bench.

In 2012, about 20 years into her career, Kirby followed her entrepreneurial spirit and started her own practice. She founded Kirby Law, with offices in Columbia and Mount Pleasant, and divides her time between the two. Now 33 years in, Kirby continues to serve many of the same families she has advised for decades.

“My clients are very loyal. You’re there when they’re raising children, welcoming grandchildren, selling businesses, or dealing with illness or loss. I consider a lot of my clients very good friends,” she says. “It’s a very rewarding practice.”

Kirby no longer appears regularly in probate court, but her judicial experience remains central to her work. She spent years handling litigation after stepping down from the bench, but now serves as an expert witness and is certified to be a mediator. She is frequently consulted by other attorneys to help evaluate cases and provide legal opinions. 

“Probate is an area where mediation really works,” she notes. “Often, family members just want to be heard.”

Giving Back

Community involvement has long been a cornerstone of Angela Kirby’s career. She regularly donates estate planning services to raise money for animal shelters, local school foundations and charitable organizations. Kirby has served on the board of Pawmetto Lifeline, a no-kill animal shelter, where she helps clients create pet trusts for animals requiring long-term care.

Other boards she’s served on over the years include Lutheran Homes of South Carolina, the Township Auditorium, and the Midlands Technical College paralegal program. She is also a sought-after speaker, offering free educational talks on estate planning and probate issues to churches, women’s groups, and community organizations on estate planning and probate issues. 

“People worry about these issues,” she says. “Helping them understand their options makes a real difference.”