OF LAW AND BUSINESS

Shumaker managing partner G.P. Diminich finds a way to combine his two great life interests

As G.P. Diminich sat staring out the window of his Davidson dorm room, a life-changing decision loomed overhead: “should I study business or law?”

Unable to pick one passion and let the other go, Diminich made a decision.

He would do both.

Over three decades later, Diminich, who is now a highly recognized tax law attorney in South Carolina, stands by that choice.

For the past five years, Diminich has acted as managing partner and wealth strategies regional service line leader at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick’s Law Firm’s in Charleston. Through the practice of tax law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, partnership law, wills, trusts, probate, estate planning, tax-exempt organizations, state and local taxation, business litigation, and probate litigation, Diminich has found a way to combine his interests while providing expert advice to clients.

At a young age Diminich discovered his interests in both law and business. Although he hadn’t quite figured out how he was going to combine his pas- sions into a career, he recognized the importance of creating a life he enjoyed.

Diminich was born in Queens, New York, in 1973 to European immigrants who had come to the U.S. just a few years prior. Diminich’s mother came to New York from Italy with her family as a teenager. A few years later, when her family decided to return to Italy, she stayed. Shortly after, she met Diminich’s father, an immigrant from Croatia who was seeking asylum in the U.S.

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When Diminich was 5 years old, his family moved from Queens to the D.C. area, where he lived until beginning college in North Carolina.

Diminich graduated from Davidson College with a bachelor’s degree in history and economics, before attending the University of South Carolina School of Business and School of Law, where he got his master’s in international finance (Italian), and his J.D. in business, tax, and estate planning and administration. After graduating from University of South Carolina, Diminich also attended New York University School of Law to get his LL.M. in Taxation.

Since transitioning out of higher education and into his career in the early 2000s, Diminich has had great success, providing what he likes to call “4D advice” to his clients.

“Everything revolves around finance and tax,” Diminich said. “Ultimately, clients can’t make decisions without knowing all the tax ramifications of what they do. I was passionate about tax, because it was a way to provide value to clients in a way that is demonstrable.”

With his background in both law and finance, Diminich has been able to provide legal advice to small business owners and high net-worth individuals in a more holistic way, with the unique ability to guide clients through legal events.

While Diminich has had great success in his career, it has not always been easy. Something that his education had not prepared him for was the way that understanding psychology and communication play into his role as an attorney.

“I always joke that part of being an estate planning attorney and a wealth planning attorney is being a part time armchair psychologist,” Diminich said. “You’ve got to be able to read a situation and determine the course of action and how to relate to people. To have a good dialogue and a good level

of transparency and trust is difficult.”

Through Diminich’s career working in estate planning and wealth planning, he has advised clients during some of their hardest moments. While navigating them through the fine details of legal logistics in the face of tragedy, Diminich works to ensure that their businesses and assets are preserved, protected, and able to continue to grow.

“Life can change at a moment’s notice,” Diminich said. “We’ve all been through that sadly. But when you’ve got a business, it’s something that you’ve got to consider and have a succession plan in place. Otherwise, it really becomes difficult when a tragic situation arises.”

While challenging, Diminich considers helping people through crisis by taking on financial and legal logistics to be the most fulfilling aspect of his career.

“I admire their courage and their internal strength to push through stuff of sometimes incredible tragedy,” Diminich said. “That is a situation where folks need to have the clarity of insight, because whatever decisions they make at that moment are going to have ramifications or years down the road.”

Despite completing his extensive education years ago, Diminich has made it a priority to continue learning and adapting his legal education to the ever-changing world. He is a certified specialist in taxation law and a certified specialist in estate planning and probate law, distinctions given by the Supreme Court of South Carolina. Diminich has also been appointed to the Supreme Court of South Carolina Commission on Continued Legal Education and Specialization, where he advocates for the importance on attorneys keeping up to date on their legal education.

Diminich has also been elected as a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, and a Fellow of the American Bar

Foundation.

While making waves in the South Carolina law community, Diminich has practiced at several firms, including Buist Moore Smythe McGee, Clawson & Staubes, and Smith Moore

Leatherwood. Since 2018, Diminich has been with Shumaker as a managing partner, and is now helping to lead the expansion of their Charleston office.

Since entering the Charleston market in 2018, Shumaker has nearly tripled the number of attorneys and is currently expanding its office space by over 8,000 square feet. While this is a common theme across the Carolinas, Charleston’s ranking as one of the fastest-growing cities in America and the subsequent rising demand for business legal services has provided Shumaker with a booming market to grow in.

However, according to Diminich, the market isn’t the only thing contributing to Shumaker’s success, attributing much of it to the firm culture of collaboration and goal of serving the community.

“We foster a culture where we try to pick the right people,” Diminich said. “Those who are collaborative, appreciate teamwork, and who work together to get to serve the client’s best interest. One thing I encourage all attorneys to do is serve the community. When you’re serving your community, you’re serving your clients. It’s the same passion, and the same thing when working collaboratively with other folks to get to the best result.”

Moving forward, Diminich wants to expand on all of his prior accomplishments to help create a firm that is able to serve clients holistically, guiding them through legal matters with knowledge and empathy.

“Whether it is in this office, or referring them to another office within the firm, I want the advice they get to be the best advice,” Diminich said. “Not only from a legal perspective, but also advice that’s considers a lot of their personal needs and desires.”