Legacy and Succession is a 56‑year‑old, three‑generation family firm, originally founded when my father, Mike Chaney, began working with families on traditional estate planning in 1967. Over the past 35 years, I have been privileged to serve as the second‑generation leader, working side by side with my daughter, Madison, who joined me full‑time a decade ago and now serves as our President and new owner of the firm. My own work today is focused on legacy and succession planning for families and business owners who want their transitions to be thoughtful, organized, and aligned with the values they care about most.
Across those decades, I’ve seen how unclear plans and reactive decisions can create unnecessary pressure at the worst possible moments. I’ve also seen how well‑designed legacy and succession strategies can act as a stabilizing force: keeping families out of crisis, supporting ownership transitions, and giving the next generation a clearer roadmap for how to steward what has been built. My role is to help clients think several steps ahead, work through complex choices, and design approaches that still make sense in the real world 10, 20, or 30 years from now.
Outside the office, my greatest joy is my family—my wife, our four children, and our two grandsons, Elliott and Avery. When I’m not working with families and advisory teams, you’ll often find me fishing or traveling with the people I love most. Today, as Madison leads Legacy and Succession into its next chapter, my focus is on bringing seasoned counsel and multigenerational perspective to the planning table—helping ensure that families are well‑equipped, their transitions are intentional, and their legacies are thoughtfully preserved for the generations that follow.