About Terry Prendergast

Terry Prendergast is a South Dakota trusts and estates and trust company attorney at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP. Terry joined the firm in 2017 with a prestigious career of nearly 40 years practicing law in Sioux Falls. Interacting with counsel and clients across the country and the world, Terry extols the virtues of South Dakota’s top-in-the-nation trust laws, flexible procedures and low tax environment, stating, “To open up people’s eyes to one of the best kept secrets in business—that South Dakota has a flexible, advantageous and responsive environment for business, estate and wealth planning, gives me great satisfaction.”

Terry’s professional background:
*Provided legal counsel to hundreds of trust clients with trusts containing assets ranging from a few thousand dollars to over $5 billion.
*Worked with trust company clients with over $180 billion of assets under management in South Dakota.
*Worked on transactions ranging from $5,000 to $300 million dollars.
*Served as special counsel for multiple institutes of higher education in South Dakota, and as hearing examiner for the South Dakota Board of Regents.
*Served as special counsel for the formation of three public captive insurance companies for the State of South Dakota, its agencies, and various authorities for the State of South Dakota.
*Served on Governor’s Task Force on Trust Administration Review and Reform, 2010-2018.
*Past Bar Commissioner, Past Chair, Law School Committee and Continuing Legal Education Committee, State Bar of South Dakota.
*Past Member, USD Law School Foundation.

Terry has received an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®, has been selected to Best Lawyers® in the areas of Trusts and Estates and has also been ranked by Chambers High Net Worth Guide and Chambers and Partners in the area of Corporate/Commercial law and Private Wealth law.