Terry N. 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.

University of South Dakota School of Law

J.D. (1978)

1978

Honors: with highest honors

University of South Dakota

MBA (1978)

1978

Augustana College

B.A. (1975)

1975

Honors: with honors

Of Counsel

Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP

2017 - Current

Redstone Law Firm LLP (formerly Murphy, Goldammer & Prendergast)

2003 - 2017

Boyce, Murphy, McDowell & Greenfield

1979 - 2002

Law Clerk to Honorable Fred J. Nichol, Chief Judge

U.S. District Court of South Dakota

1978 - 1979

Trust Law Roundup: “South Dakota: Legislative, judicial and executive developments”

Trusts & Estates

August, 2019

South Dakota Cryptocurrency and Digital Asset Trust Companies Thrive

Davenport Evans Banking eNews

July 22, 2019

State Bar of South Dakota  # 1397

Member

Current

Governor's Task Force on Trust Administration Review and Reform

2010 - 2018

South Dakota

State Bar of South Dakota

ID Number: 1397

Since 1978

8th Circuit

Since 1982

U.S. Supreme Court

Since 2016

• Trust Companies
• Insurance Regulatory Law