Clint Fischer
Husband + Dad x 4 + Attorney
Farm & Business Succession + Estate Planning
I help families preserve their legacies for future generations.
Who I Am
I'm Clint Fischer.I'm a husband, dad, attorney, ag guy, and serial starter of things.I grew up on a small farm in eastern South Dakota, and agriculture has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.I started working for a farmer and hunting dog trainer when I was 13. From there came college football, an ag business degree from South Dakota State, about 10 years in ag retail, and a handful of small businesses along the way.Eventually I went back to school and became an attorney.Today, I serve as Managing Attorney at Thompson Law, where my work focuses on estate planning, business planning, and farm and ranch succession.That work fits pretty naturally with the rest of my background.I've spent most of my adult life around farmers, ranchers, small business owners, land, equipment, employees, lenders, family businesses, and the challenges that come with trying to build something and pass it on.I'm especially interested in one question:What helps a family farm or business survive another generation?Usually, the answer involves a lot more than a will or trust.It takes good management, clear communication, capable successors, thoughtful ownership, financial discipline, and robust legal documents.My goal with this website is pretty simple:It's the home base for the different things I’m working on. You can read my articles, learn more about working with me through Thompson Law, listen to podcast appearances, find information about having me speak at an event, and follow along with other projects and resources I’m involved with.Outside of work, my wife and I have three young daughters and a son. Faith and family come first.I still enjoy livestock, sports, hunting, fishing, coaching, working with my hands, and probably spending too much time thinking about business ideas and farm transitions.Thanks for being here.-Clint
What I do
I help farm, ranch, and small business families plan for what happens next.Most of that work falls into a few buckets:→ Estate planning
→ Business succession
→ Farm & ranch succession
→ Business structuring & planning
→ Land, ownership, and transition issues
→ Writing, speaking & education on these topicsMy background is a little different than the typical attorney path. Before law, I spent about a decade in ag business and owned several small businesses myself.That experience shapes how I approach the work.I’m interested in more than just legal documents. I want to understand the operation, the family, the goals, the finances, the people involved, and how all of those pieces fit together.Sometimes that means helping parents figure out how to transition a farm operation to the next generation. Sometimes it means building an estate plan that avoids taxes, protects land, and keeps things simple for the family. Sometimes it means helping a business owner put structure around ownership, management, and an eventual transition.I also spend a fair amount of time speaking and writing about these same issues.The goal is pretty simple: make complicated topics easier to understand and help families make thoughtful decisions before they’re forced to make them during a crisis.
Articles and Blog
Podcast Appearances
Recordings linked here:
Invite Me To Speak
I regularly speak to agriculture and business groups about farm & ranch succession, estate planning, family business transitions, and business management.My goal is to make complicated topics practical, understandable, and useful. Not just theory or legal jargon, but ideas people can actually take home and apply to their own farm, ranch, family, or business.If that sounds like a fit for your event, fill out the form below.