Ken is from Columbia, South Carolina.  He received his B.S. degree in Accounting from Clemson University and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.  Mr. Wingate is a former Certified Public Accountant and is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law.  He is a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), a member of the American Bar Association, the Columbia Estate Planning Council, the South Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and is enrolled to practice before the United States Tax Court.

Ken served as Articles Editor and Senior Articles Editor for Probate & Property, a magazine published nationally by the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association. He has served on planned giving advisory boards for the American Heart Association, Baptist Medical Center of Columbia, Columbia College, and the Medical University of South Carolina. He is a frequent speaker and an author on the subjects of estate planning, probate law, probate litigation, and charitable giving. He is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America."

He served on the Estate Planning and Probate Law Specialization Advisory Board for the Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization.  He is a past president of the Richland County Bar's Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law Section and served as the Chairman of the South Carolina Bar's Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law Section.

Ken served as Chairman of the Governor's Commission on Management, Accountability and Performance for Governor Mark Sanford in 2003, and currently serves on the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. He is a past interim treasurer for the State of South Carolina.

He is married to the former Catharine Edwards of Charleston, South Carolina, and has three children. He enjoys hunting and running. He is an elder and Sunday School teacher at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia.