Our Estates and Trusts team brings decades of experience in providing families, individuals, and business owners with tax-efficient wealth protection, growth, and management solutions to realize their dreams and legacies. Whether you want to ensure the well-being of a loved one, manage a business exit or succession, or plan for the future, our team is here to guide you every step of the way. 

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We bring a holistic approach to address a wide range of legal services, including estate planning, special needs planning, business exit and succession planning, estate and trust administration, and guardianship matters. With a deep understanding of the diverse legal strategies available to families and businesses, we are committed to creating efficient and effective solutions tailored to the unique needs of our clients and their beneficiaries.  We bring peace of mind to each engagement. Our services include:

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Estate Planning
 

• Assist individuals and families with preparation of last will and testaments, trusts, advance directives, charitable planning, power of attorneys and pre-and post-nuptial agreements.

• Advise clients on coordinating the design of their estate plan with their retirement plans and other non-probate assets.

• Provide a future roadmap for families and create intergenerational plans in simple terms that families understand.

• Counsel high-net-worth individuals on the minimization of estate taxes and the preservation of wealth for many generations to come.

• Assist clients in forming and structuring charitable organizations, including public charities and private foundations, with tailored guidance on compliance, governance, and tax-exempt status.

 

Special Needs Planning

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• Advocate for individuals with disabilities and develop comprehensive strategies to address their unique needs.

• Create a personalized plan that covers legal, financial, and community resources needed to support a loved one with disabilities now and in the future.

• Prepare first- and third-party special needs trusts to improve the quality of life for disabled individuals while preserving their eligibility for means-tested government benefits such as Medicaid and SSI.

• Advise families on navigating the complexities of the various government benefits and programs available for individuals with disabilities.

• Advise trustees on the fiduciary responsibilities of administering special needs trusts.

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Business Exit & Succession Planning

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• Assist business owners in planning for the transition of ownership and wealth to future generations, ensuring a smooth transition of ownership and management, as well as the continuity of their business.

• Draft buy/sell agreements, shareholder and partnership agreements, and operating agreements.

• Ensure business succession plans align with the overall estate plan of individuals and families.

• Help business owners integrate the proceeds of a sale of a business into estate and tax avoidance strategies. 

• Steer clients through issues related to structuring, formation, and strategic exiting or transfer of the business through each stage of a company’s life cycle.

 

Guardianships

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• Guide families through the guardianship process for transitioning youths and incapacitated adults.

• Counsel families on less restrictive alternatives to guardianship.

• Prepare guardianship petitions and guardianship fiduciary reports.

• Represent clients in guardianship matters before circuit courts throughout Maryland.

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Estate and Trust Administration

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• Assist families with the probate and non-probate process following the death of a loved one.

• Prepare and file required documents to initiate a probate estate before the Orphans’ Courts throughout Maryland as well as Inventory, Information Reports, and accountings.

• Assist and advise personal representatives with the marshaling, management, and distribution of a deceased person’s estate, and with requisite tax payments and filings.

• Assist and advise personal representatives with Modified Administration estates.

• Counsel fiduciaries on the management and distribution of trust assets ensuring compliance with trust documents and other legal requirements.

• Prepare trust accountings and advise on trust solutions including nonjudicial settlements, decanting, modification, and reformation of trusts.

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