Estate planning is about more than preparing for the end of life. It provides stability during life's transitions and ensures the people you trust, not the court, are empowered to make decisions if something happens to you. With thoughtful planning, you can preserve what you have built, minimize conflict, and give your family clarity and peace of mind.
We approach estate planning as an ongoing advisory relationship, not simply a set of documents. Our role is to provide practical strategy, sound legal guidance, and continued support as your life, assets, and goals evolve over time.
Our Estate Planning Services
We design coordinated, customized plans that function as a complete system rather than a collection of standalone documents. Depending on your needs, your plan may include:
- Last Will and Testament
- Revocable Living Trusts
- Irrevocable and asset protection trusts
- Financial Powers of Attorney
- Advance Healthcare Directives/Healthcare Powers of Attorney
- Living Wills
- Guardianship designations for minor children
- Beneficiary designation planning and coordination
- Trust funding and probate-avoidance strategies
Each plan is customized and designed to function as a coordinated system, rather than a collection of standalone documents.
Post-Mortem Planning Through Wills and Trusts
A Last Will and Testament directs how your assets are distributed, names a personal representative, appoints guardians for minor children, and can establish trusts for added protection.
For many families, trust-based planning offers additional flexibility and control. Revocable living trusts can simplify management during incapacity and avoid probate, while testamentary trusts created through your will can protect and structure inheritances over time. In appropriate cases, we also incorporate limited special needs planning for vulnerable beneficiaries. Our focus is practical, thoughtful planning that safeguards your family and simplifies administration.
Incapacity Planning Through Powers of Attorney
A comprehensive estate plan prepares not only for the transfer of assets at death, but also for the possibility of incapacity during life. Without proper documents in place, loved ones may be forced to seek court-appointed guardianship simply to manage finances or make medical decisions. Thoughtful incapacity planning allows you to choose in advance who will act for you and ensures your wishes are respected without unnecessary court involvement or delay.
Financial Power of Attorney
A financial power of attorney authorizes a trusted person to manage your financial and legal affairs if you are unable to do so yourself. This may include paying bills, accessing accounts, managing investments, filing tax returns, handling real estate or business transactions, and addressing day-to-day financial matters. By appointing an agent you trust, you create continuity and protection for your household while avoiding the time, expense, and stress of guardianship proceedings.
Advance Medical Directive
Maryland's advance medical directive combines a health care power of attorney with a living will. It allows you to designate someone to make medical decisions on your behalf and to clearly express your wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment, pain management, and end-of-life care. Our directives also include appropriate HIPAA authorizations so your chosen decision-makers can access medical information and communicate with providers without unnecessary barriers. By documenting both your preferences and your decision-maker in one comprehensive instrument, you ease the burden on your family and provide meaningful guidance during difficult and emotional moments.
When to Update Your Estate Plan
Estate plans should evolve as your life does. Marriage, divorce, the birth of children or grandchildren, significant changes in assets, relocation, or changes in the law are all good reasons to review your documents. We encourage regular check-ins and view our client relationships as long-term partnerships.
Common Estate Planning Mistakes
Estate planning documents may appear simple on the surface, but small oversights or technical errors can create significant complications for your loved ones later. We regularly meet families who believed their plans were complete, only to discover outdated documents, missing provisions, or improperly executed forms that caused confusion, delays, or unnecessary court involvement.
Common issues include relying on generic online templates that do not comply with Maryland law, failing to properly sign or witness documents, or creating trusts that are never fully funded. Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance policies may conflict with a will or trust, unintentionally disinheriting loved ones. Others overlook incapacity planning altogether, leaving families with no choice but to pursue guardianship proceedings simply to manage basic financial or medical decisions.
Even well-intentioned "do-it-yourself" plans often miss the nuance that comes with blended families, minor children, special needs beneficiaries, tax considerations, or asset protection concerns. Estate planning is not just about filling in forms, it requires thoughtful coordination, legal precision, and a strategy tailored to your specific circumstances.
Working with an experienced estate planning attorney helps ensure your documents are legally sound, properly executed, and fully integrated with your financial life, so your plan works the way you intend when your family needs it most.
Who We Serve
Our estate planning clients include families and individuals at many different stages of life and levels of complexity.
We regularly advise young parents who want to name guardians and protect their children, blended families seeking to balance competing interests thoughtfully, and adult children helping aging parents put plans in place. We also represent professionals, physicians, executives, and business owners who need more sophisticated strategies to protect growing wealth, investment properties, or closely held businesses.
Many of our clients have higher net worth estates or unique family dynamics that require careful, customized planning and a high level of personal attention. We are comfortable handling both straightforward plans and more complex trust and tax planning, always with the same thoughtful, relationship-driven approach.
Why Estate Planning Matters
Without a comprehensive estate plan, Maryland law controls many of the most important decisions affecting your family. This can mean probate proceedings, court supervision, delays in access to assets, unnecessary taxes, and added stress for loved ones during already difficult times.
A well-designed plan provides clarity. It protects children and vulnerable beneficiaries, reduces the likelihood of disputes, maintains privacy, and ensures that trusted decision-makers can step in seamlessly if you become incapacitated. Most importantly, it gives your family confidence and structure when life feels uncertain.
Our Approach
We view estate planning as an ongoing advisory relationship, not a one-time transaction.
Before drafting documents, we take the time to understand your family dynamics, financial picture, and long-term goals. We guide you through the decisions behind the plan, such as who should serve in key roles, how assets should be structured, how to protect children or beneficiaries, and how to plan thoughtfully for taxes, business interests, and future growth.
After your plan is signed, our role does not end. Our estate planning clients continue to have direct access to our attorneys for guidance as life evolves. Whether you experience a major life change, acquire new assets, start or sell a business, or simply want to revisit your plan, we are here to provide ongoing advice and updates so your plan remains current and effective.
Our goal is to be a trusted resource for your family for years to come, not just the firm that drafted your documents.
If you are ready to create or update your estate plan, our Columbia, Maryland estate planning attorneys are here to help.
