Practice Areas

Estate Planning

Paley Rothman’s estate planning group recognizes each client’s individuality. We listen closely to our clients’ goals and questions, ask our own questions, and discuss the various options to accomplish our clients’ goals. We discuss planning for the disposition of assets upon death, naming someone to make medical and financial decisions in case of disability, minimizing estate taxes, and protecting assets for children and future generations. We also work closely with our clients’ accountants, financial advisors and insurance representatives to design personalized, multifaceted estate plans that reflects their unique goals and values.

The attorneys in Paley Rothman’s estate planning group are leaders in the field. Some of our attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, the Washingtonian and the Washington Business Journal. Two attorneys in this group are also Fellows of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. While we take pride in these accolades, we feel that the greatest testament to our success is our representation of families across multiple generations. We prepare wills, financial powers of attorney, advance medical directives, and, where appropriate, revocable trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, other tax savings trusts, charitable trusts and foundations, family limited partnerships and limited liability companies, multi-generational trusts (often including sales to trusts) and premarital agreements. We ensure that the beneficiary designations for our clients’ life insurance policies and retirement accounts are coordinated with their estate plans.

We assist clients in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia. Our clients include successful business owners, corporate executives, professionals, and young couples wanting to create their first estate plan for their growing family. We work with couples in second marriages, non-citizens, same sex couples, and beneficiaries with special needs, all of whom have unique planning issues.

The attorneys in Paley Rothman’s estate planning team are also members of the firm’s estate administration group, which handles all of the estate and probate issues that arise after death. This allows us to design estate plans that streamline the probate and estate and trust administration processes.

The considerable size of Paley Rothman’s estate planning team has allowed our attorneys to concentrate in specific areas of this field, including life insurance matters, international tax and estate planning, charitable giving, qualified retirement plans and multi-generational beneficiary designations for plan and IRA assets, estate planning for non-US citizens, estate planning for US citizens owning assets in other countries, real estate and business and succession planning. Although our clients primarily work with one attorney, they benefit from the specialized knowledge of our entire estate planning team.

Our experience in complementary areas of the law such as real estatetaxretirement plans, deferred compensation, family lawcorporations, and partnerships and limited liability companies further enables us to provide cutting-edge, comprehensive representation for our estate planning clients.

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High Net Worth Individuals & Families

While we serve all of our clients with the utmost level of technical excellence and responsiveness, we also understand the unique needs of high net worth individuals and families. In advising high net worth clients, Paley Rothman’s estate planning group works closely with clients’ financial advisors to optimize wealth management and preservation. We have significant experience in charitable giving techniques and the establishment of family foundations. Our attorneys frequently devise dynasty grantor trusts or unique financial trust vehicles designed to ensure the healthy and productive development of the family’s forthcoming generations.

Resource Center

Paley Rothman shares this library of resources with clients and friends of the firm to help them stay ahead of legal and business developments and trends. Here, you will find helpful tips and tools written by our attorneys on estate planning topics. 

News

March 21, 2023

Michelle Chapin’s Article on the Use of Arbitration Causes in Trusts is Published by the MSBA’s Estate & Trust Law Section

Michelle Chapin, a Principal in Paley Rothman’s Estate Planning department, authored an article titled "(Un)Enforceability of Arbitration Clauses in Maryland Trusts" in the MSBA's Estate & Trust Law Section Newsletter Volume 29 Issue 1.

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Blog

Sec. Deb Haaland – First Native American in the Cabinet

Sec. Deb Haaland is the first Native American to serve in the President’s cabinet and has been instrumental in bringing attention and action to the horrific incident rate of...

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Awards

Paley Rothman is delighted to announce that 14 of the firm’s attorneys have been named Maryland Super Lawyers and Rising Stars for 2023. Family Law attorney Glenn Cooper was ranked the Number 1 Lawyer in Maryland. Both Glenn and Litigation attorney Trish Weaver were named in the Super Lawyers Top 100 List and Trish was honored in the list of Top 50 Women.

For the 11th year in a row, Paley Rothman earned national and local honors in U.S. News - Best Lawyers® 2023 "Best Law Firms" rankings.

Paley Rothman is pleased to announce that 19 lawyers have been selected in the 2023 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Jennifer Pope was named Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch for the first time alongside attorney Hayes Edwards. Attorneys Glenn Cooper, Hope Eastman, and Daniel Hodin have been listed Best Lawyers for 15 consecutive years.

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