Top best Estate Planning Lawyers Near me in ZIP 22033

Rebecca Geller is President/CEO of The Geller Law Group. She is a seasoned lawyer committed to providing affordable, high-quality legal services to businesses and families. In April 2015, The Washingtonian Magazine selected Rebecca as a “person we would like to have dinner with.” She has been in numerous tv interviews such as MSNBC Your Small Business and the Washington Business Report program to offer legal advice to entrepreneurs. Well known for her legal experience and activism, Rebecca was selected as a 2015 Rising Star Super Lawyer and was recognized by the Washington Post magazine for this award. In 2015, was interviewed by a multitude of news outlets including the WTOP Radio and The Washington Post for her leadership in drafting and successfully passing Virginia legislation that now makes it legal for a woman to breastfeed a child in public places. Rebecca is involved in the community as a lawyer and activist and regularly gives speeches and presentations to organizations and groups about legal issues impacting families, individuals, and business owners.. Before launching her own law firm in 2011, Rebecca worked as a corporate lawyer at a major international law firm representing Fortune 500 companies. Her experience is varied, including work with wills/trusts, corporate, trademark, family law, litigation, housing, political law, telecommunications, employment, and non-profits. Rebecca’s clients include families, individuals and businesses from all walks of life. She has vast experience working with businesses from all industries including restaurants, technology companies, internet start-ups, health and wellness businesses, medical practices, landscaping and home construction contractors, family care providers, media and communications firms, government contractors, mortgage companies, financial advisors, entertainment personalities, and everything in between.

In addition to basic wills and trusts, I also help families and business owners with incapacity planning, legacy, and business succession planning, funding, and other specialty planning services. I provide regular review of clients’ estate plans to ensure they are still properly configured to meet their goals.

I am an attorney primarily focused on helping families in Virginia navigate the world of estate planning and elder law. With over 20 years of legal experience, I have been honored to represent individuals, businesses, and our wonderful community in a wide range of legal matters. Most recently, I had the privilege of serving as the Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County, a jurisdiction of around 1.2 million people. I have been named to SuperLawyers and I am Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell.. Having spent years representing clients in litigation, I understand the most valuable service a lawyer can provide is keeping their clients out of court. The court process is long, it is extremely expensive, and it is very stressful for clients. Moreover, regardless of an attorney’s talent, court outcomes are highly unpredictable given that human beings are involved in the decision-making process.. In some legal areas, such as criminal law, the case almost always starts with a court filing so avoiding court is not possible. However, with estate planning, avoiding court is entirely possible with proactive planning. Moreover, the cost savings and other benefits of avoiding court and probate are substantial – greatly exceeding the expense of planning.. As a parent myself, I understand the concerns that many people with young children share. Questions like, "What will the court do with my children if something happens to me today?" or "What other decisions will the court make for my family if I don't plan ahead?" or “What will happen to me and my affairs if I become incapacitated in an auto accident or have a medical emergency?” weigh heavily on the minds of parents. I'm here to help address these concerns and plan accordingly.. I also recognize that for those that are more senior, they may be facing a long-term care crisis. Seniors have a 70% chance of needing long-term care services and support in the final third of their life. However, the average cost of inpatient long-term care is between $10,000 and $12,000 a month, and Medicare does not cover any long-term care costs. Absent proactive planning, seniors needing long-term care are required by Medicaid rules to spend down their entire life savings to below $2,000 before Medicaid will cover any of the monthly cost. While some states exempt certain retirement assets from this spend down, Virginia does not.. While we will talk a lot about your home, and possibly your IRA, or other assets, at its core, estate planning is about retaining control over your future and the future of your loved ones.. Planning is about taking control and making sure that YOU, not a court or a third party, decides what happens if you become incapacitated, or to your children if you pass when they are minors.. It’s about making sure that the assets you have are immediately available (rather than tied up in court proceedings), and are not unnecessarily depleted (by court costs, appraisal fees, outside financial guardians, lawyers, etc.), in the event of your incapacity or death, and used fully to support the choices you make as to how you want to be cared for, and how you want your loved ones to be cared for.. On a personal note, I am a father of three children. What they bring to this experience for me is an awareness that planning is something you do for the people you love the most. You may or may not be the one to benefit from the plan we design, but your loved ones surely will. I am guessing that is why you are here. I look forward to talking with you about those people and how we can ensure that they are cared for and protected.

Alexis received her Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) in Political Science from Virginia Commonwealth University and earned her Juris Doctor from George Mason University Law School. She is admitted to practice in all courts throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.. After graduating law school, Alexis joined M.H. Lawrence, P.C., a private practice representing clients with their estate planning, estate administration, special needs planning and elder law issues. M.H. Lawrence, P.C. merged with ShounBach in May 2021. Alexis handles all aspects of estate planning and administration, from routine to complex. She has drafted complicated trust agreements including irrevocable life insurance trusts, spendthrift trusts, bypass trusts and intentionally defective grantor trusts. She has helped clients settle estate disputes and navigate the complex probate court process. She has helped clients plan for their special needs children through special needs trusts, guardianship and conservatorship proceedings and representing clients in administrative appeals to the social security administration.. Alexis is passionate about human rights and social justice and she is dedicated to helping close the justice gap. While in law school, Alexis volunteered for a summer with Legal Services of Northern Virginia and interned a semester with the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Alexis continues to volunteer as a pro bono attorney with the Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center and has been involved with the Wills on Wheels and Housing Advocacy programs.. Alexis is a member of the Virginia Bar Association, Fairfax Bar Association (where she is a member of the Wills, Trusts and Estates section), the Hispanic National Bar Association and the Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council.

A properly conceived estate plan is more than just a series of documents. It is the by-product of extensive interactions between you and your attorney. Our responsibility is to listen to your concerns and wishes, answer your questions, ask you questions, and finally, recommend documents and procedures that will meet your needs. It is these documents, which have been produced after a careful discussion with you, that form the cornerstone of a successful estate plan.

Experienced Estate Planning attorney serving clients in Fairfax and surrounding areas.