Top Best Estate Lawyers | 18153 Available

Ephie Trataros has practiced law in the state of New York since 1993 and founded the Trataros Law Firm, PLLC in 2009. Ms. Trataros is a kind, compassionate attorney who enjoys helping clients find innovative solutions to the estate planning, elder law, residential real state, and family law situations that confront them. Her diverse practice experiences range from representing clients in complex family court custody proceedings to assisting clients in protecting their assets as part of an estate plan. Her practice areas include Estate Planning, Asset Protection, Guardianships, Supplemental Needs Trusts, Elder Law, Probate Proceedings and Family Court proceedings.

Mr. Vitt first became interested in estate planning in law school while taking an estate taxation course. As an attorney, he has always found it rewarding to help people plan and assist them in getting their affairs in order. Nonetheless, Mr. Vitt spent several years as a trial lawyer and general civil practitioner prior to focusing on estate planning. That experience has proven invaluable as a foundation for his estate planning practice.. EXPERIENCE. Following law school, Mr. Vitt served as a judicial law clerk in Bennington, Vermont. As a law clerk, Mr. Vitt had the opportunity to work with several judges on a wide variety of matters. A year later, Mr. Vitt went to work for Paterson & Walke, PC, an AV-rated general civil practice law firm in Montpelier, Vermont. He ultimately became a managing shareholder of that firm. At Paterson & Walke, PC, Mr. Vitt represented individuals and businesses in a variety of matters, including business planning and litigation. He represented clients in state and federal courts, and successfully argued cases before the Vermont Supreme Court. In 1993, Mr. Vitt returned to his home state of Virginia, where he was a principal of Geraty, MacQueen, and Vitt, PLC for eleven years. During that period, Mr. Vitt narrowed the focus of his work to estate planning and elder law.. In March 2004, Mr. Vitt founded Vitt Law offices, PLC, a firm devoted entirely to estate planning, elder law, and related matters. As a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys (AAEPA), Mr. Vitt has consistently completed a minimum of 36 hours of annual Continuing Legal Education (more than required by the Virginia State Bar) in areas pertaining to estate planning, elder law, and taxation. He served on the AAEPA’s Education Advisory Board for over five years, and presently serves on the AAEPA’s Board of Governors. In addition, he received training and earned certification pertaining to IRA planning and distributions through the IRA Attorney Advisor Program presented by Ed Slott, CPA. Mr. Vitt is an active member of the Virginia Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Virginia State Bar Section on Trusts and Estates, the Central Virginia Estate Planning Council, and the Charlottesville/ Albemarle Bar Association. Mr. Vitt has addressed numerous professional and community organizations, has appeared on television, and has been interviewed for various print media. He regularly conducts public and private seminars on estate planning, elder law, and related matters. Over the years, Vitt Law Offices, PLC has helped hundreds of clients preserve and pass on their hard-earned wealth through wise estate planning choices.. EDUCATION. In 1974, Mr. Vitt completed his undergraduate studies at Virginia Tech. In 1985, Mr. Vitt received his Juris Doctorate and his Master of Studies in Environmental Law, cum laude, from Vermont Law School. While at Vermont Law School, Mr. Vitt earned first place honors in the Debevoise Moot Court Competition, served on the Moot Court Advisory Board, and was a member of the Vermont Legal Research Group.. PERSONAL. Mr. Vitt and his wife, Dianne, a registered dietitian, have a son and daughter. All of the Vitts are or have been involved with the law firm. Daughter Loretta is presently attending law school at the University of Virginia, and plans to practice at Vitt Law Offices upon graduation. They all enjoy outdoor activities and musical events in their spare time.

At GuideOn Legal Services, founder and principal attorney Jack Grimes, J.D., LL.M., doesn’t believe estate planning and business succession planning are about end-of-life scenarios. Instead, under his Live Long, End Strong® philosophy, he guides clients to develop plans that embrace life, protect their families and preserve values and assets for future generations.. After serving in Iraq as an Army NCO, Jack spent 15 years as an Air Force JAG. He's held positions in the White House and Congress, trained at the SEC and was VP at a Fortune 500 company. Jack and his wife (a law enforcement professional) are proud and busy parents of three. Call Jack for your legal needs.

Mr. McWilliams focuses his practice on complex estate planning, estate administration, tax, real estate and business matters.  Mr. McWilliams feels he can provided better service by limiting his practice to areas in which he has extensive knowledge and experience, and thus he does not handle any litigation (other than tax and estate litigation, with assistance from in-house litigation staff), domestic relations matters (other than premarital agreements), criminal matters, or real estate closings.  Rather, that work is generally referred to another attory at WCLEW who is experienced in such matters.  WCLEW has offices in Winchester, Arlington, Leesburg and Prince William, Virginia. Mr. McWilliams is available to meet at all office locations and also makes house calls (for an extra fee) from the Shenandoah Valley to the Potomac.. Mr. McWilliams has a strong background in tax and business matters, and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant, Attorney and Realtor in Virginia.  He practiced for over four years with a small botique tax, trust and estates firm in Winchester, Virginia before joining Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh, PC in 2012.  Mr. McWilliams attended Hampden-Sydney College (BA, Political Science) and George Mason Universtiy (BS, Accounting) as an undergraduate and worked at a large accounting firm prior to beginning law school at the George Mason University School of Law, where he served as Senior Research Editor of the Journal of Law, Economics & Policy and Treasurer of the Student Bar Administration.  Mr. McWilliams is currently pursuing an LL.M in Taxation, with a Certificate in Estate Planning, from Georgetown University, one of the nation's premier tax and estate planning programs.. Mr. McWilliams typically charges based on his standard hourly rate, but estate planning engagements - and some business services, such as the initial set-up of businesses - may be completed on a flat-fee basis.  Please feel free to email Mr. McWilliams with questions.

Have a question? We can help. E-mail us at or has practiced in Harrisonburg for 14 years after graduating from William & Mary Law School.  He has relationships with other leaders in his field from Richmond to Washington D.C. to New York and beyond. He has represented individuals, families and small businesses (from single-owner companies to companies with more than 50 employees).Clint is especially interested in business and built his practice around providing exceptional customer service with fair and simple pricing to suit clients' addition to closely following industy publications and trends, Clint is a member of the Virginia State Bar's Trusts and Estates and Real Estate Law sections and has written articles on estate planning and business law.

Karen is one of only fifteen Certified Elder Law Attorneys in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She has been practicing law in downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia since 2008 and attended The College of William & Mary School of Law.  Karen practices in the areas of estate planning, elder law and estate administration, including the creation of special needs trusts and review of Medicaid eligibility concerns.  Karen litigates adult guardianship matters for incapacitated adults.  Karen is a United States Navy Veteran, a Past President of the Bridgewater Ruritan Club and a former Girl Scout Co-Leader of Troop 1111 of the Virginia Skyline Council.   Karen is a Board Member of the Arc of Harrisonburg-Rockingham.  Karen received her Bachelor of Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Family and Child Development in 1996 and still loves to attend Hokie football games as well as Washington Capitals NHL hockey games.  Karen is a native of Roanoke, Virginia and spent time living in Roanoke, Blacksburg, Norfolk, and Williamsburg before settling in Bridgewater in 2008 when starting her legal career.  Karen is very pleased to call the beautiful Shenandoah Valley her home and welcomes locals as well as visitors from around the Commonwealth to consider her for their estate planning and elder law needs.

I was born and raised in Fairfax County, VIrginia, but practiced law in the Boston area for 25 years before returning to Northen Virignia in the fall of 2003.  I am acitve in several community and non-profit groups, and serve on the board of directors of the Herndon Rotary Club and the Council for the Arts of Herndon.

I was just appointed by the Mayor and Town Council to the Town of Herndon Architectural Review Board and the Heritage Perservation Board.

Katherine joined David, Brody & Dondershine, LLP in August 2015 and is currently licensed to practice law in Virginia. As an associate, Katherine is dedicated to a wide variety of the firm’s practice areas, concentrating in business, government contracting, intellectual property and estate planning law.. Katherine received her undergraduate degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University where she graduated cum laude with a B.A. in English and double minors in Political Science and Leadership and Social Change. She was also a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity, president of the Virginia Tech Nicaraguan Orphan Fund and a member of the Student Conduct Committee.. Upon graduation from Virginia Tech, she went on to study law at Regent University School of Law where she received her Juris Doctorate in May 2015. While in law school, she was a Senior Editor on the Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy and served as an Executive Officer for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Board. Katherine was selected to compete on the American Bar Association’s Regional Mediation Competition Team and the National Environmental Negotiation Competition Team, both of which advanced to become one of the top 10 teams and one of which advanced to the national semi-final round. Prior to moving to the Northern Virginia area and joining David, Brody & Dondershine, LLP, Katherine clerked for Weaver Law Services in Virginia Beach and interned at the Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court where she served under the Honorable Deborah M. Paxson.

My family and my faith are the most important things to me.  I enjoy helping other famiies put plans in place to protect themselves and their hard earned assets.  Helping people get peace of mind about staying in control and having a plan in place is very rewarding.. In my free time, I enjoy watching sports, playing golf, spending time on the lake and at the beach with my family and reading.

Hunter Montgomery is the owner/managing attorney of the Montgomery Law Firm, LLC.  He has been practicing estate planning law fsince 2002. Hunter is a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys.. Hunter is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association, the Beaufort County Bar Association, and has served on charitable and advisory boards in the Bluffton/Hilton Head area.. Hunter graduated from Hilton Head High School. He then earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Clemson University, in Clemson, South Carolina.. Hunter graduated Cum Laude from Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia, having earned a Juris Doctor Degree. He also wrote his doctorial thesis on Estate Planning Dynasty Trusts.. Hunter has called Beaufort County home for since 1984, where he lives with his wife and two children.  In his spare time he dabbles in automobiles, reading history, hunting and fishing.

Kathryn Cockrill established her law firm, Law Office of Kathryn M. Cockrill, in 2015. Prior to establishing her law firm, Kathryn Cockrill managed Kuhn and Kuhn, LLC, for four years.  She has practiced probate and estate planning law for 14 years, first as a paralegal and then as an attorney.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a J.D. from Touro Law School in New York .  She passed the South Carolina Bar in 2009.  She is now a member of Wealth Counsel, a prominent nationwide organization of estate planning attorneys.. Mrs. Cockrill also had a prestigious Fellowship working with Judge Condon at the Charleston County Probate Court in 2008.  She is married and lives in Charleston.  She is an active member of the Cathedral Women’s Club at St. John the Baptist Catholic Cathedral.  She loves to read and watch her beloved Connecticut Huskies in women’s (and men’s) basketball.

Sean provides legal counsel to clients when they have a need for guidance on any matters involving Real Estate, Estate Planning, or Business Structuring. He works closely with clients to understand the unique issues they are facing and to customize a solution for their individual needs. Prior to joining Hanger Law, Sean was a commercial real estate broker and specialized in negotiating leases and purchase contracts for retail developments and Class A office space. With nearly a decade of real estate experience as a REALTOR®, Sean brings to Hanger Law his extensive real estate knowledge and unique perspective on the law.. Sean studied law at Regent University where he graduated in the top 5% of his class. While there, he served as a Senior Editor for Regent University Law Review and worked as a graduate assistant for the director of Regent’s honors program.. Sean lives in Virginia Beach with his wife and two children and loves spending time with them all. When he has free time, Sean plays guitar for Trinity Church and snowboards in Colorado any chance he gets.

J. Douglas McCarthy is a founding partner of McCarthy & Akers, PLC. His practice focuses on transactional law dealing with Estate Planning, Real Estate and Corporate matters. Prior to founding McCarthy & Akers, PLC, Mr. McCarthy was a partner in the Winchester, Virginia law firm of Groves and McCarthy.. Mr. McCarthy received his J.D. from the Keller School of Law at The University of Dayton, in Dayton, Ohio, where he earned honors in the fields of Taxation, Wills and Trusts. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where he majored in Political Science.