Frequently Asked Questions about
Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, and Probate

• Where can I learn more?

Books: Most libraries have books on estate planning, but they rapidly become outdated and most libraries are reluctant to keep up with tax law changes by purchasing new books every year or two. A better source for up-to-date materials is the personal finance section of a high-turnover book superstore such as Borders or Barnes & Noble. One thoughtful and very readable guide that I recommend is Beyond The Grave, by Gerald and Jeffrey Condon, (Revised ed. 2001), $17.00. A comprehensive, "nuts and bolts" approach can be found in Plan Your Estate, from Nolo Press ($44.99 for the 8th edition (2006) – and please take Nolo Press’s skepticism about the legal profession in general with a grain of salt).

Choosing an Attorney: Estate planning is a technically demanding and multifaceted area of law practice involving Virginia and federal laws that govern wills, trusts, property, estate and gift taxation, income taxation, corporations, LLCs and other business entities, business planning, business and personal finance, insurance, annuities, pensions, health care, charities, foundations, probate and trust administration, estate and trust litigation, the laws affecting elderly and disabled persons, federal and Virginia Medicare, Medicaid, pension, veterans' benefits, and eldercare regulations, and the interplay between the laws and regulations of different states and between those of Virginia and of the federal government.

Many attorneys – even new admittees to the Bar – can draft a basic will. Most topnotch estate planning attorneys, however, have twenty years or more of legal experience and often have taken up estate planning as a “graduate” practice area. (That's what I did.)

If I am unable to represent you in a matter, I can refer you to other qualified attorneys in the Northern Virginia area. You also may call the Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) of your local bar association.

Arlington County Bar Association LRS: 703-228-3390

Alexandria Bar Association LRS: 703-548-1105

Fairfax Bar Association LRS: 703-246-3780

Prince William County
Bar Association LRS:
703-393-2306

Virginia State Bar LRS: 800-552-7977

“There is hardly any place or any company where you may not gain knowledge, if you please; almost everybody knows some one thing, and is glad to talk about that one thing.”   –Chesterfield