Annapolis, Maryland · Estate Planning · Elder Law · Business Succession · ProbateCall: (410) 570-1671
Johnson Law — Estate, Business & Elder Law PlanningSchedule call
Business Succession · Maryland

Protect what you built. Pass it on the way you intend.

Succession plans, buy-sell agreements, and tax-efficient ownership transfers for Maryland's closely held and family-owned businesses. With an LL.M. in Taxation, Jason coordinates the legal and tax pieces so the plan actually works.

Schedule a strategy sessionCall (410) 570-1671
What we handle

For Maryland's family-owned and closely held businesses.

Succession Plans

A written roadmap for ownership, leadership, and decision-making across the next generation.

Buy-Sell Agreements

Triggers, valuation methodology, and funding (insurance, installment) for owner transitions.

Entity Restructuring

LLCs, S-corps, holding companies, and voting/non-voting interests aligned with your succession goals.

Family Business Governance

Operating agreements, family employment policies, and dispute-resolution provisions that prevent next-generation conflict.

Tax-Efficient Transfers

Gifting strategies, grantor trusts (IDGTs), GRATs, and valuation discounts to move ownership at minimal tax cost.

Coordinated Estate Planning

Your business plan and your personal estate plan working together — not against each other.

Common questions

Straight answers.

It's the legal, tax, and ownership-structure work that decides what happens to your business when you retire, become incapacitated, or die — who runs it, who owns it, how it's valued, and how it's paid for.

Ideally 5–10 years before transition. The strongest tax and family outcomes come from staged ownership transfers, properly drafted buy-sell agreements, and trust planning that takes years — not weeks — to mature.

A contract among owners that controls what happens to ownership interests at death, disability, retirement, or departure — including how the business is valued and how the buyout is funded (often with key-person life insurance).

Tools include grantor trusts, gifting strategies that use the annual exclusion and lifetime exemption, installment sales to intentionally defective grantor trusts (IDGTs), and recapitalization. The right mix depends on your numbers and your timeline.

Common — and solvable. Equalization plans use life insurance, real estate, or non-business assets to treat heirs fairly without forcing co-ownership or selling the business.

Yes. Succession planning is a team sport — we coordinate with your CPA, financial planner, and insurance professional so the legal documents actually match the financial plan.

Start with a confidential strategy session.

We'll map your current ownership, your goals, and the realistic options to get there.

Schedule your session →
See also: Estate Planning · Trusts · Probate · Guides