Maryland Estate Planning, done in 4 to 6 weeks.
Walk out with a complete plan — will, revocable trust, financial and medical powers of attorney — for a flat fee. Keep your family out of probate court. Keep your wishes private. Keep control while you're alive, and pass it on the way you choose.
A 12-point readiness checklist for Maryland families — what documents you need, who to name, and what to gather before our first call.
No spam. We'll follow up personally.
Three kinds of Maryland families we help most.
You need guardians named, a trust to hold your kids' inheritance until they're ready, and powers of attorney so your spouse can act for you in a crisis.
You want to avoid Maryland probate, keep your affairs private, and make sure your home and retirement accounts pass cleanly to the right people.
You want to protect a lifetime of savings and the family home from nursing-home costs — and leave something meaningful for the next generation.
What a complete Maryland estate plan looks like.
Most clients end the engagement with six to eight signed documents, all coordinated to work together. Here's what they do.
Names your personal representative, distributes your probate assets, names guardians for minor children, and creates trusts that hold their inheritance until they're old enough to manage it.
The centerpiece for avoiding Maryland probate. Holds your assets during life, governs them during incapacity, and distributes them privately at death — without court involvement.
Authorizes a trusted person to handle your finances if you can't. Without one, your family has to petition for guardianship — public, slow, and expensive.
Combines a living will and healthcare power of attorney. States your wishes around end-of-life care and names who speaks for you when you can't speak for yourself.
Lets your chosen people receive your medical information from doctors and hospitals — required even for spouses and adult children.
Names the person you choose to raise your minor children. Without it, the Maryland Orphans' Court chooses.
We prepare and record the deed for your home, and we handle funding for personal property and certain business interests. For bank, brokerage, and retirement accounts you get step-by-step written instructions to re-register them into your trust yourself. An unfunded trust is a paper exercise, so we make sure you know exactly what to do.
Retirement accounts and life insurance pass by beneficiary form, not by your will. We review your designations and make recommendations as to who should be named, based on your preferences, your tax profile, and the other legal, tax, and financial criteria that apply.
Four steps. No pressure. No surprises.
The same path for every family — including step four, funding, which is what makes a plan work when it's needed.
A short, low-pressure first conversation — typically for clients who want some interaction before deciding to engage. No legal advice is given on the introductory call. Clients who are ready to move forward go straight into the Legacy Planning Session.
We sit down — in person or by video — to understand your family, your assets, and the outcomes you want. This is where real advice and recommendations happen.
We design your plan together — wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives — tailored to your family, your assets, and your goals.
Documents are drafted, reviewed in plain language, and finalized. You sign and the plan becomes real. We handle funding directly for real estate, personal property, and certain business interests. For bank, brokerage, and retirement accounts we walk you through re-registering them into the trust yourself — we don't retitle those accounts for you, but you're never left guessing how.
Three plans. Flat fees. No hourly billing.
We use straightforward flat fees — no hourly billing, no surprise invoices. Pricing is discussed transparently during your introductory call, and you'll have the exact fee in writing before we begin.
- ✓Last Will & Testament
- ✓Financial Power of Attorney
- ✓Advance Medical Directive
- ✓HIPAA Authorization
- ✓Guardianship designations for minor children
- ✓Everything in The Basics
- ✓Revocable Living Trust (individual or joint)
- ✓Pour-over Will
- ✓Trust funding instructions and deed preparation for primary residence
- ✓Beneficiary designation review (retirement, life insurance)
- ✓Everything in the Probate Avoidance Plan
- ✓Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (irrevocable)
- ✓Long-term care and nursing-home cost planning
- ✓Homestead and primary residence protection strategy
- ✓Multigenerational wealth preservation
- ✓Coordinated review with financial and tax advisors
We use straightforward flat fees — no hourly billing, no surprise invoices. Pricing is discussed transparently during your introductory call, and you'll have the flat fee in writing before you commit.
What makes Maryland estate planning different.
Estates above Maryland's small-estate threshold go through regular probate at the Register of Wills — a process that's public, takes the better part of a year, and carries statutory fees. A properly funded revocable living trust avoids it entirely.
Maryland is one of a small number of states that levies its own estate tax in addition to the federal estate tax. We'll walk you through how the current Maryland thresholds apply to your situation during your introductory call.
Maryland also charges an inheritance tax on bequests to non-lineal heirs — nieces, nephews, friends, partners. Lineal heirs (spouse, children, grandchildren, parents) are exempt. Plan structure matters.
Probate in Anne Arundel County is filed at the Register of Wills in Annapolis. We know the local procedures, judges, and timelines.
Maryland enforces a five-year lookback on asset transfers for long-term-care Medicaid eligibility. Effective elder-law planning begins years before care is needed.
Maryland gives surviving spouses an elective share of the augmented estate — meaning you can't fully disinherit a spouse without a valid prenup. Plans for blended families have to account for this.
Who does the work on your plan.
Jason is the firm's only attorney, and he oversees every client matter from the first conversation through signing. There's no hand-off to a junior associate. Our paralegals are closely involved throughout — they'll often be the ones you speak with on calls, and they sit in on meetings — but the legal work and the decisions behind your plan are Jason's.
- ◆J.D., with honors — University of Maryland
- ◆LL.M., Taxation — Villanova Law
- ◆MSBA Estates & Trusts · Elder Law sections
- ◆ElderCounsel® · WealthCounsel®
- ◆What's Up Annapolis Leading Lawyer
- ◆Anne Arundel County Bar Association
Personable, knowledgeable, and results-oriented. Jason quickly came up to speed and had us in conference with clear, actionable advice within the week.
Maryland estate planning, answered.
Do I really need an estate plan if I'm not wealthy?+
Yes. Estate planning isn't about wealth — it's about who decides for you and your children when you can't. Without a plan, Maryland's intestacy statute decides who inherits your home, and the Orphans' Court decides who raises your kids.
What's the difference between a will and a revocable living trust?+
A will only takes effect at death and must pass through Maryland probate, which is public, slow, and costs the estate fees. A revocable living trust takes effect immediately, governs assets during incapacity, avoids probate for assets you've funded into it, and keeps your affairs private.
How much does estate planning cost in Maryland?+
Johnson Law uses straightforward flat fees — no hourly billing, no surprise invoices. Pricing depends on the documents your situation calls for and is discussed transparently during your introductory call, so you know exactly what you're getting and what it costs before you commit.
How long does the estate planning process take?+
From the Legacy Planning Session to fully signed documents typically takes 4 to 6 weeks. We design your plan together, walk you through the drafts, and host a signing ceremony with witnesses and a notary at our Annapolis office.
Will my plan avoid Maryland probate?+
If we use a properly funded revocable living trust, most of your assets will pass to your loved ones outside of probate. We also review your beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance and recommend how they should be named so those assets bypass probate by operation of law.
What happens to my kids if something happens to me and my spouse?+
Your will names guardians for your minor children and creates trusts that hold their inheritance until they're old enough to manage it. Without these documents, the court appoints a guardian and a 'guardian of the property' — neither of whom may be the person you would have chosen.
How often should I update my estate plan?+
Review every 3 to 5 years, and immediately after a major life event: marriage, divorce, a new child or grandchild, a move out of state, a death in the family, or a major change in assets. Maryland and federal tax law also evolve.
Can't I just use LegalZoom or an online template?+
DIY documents can be valid in Maryland if they're executed correctly. The difference isn't the paper, it's the analysis behind it. An online form doesn't ask whether your house should be retitled, whether your beneficiary designations line up with your will, whether Maryland's $5 million estate tax threshold applies to you, or what happens if a beneficiary is a minor or receiving benefits. Those are the questions that determine whether a plan works when it's needed. We'd rather talk through your situation and tell you honestly if a simple plan is all you need.
How does Maryland's estate or inheritance tax work?+
Maryland has its own estate and inheritance tax rules, which differ from federal law and from most other states. Lineal heirs (spouse, children, parents, grandchildren) are generally exempt from the inheritance tax; non-lineal heirs (nieces, nephews, friends) are not. We'll walk you through how these apply to your specific situation during your introductory call.
Do I need to come into your Annapolis office?+
We meet most clients in person for the legacy planning session and signing ceremony at our office on Old Solomons Island Road. Introductory calls and design reviews can happen by phone or video. For homebound clients, we travel.
Most clients also plan for these.
Medicaid planning and long-term-care strategy for aging parents.
Buy-sell agreements and tax-efficient transfers for family businesses.
Guidance for personal representatives navigating Maryland probate.
Read first: Maryland Estate & Inheritance Tax guide · How to Avoid Probate in Maryland · All guides
Ready to protect your family?
Start with a short introductory call. It's a conversation — not legal advice — and it's where most of our clients begin.