Annapolis, Maryland · Estate Planning · Elder Law · Business Succession · ProbateCall: (410) 570-1671
Trust Creation & Administration · Maryland

Keep your estate out of Maryland probate. Drafted, funded, and built to actually work.

A revocable living trust is the cleanest way for Maryland families to avoid probate, plan for incapacity, and pass assets privately. We draft it, fund it, and stand behind it — signing ceremony included.

3-5 Week Turnaround·Deed Preparation Included·Maryland Trust Act Compliant
Who should have a trust

If any of these is you, a trust pays for itself many times over.

You own a home in Maryland

A house alone often triggers probate. A funded trust passes it to your spouse or children without the Register of Wills, without a court file, and without the statutory probate fee.

You have minor children

Your trust holds their inheritance until they're old enough to manage it, names a trustee you've vetted, and stops a windfall at age 18.

You own a small business or rentals

Trust ownership keeps the business operating after your death, avoids a probate freeze on accounts, and coordinates with buy-sell and operating agreements.

You want privacy

Probate filings are public record in Maryland. A trust administration is private — neighbors and competitors don't see what you owned or who got it.

You have property in another state

Real estate outside Maryland would normally require a second 'ancillary' probate in that state. A trust avoids it.

You're planning for incapacity, not just death

Unlike a will, a trust governs your assets during a stroke, dementia, or extended illness — your successor trustee steps in without a court guardianship.

The trusts we draft

Right tool for the job. Not a one-size-fits-all template.

Revocable Living Trust
Maryland homeowners avoiding probate
  • Joint or individual
  • Pour-over will + POAs + advance directive
  • Deed preparation for primary residence
  • Funding checklist for accounts & beneficiaries
  • Successor trustee instructions
Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT)
Families with $5M+ estates carrying significant life insurance
  • Removes policy proceeds from taxable estate
  • Crummey letter mechanics
  • Coordinated with overall estate plan
  • Annual gifting schedule
Medicaid Asset Protection Trust
Adults planning for long-term care (5-year lookback)
  • Protects home and savings from spend-down
  • Preserves step-up in basis at death
  • Income to grantor during life
  • Coordinated with elder-law counsel
Special Needs Trust
Families providing for a disabled loved one
  • Preserves SSI / Medicaid eligibility
  • Third-party or self-settled (d4A)
  • Maryland trustee guidance
  • Coordinated with ABLE accounts
The Johnson Law process

From first call to funded trust in 6-8 weeks.

01
Introductory Call

15 minutes. We learn what you own, who you're protecting, and where the gaps are.

02
Legacy Planning Session

We sit down with you, hear what matters most, review your family structure and assets, and guide you toward the plan that fits. This is where you tell us what you want, we propose the right approach, and we quote your fee in writing.

03
Design Session

We gather every detail — who makes healthcare decisions for you, who serves as your successor trustee, how your estate is distributed, and to whom. Every choice gets documented exactly as you intend it.

04
Signing & Funding

We review every document together before you sign a single page. Once everything matches your wishes exactly, you sign. Then we fund — real estate, personal property, financial accounts, and beneficiary designations — all handled with specific guidance from Jason before you leave.

Maryland trust law

Why Maryland makes trusts especially valuable.

Maryland is one of only a handful of states that imposes both a state estate tax (on estates over $5 million in 2026) and a separate inheritance tax on assets passing to non-lineal heirs like nieces, nephews, or friends. The right trust structure can reduce or eliminate both.

Maryland probate runs through the Register of Wills in each of the 24 counties, and statutory fees scale with estate value. On a $1.5M Anne Arundel County estate, those fees plus accountings, bond, and personal-representative commission can easily exceed $25,000 — money that a funded trust simply avoids.

Key Maryland thresholds
  • $5,000,000
    Maryland estate-tax exemption (2026)
  • 10%
    Maryland inheritance tax rate on non-lineal heirs
  • $50,000
    Small-estate probate threshold ($100K if surviving spouse is sole heir)
  • 5 Years
    Medicaid lookback for protected transfers
Maryland trust FAQs

Plain-English answers.

Ready for a trust that actually works?

Plain English. Drafted, funded, and signed in three weeks. The first call is free.