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

Keep your estate out of Maryland probate. Drafted, signed, and titled the right way.

A revocable living trust is a common way for Maryland families to avoid probate, plan for incapacity, and pass assets privately. We draft it, prepare and record the deed for your real estate, and give you written step-by-step instructions for re-registering your bank, brokerage, and retirement accounts — signing ceremony included.

Get a trust quoteCall (410) 570-1671
4-6 Weeks From The Legacy Planning Session·Deed Preparation Included·Maryland Trust Act Compliant
Who should have a trust

If any of these describes you, a trust is worth discussing.

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
  • —Step-by-step funding checklist you complete 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 the Legacy Planning Session to signing in 4-6 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 — 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.

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 could easily exceed $60,000 — 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.

A will alone sends your estate through Maryland probate at the county Register of Wills — a public, months-long process with statutory fees. A properly funded revocable living trust passes the same assets privately, with no court involvement. Most Maryland homeowners benefit from both: a pour-over will plus a funded trust.

Funding means the trust actually owns your assets — your home is deeded into it, financial accounts are re-registered, beneficiary designations are aligned. An unfunded trust is an empty box: the document exists, but probate still happens. Johnson Law prepares the deeds and gives you a written funding checklist with step-by-step instructions so you can re-register your bank, brokerage, and retirement accounts yourself.

We quote in writing once we understand what you own and what your plan needs to accomplish. The Probate avoidance plan includes the trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney, advance directive, deed preparation for your primary residence, and a signing ceremony. No hourly billing, no surprises.

No — a revocable trust is for probate avoidance and incapacity planning, not asset protection. For long-term-care protection we use Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts (irrevocable, 5-year lookback). For creditor protection we use other irrevocable structures. We'll tell you honestly which tool fits your situation.

Irrevocable trusts do specific jobs: ILITs hold life insurance outside your taxable estate; SLATs let spouses gift to each other for federal estate-tax planning; special needs trusts provide for a disabled beneficiary without disqualifying them from SSI or Medicaid; dynasty trusts pass wealth across generations.

When the grantor dies or becomes incapacitated, the successor trustee owes fiduciary duties under the Maryland Trust Act (Md. Est. & Trusts Code § 14.5): notify beneficiaries, inventory assets, account, file tax returns (Form 1041), pay debts and taxes, and distribute. Mistakes are personal liability. We coach successor trustees through the whole administration or take it on directly.

Yes — that's the point of a revocable living trust. You're typically the grantor, trustee, and beneficiary during your life. You control everything, the IRS treats the trust as you for income-tax purposes, and successor trustees only take over at incapacity or death.

Signing typically happens 4-6 weeks from the Legacy Planning Session. We meet, draft, review with you, sign with witnesses and a notary, and then prepare and record the deed transferring your home into the trust.

The successor trustee notifies beneficiaries, gathers and values trust assets, files final personal income tax returns plus a trust return, pays debts, and distributes according to the trust terms. Most administrations close in 6 months — far faster than probate, and entirely private.

Yes — that's why it's called revocable. You can amend it, restate it, or revoke it entirely at any time while you have capacity. We recommend a review every 3-5 years and after any major life event.

Ready for a trust that actually works?

Plain language. Signing typically happens 4-6 weeks from the Legacy Planning Session. The introductory call is at no charge.

Schedule Your Introductory Call →(410) 570-1671
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