Estate Planning Attorney Serving Maryland, D.C., and Virginia
Stephen Thienel builds wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and directives for families across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, with tax counsel handled in-house.
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Estate planning is the set of legal documents that decide who inherits your property, who raises your children, and who acts for you if you cannot. Thienel Law builds and maintains those plans across the DMV, with the tax questions handled in-house.
Most people put off estate planning because it forces uncomfortable decisions. The cost of waiting is that someone else makes them for you. An estate plan keeps that authority in your hands: it names who inherits, who manages your affairs if you are incapacitated, and who speaks for your medical care. Thienel Law, PLLC builds and updates estate plans for individuals and families across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. Because Stephen Thienel holds an LL.M. in Taxation and prepares returns, the tax side of passing on wealth is handled by the same attorney who drafts the will and trusts.
What does an estate planning attorney actually do?
An estate planning attorney helps you decide, and put in legally binding form, what happens to your property and your dependents when you die or can no longer act for yourself. The work is part drafting and part counseling: interpreting the rules of your jurisdiction, matching documents to your family and assets, and making the pieces work together. A plan is not a one-time form; it should be reviewed as your life changes.
His estate planning clients include parents of young children, homeowners, blended families, unmarried partners, and business owners, along with people who have recently moved to or from Maryland, D.C., or Virginia. What they share is a wish to decide these questions themselves, rather than leave them to a default rule or a court.
What happens to your family if you never make an estate plan?
Without a plan, the default rules take over, and they are blunt. Die without a will and you die intestate: the law of your home jurisdiction decides who inherits, in fixed shares that rarely match what you would have chosen. It can leave an unmarried partner with nothing. If you have minor children and name no guardian, a judge chooses who raises them.
Incapacity is the half people forget. If an injury or illness leaves you unable to act, and you signed no power of attorney or healthcare directive, your family may have to ask a court to appoint someone. That process is public, slow, and costly, and it comes while your family is already in crisis. A plan made in advance keeps these choices in your hands.
Why work with Thienel Law on your estate plan?
Plenty of firms and online services will sell you documents. Fewer pair estate planning with in-house tax counsel and licensure in every DMV jurisdiction:
- Tax built into the plan, not referred out. Stephen holds an LL.M. in Taxation and prepares returns, so the tax consequences of a gift, trust, or transfer are deliberate rather than discovered.
- One attorney across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. Licensed in all three, he can build a plan that holds up whether you live in one jurisdiction or own property in several.
- Business, tax, and estate law under one roof. For owners, the estate plan and the business succession plan are drafted together, not by three lawyers who never speak.
- Direct access, modern practice. You work with Stephen himself, through secure document sharing, electronic signatures, and online meetings.
- Clear terms before the work begins. Most estate plans are handled at a flat, agreed rate, so you know the cost before you commit.
Decades of practice and clients who stay for twenty years make the case for one call instead of several.
What is it like to plan your estate with Steve?
Every engagement begins with a free 30-minute consultation. It is a fit conversation, not a planning session: you describe your family and goals, and you and Steve decide together whether working with him is the right move. If you are ready to hire an estate planning attorney, that is where you start, and you talk with Stephen himself, not an intake screener.
From there the work runs online, with secure uploads, electronic signatures, and video meetings in place of paper and the drive to an office. When it is time to sign, Steve makes sure the will and directives meet your jurisdiction’s witnessing rules so the documents hold up. Many clients return every few years to keep the plan current.
How does estate planning differ across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia?
The DMV feels like one region, but an estate plan meets three separate legal systems, and the difference shows up most clearly in how each handles a will after death. In Maryland, a will is filed with the Register of Wills where you lived, and the estate is administered through the Orphans’ Court, Maryland’s dedicated probate court. Virginia has no separate probate court: a will is offered for probate in the circuit court of the county or city where you resided, often before the clerk. Washington, D.C. runs everything through a single trial court, where decedents’ estates are handled in the Probate Division of the Superior Court.
The documents themselves are governed by separate statutes in each jurisdiction, from how a will must be signed and witnessed to how a power of attorney or healthcare directive is recognized. A plan drafted for one state can leave gaps in another, so a move across DMV lines is a reason to have everything reviewed. Because Stephen is licensed in all three, one attorney can build a plan that works where you live now and where you may go next. The will requirements in each jurisdiction are covered on the wills page.
What does an estate plan include?
Most estate plans combine several documents, each doing a different job. Stephen drafts and coordinates them so nothing contradicts:
Wills
To name your beneficiaries, executor, and a guardian for minor children
Learn moreTrusts
To pass assets outside probate and control how and when they are received
Learn morePowers of attorney
Someone you trust can manage your finances if you cannot
Learn moreAdvance healthcare directives
To name a medical decision-maker and record your wishes
Learn moreSpecial needs planning
To provide for a loved one without risking their benefits
Learn moreAsset protection planning
To shield what you have built from future creditors and claims
Learn moreWhen a plan is settled, the same office can guide your family through estate administration later and coordinate with your tax planning throughout.
What clients say about working with Steve
I have worked with Steve Thienel for more than 20 years now and the experience has been amazing. Steve and his team are very thorough, they review all sides of a situation, and are very measured in how they approach a solution. They are 100% client focused and a pleasure to work with!
Throughout years, Steve has been my go to guy for business, real estate, and legal work. Steve works fast and is highly reliable. I would recommend Steve to anyone.
Received expert advice including options when applicable. Filings were timely and I was kept informed each step of the way. First class service!!!
I have been receiving services from Mr. Thienel for over 15 years. I have found his legal services to be of exceptionally high value and quality. His services are always timely, professional and thorough!
Reviews are published as given. Thienel Law does not offer compensation for reviews.
Ready to put your estate plan in place?
If you are ready to hire an estate planning attorney, the next step is simple. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with Stephen and find out whether working together is the right fit for your family and your goals.
- Tell Steve about your matter
- Pick a time that works