Estates and Trusts Attorney

Job Description

Job Description

Estate & Trusts Attorney

Join a Practice Where the Law Is Personal

There are law firms where attorneys move matters through a system.

And there are law firms where attorneys know their clients, understand their families, wrestle with the difficult questions, and take pride in the plan that ultimately emerges.

 

MWM Legal Group is the latter.

 

We are a boutique practice devoted to estate planning, trusts, estate and trust administration, and related tax matters. Our clients often work with us for years—and sometimes across generations. That kind of practice requires more than technical competence. It requires curiosity, judgment, discretion, empathy, and an appreciation for the fact that behind every estate plan is a family with its own history, relationships, priorities, and concerns.

We are seeking an Estate & Trusts Attorney who wants to practice in that environment.

 

The Lawyer We're Looking For

We are looking for an attorney who enjoys thinking deeply about the problem before reaching for the form.

Someone who is comfortable with the technical side of trusts, estates, and taxation—but who also understands that the technical answer is not always the complete answer.

Someone who enjoys sitting across the table from a client, listening carefully, asking the question that hasn't yet been asked, and turning a complicated set of circumstances into a plan that makes sense.

Someone who takes particular pride in a well-reasoned solution, a carefully administered estate, and a client who walks away understanding what has been accomplished.

In a small practice, those qualities matter. So does character.

What You'll Do

You will participate in the full range of our estate-planning and administration practice, including:

Estate Planning & Implementation

• Meet and communicate with clients regarding their estate-planning goals, family circumstances, assets, and concerns.
• Research legal and tax issues and help develop individualized planning strategies.
• Draft wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, funeral powers of attorney, deeds, trust funding letters, and related documents.
• Work with clients and the firm's attorneys and paralegals to implement plans and ensure that the documents accomplish what they were designed to accomplish.

Estate & Trust Administration

• Assist families and fiduciaries through estate and trust administration.
• Prepare small estate affidavits, lists of heirs, affidavits of notice, correspondence with Commissioners of Accounts, and other administration documents.
• Track matters, deadlines, filings, and follow-up requirements.
• Communicate with clients and other professionals involved in the administration of an estate or trust.

Tax & Financial Matters

• Prepare and review federal and state gift and estate tax returns.
• Research and analyze estate, gift, fiduciary income, and related tax issues.
• Apply legal and tax principles to individual client circumstances rather than simply relying on standard solutions.

Practice & Client Service

• Maintain organized, accurate client files and matter records.
• Use Clio Manage to manage deadlines, matter status, and workflow.
• Collaborate closely with attorneys and paralegals.
• Take responsibility for the quality and timeliness of your work.
• Contribute ideas that make the practice better.

What We Value

We value excellent lawyering, but we also value the qualities that make excellent lawyering possible.

• You consider the larger picture before settling on an answer.
• You understand that a single word in a trust can matter enormously.
• You enjoy learning and aren't satisfied with knowing merely how something has always been done.
• You can translate complicated legal and tax concepts into language clients actually understand.
• You can take ownership of your work and move a matter forward.
• You know that another attorney or experienced paralegal may see something you don't—and you welcome that perspective.
• Clients entrust us with deeply personal information. We never lose sight of that responsibility.
• You understand that estate planning often involves family relationships, mortality, uncertainty, wealth, and difficult decisions. Clients need both legal expertise and a trusted advisor.

What Experience and Training You Should Have

We are seeking an attorney with

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school
• Virginia Bar admission required
• Prefer 5 years of experience drafting estate planning documents, including wills and trusts, and implementing estate plans.
• Knowledge of federal and applicable state laws governing estate, gift, and income taxation of trusts and estates.
• Strong legal research, writing, analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Admission to the Maryland and/or District of Columbia Bar is preferred.
• Experience with estate and trust administration, gift and estate tax returns, trust accounting, or a financial/accounting/business background is a plus.

 

Why You’ll Love It Here!

At MWM Legal Group, you won't be one attorney among hundreds working on a small piece of a matter you may never fully understand. You will have the opportunity to see the whole picture—from the first conversation with a client through planning, drafting, implementation, and, when necessary, administration.

You will work with experienced colleagues who know their clients and care about the quality of the work. And because we are a smaller practice, your judgment, ideas, and contributions matter.

This is not a position for someone looking simply for a place to process estate documents.

It is for an attorney who wants to immerse themselves in trusts and estates.

What We Provide

Salary is negotiable, depending on experience

Our benefits include

• 401(k) matching up to 4% after one year
• Medical insurance through Kaiser Permanente
• Dental and Vision insurance through Delta Dental and Deltal Vision
• Accidental Death, Disability, and Life insurance
• Annual PTO of 160 hours, as well as Flextime and Working From Home available
• Parental leave
• Free onsite parking

Interested?

If this sounds like the kind of practice—and the kind of lawyer—you want to be, we would enjoy getting to know you.

Please contact:

Dale Dwyer, HR Director
MWM Legal Group
View email address on us.fitly.work