Attorney Estate Planning: An Essential Guide to Securing Your Legacy
Planning for the future isn’t always easy, especially when it involves thinking about what will happen after you’re gone. But that’s exactly what estate planning helps you do—protect your loved ones, preserve your assets, and ensure that your final wishes are honored.
Key Takeaways
Working with an estate planning attorney helps you avoid costly mistakes and ensures your plan is legally sound
Estate planning goes beyond writing a will
Smart tax planning can preserve more of your estate
Estate plans must reflect your family’s unique structure and values
Your plan needs regular updates to stay effective
Why is Estate Planning With an Attorney Essential for Your Loved Ones?
Estate planning is more than just drafting a will. It’s a comprehensive strategy designed to manage your assets during your lifetime and distribute them according to your wishes after death. In places like Maryland, where laws around probate, taxation, and inheritance can be complex, having a clear and well-documented plan is essential for avoiding unnecessary legal complications.
While it’s possible to attempt this process on your own, working with an experienced estate planning attorney can make a world of difference. A knowledgeable legal advisor can help you understand your options, navigate tax implications, and design a plan tailored to your unique needs, whether that includes a will, trust, or more advanced estate tools.
At Thienel Law, we believe that everyone, regardless of the size of their estate, deserves to feel confident about the future. That starts with understanding the value of estate planning and why professional guidance can help you build a stronger, more secure legacy.
Benefits of Professional Guidance
Estate planning is not a one-size-fits-all process. Every individual has unique assets, goals, and family dynamics to consider. That’s where professional guidance becomes invaluable. An experienced estate planning attorney can help translate your goals into legally sound documents that reflect your wishes and safeguard your legacy.
One of the key benefits of working with a professional is access to expert knowledge in areas that can be difficult to navigate alone, such as estate tax planning, inheritance laws, and trust management. A qualified attorney can help you identify opportunities to reduce tax burdens and preserve more of your estate for your loved ones. For example, strategies like generation-skipping trusts or charitable giving can be powerful tools—but only when implemented correctly.
Beyond technical expertise, estate planning professionals also understand the emotional and interpersonal aspects of planning. They can help guide conversations around sensitive topics like guardianship, family business succession, and unequal distributions, ensuring your plan reflects your values while minimizing the potential for future conflict.
Many attorneys, like Steve Thienel, are also well-versed in managing digital assets, navigating changes in state and federal law, and supporting clients through estate administration when a loved one passes away. Steve's experience means you don’t have to figure it out alone—he's here to make the process smoother and more effective.
Ultimately, estate planning is about peace of mind. And that’s exactly what a skilled estate planning attorney can provide—confidence that your affairs are in order and that the people you care about will be taken care of.
Tax Considerations
Taxes might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you start thinking about estate planning, but they should be near the top of the list. Without proper planning, estate and inheritance taxes can take a significant bite out of what you leave behind, reducing the amount that goes to your loved ones.
Federal estate taxes typically only apply to very large estates, but even smaller estates can face state-level inheritance taxes, depending on where you live and who your beneficiaries are. Maryland, for example, is one of the few states that has both an estate tax and an inheritance tax, which means planning ahead can make a big difference.
The good news? There are plenty of strategies that can reduce or even eliminate those tax burdens. Gifting assets during your lifetime, creating charitable trusts, using tax-exempt transfers, and planning around the generation-skipping transfer tax are just a few of the options available. But understanding which of these strategies makes sense for your unique situation requires a clear picture of your assets, your goals, and how the law applies to both.
Another area where careful tax planning is essential is family businesses and digital assets. Whether you’re passing down a local company, investment property, or cryptocurrency wallet, the transfer of those assets can trigger tax consequences if not handled properly. A thoughtful estate plan can ensure those transitions happen smoothly and without unexpected costs.
Bottom line: estate planning isn’t just about who gets what—it’s also about how much they actually receive. Smart tax planning can help protect your legacy, reduce stress for your loved ones, and ensure your final wishes are honored without a heavy tax bill attached.
Specialized Planning for Unique Families
Today’s families come in many forms—blended, chosen, multigenerational, and everything in between. That diversity is something to be honored, not overlooked—especially when it comes to planning your estate.
Traditional estate planning tools often assume a one-size-fits-all model: a married couple, a few children, a house, and a will. But what if your life doesn’t fit that mold?
Maybe you’re in a same-sex marriage and want to ensure that your spouse’s rights are protected, especially in the event of a challenge from estranged family members or changes in domestic policy. Maybe you’re co-parenting with someone you were never married to, or raising grandchildren while navigating retirement yourself. Or perhaps you’re part of a multigenerational household, where caregiving and financial support flow both ways.
These are real families with real needs, and they deserve estate plans that reflect the complexities of their lives.
In situations like these, clear and legally enforceable documents are essential. They help reduce the risk of conflict, prevent unintended disinheritance, and ensure that your wishes are respected. Trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and guardianship designations all play a vital role.
Business ownership adds another layer. If you own a small or family-run business, estate planning becomes not just a personal matter, but a financial one too. You’ll need to think about who will run the business, how ownership will transfer, and how to prepare your successors, especially if they’re also family members.
The good news is that modern estate planning is flexible. With the right approach, you can build a plan that supports the people you love, in exactly the way you intend, regardless of what your family looks like.
Creating a Comprehensive Estate Plan
A strong estate plan isn’t just about preparing for the unexpected—it’s about making your wishes known, protecting the people you care about, and creating a lasting legacy. And to do that well, you need more than a single document. You need a plan that looks at the full picture of your life.
At its core, a comprehensive estate plan typically includes several key elements: a last will and testament, a revocable or irrevocable trust (depending on your needs), durable powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and beneficiary designations. Each of these plays a different role in making sure your intentions are honored, both while you’re alive and after you’re gone.
For example, a will outlines who should receive your assets and who should care for your minor children. A trust can help you avoid probate, manage distributions over time, and even protect privacy. Powers of attorney and advance directives ensure that someone you trust can make medical or financial decisions on your behalf if you’re unable to.
But creating a plan isn’t just about filling out forms. It’s about having thoughtful conversations—about what matters to you, what kind of future you want for your loved ones, and how to make that vision legally secure.
A good estate planning process will walk you through all of that. It will help you identify what you own, clarify your wishes, anticipate potential issues, and put safeguards in place. It’s also a chance to get really clear on your values: What do you want to pass on, not just in terms of money, but meaning?
When done right, estate planning brings relief. It replaces uncertainty with clarity and provides peace of mind knowing that your family won’t have to guess what you wanted or navigate unnecessary legal hurdles during an already difficult time.
Implementing and Maintaining a Plan
Creating an estate plan is an important milestone—but it’s not the finish line. For your plan to truly serve its purpose, it needs to be implemented correctly and maintained over time.
Implementation means putting your plan into action. That includes funding your trust (if you’ve created one), updating beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance policies, signing documents with the proper formalities, and making sure the right people—like your executor, trustee, or power of attorney—know their roles and where to find key information. A beautifully drafted plan won’t help much if assets aren’t titled correctly or if your healthcare directive is tucked away in a drawer where no one can find it.
Just as importantly, estate planning isn’t a one-and-done process. Life changes quickly. Marriage, divorce, new children or grandchildren, the purchase of a home, the sale of a business, or even a change in state law can all affect how your plan works.
That’s why it’s essential to revisit your estate plan regularly. A good rule of thumb is to review it every few years, or sooner if you experience a major life event. Keeping your plan up to date helps ensure that it still reflects your wishes and that nothing falls through the cracks.
It’s also an opportunity to revisit your goals. Maybe your values have shifted, or you want to make charitable giving a larger part of your legacy. Maybe the person you originally named as executor or guardian is no longer the best choice. These are the kinds of changes that can—and should—be made with thoughtful updates.
In short, the best estate plan is one that grows with you. Regular check-ins with your trust and estate counsel help make sure that your intentions remain clear, your loved ones stay protected, and your legacy is truly preserved.
Finalizing Your Legacy
Finalizing your estate plan is more than checking a task off your to-do list—it’s a powerful step toward securing your family’s future and gaining peace of mind. With the right estate planning documents in place, you’re not just preparing for what might happen—you’re creating a foundation of financial security and clarity for the people you love most.
This part of the process is where everything comes together. Your will is signed. Your trust is funded. Your powers of attorney and healthcare directives are complete. Beneficiaries have been named. Each piece plays a role in ensuring that your wishes are clear, enforceable, and aligned with your goals.
Experienced attorneys with training in estate planning can assist with every detail of this process, helping you avoid the pitfalls that often come from DIY planning or outdated templates. From making sure your documents are properly executed to advising you on how to communicate your plans with your family, professional guidance can make the difference between a plan that works and one that causes confusion or conflict.
A reputable estate planning law firm will take the time to walk you through your estate plan, answer your questions, and explain what each document means. This isn’t just about paperwork—it’s about building a strategy that reflects your values and protects your legacy.
It’s also about giving your loved ones a gift: the clarity and structure they’ll need during a difficult time. A well-crafted estate plan can reduce the likelihood of disputes, ease the burden of decision-making, and allow your family to focus on healing rather than paperwork and probate court.
In the end, finalizing your legacy is about more than wealth. It’s about being intentional with what you leave behind—your values, your voice, and your care for the next generation. And when you take the time to put a plan in place with the right estate planning attorneys, you’re offering your family more than financial security. You’re giving them the confidence to move forward with clarity and peace of mind.
Ready to Protect Your Legacy?
Estate planning isn’t something you want to DIY. Online forms and generic templates can’t account for the complexities of your family, your assets, or Maryland’s specific laws—and mistakes can have lasting consequences for the people you care about most.
If you’re ready to create a plan that provides real peace of mind, it’s time to talk to a professional. Schedule a consultation with Maryland estate planning attorney Steve Thienel and get the experienced, personalized guidance you need to protect your legacy and secure your family’s future.
Estate Planning Attorney FAQs
What estate planning documents do I need?
Most comprehensive estate plans include a last will and testament, a durable power of attorney, an advance healthcare directive, and often a revocable living trust. Depending on your circumstances, you might also need documents related to guardianship, digital assets, or business succession. The right combination of documents depends on your unique goals and family situation.
What is the difference between an estate planner and an estate attorney?
An estate planner may refer to a financial advisor or other professional who helps you plan how your assets will be managed or distributed. On the other hand, an estate attorney is a licensed lawyer with legal expertise in drafting estate planning documents, navigating probate, minimizing tax liabilities, and ensuring your plan is legally enforceable. For anything involving legal documents or court processes, an estate attorney is essential.
What is the 5 by 5 rule in estate planning?
The five-by-five rule is a common provision in irrevocable trusts that allows a beneficiary to withdraw the greater of $5,000 or 5% of the trust’s assets each year. It provides limited access to trust funds without compromising the trust’s overall structure or triggering unnecessary tax consequences.
What is the difference between a will and estate planning?
A will is just one part of an estate plan. It outlines how your assets should be distributed and who will care for minor children after your death. Estate planning is a broader process that includes creating a will, but also involves setting up powers of attorney, healthcare directives, trusts, and more to manage your affairs both during your life and after death. It’s a holistic approach to protecting your legacy.
What type of lawyer is best for wills?
You’ll want to work with an estate planning attorney—a lawyer who focuses specifically on wills, trusts, probate, and asset protection strategies. They have the knowledge and experience to help you navigate the legal landscape and create a plan that meets your needs and complies with state laws.
About the Author
Steve Thienel, Esq.
Steve Thienel is a business, estate planning, and tax attorney and the founder of Thienel Law, based in the DMV area. He helps entrepreneurs and business owners with entity formation, contracts, regulatory compliance, and long-term growth strategies. As a seasoned tax controversy attorney, Steve also represents clients in disputes with the IRS and state tax authorities. With over two decades of experience, he delivers clear, practical legal guidance tailored to the real-world challenges business leaders face.