Trust Administration Attorney Serving the DMV
Thienel Law guides successor trustees and beneficiaries through trust administration in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, with the trust's tax work handled in-house.
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Trust administration is the process of settling a trust after its creator dies or becomes unable to manage it. Thienel Law guides successor trustees and beneficiaries through it across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, with the trust’s tax work handled in-house.
If you have been named the successor trustee of a trust, you have a real job and real legal exposure, even when there is no probate case. When the person who created the trust dies or loses capacity, you step in to manage what it holds, pay the final debts and taxes, and distribute the rest under its terms. Thienel Law represents successor trustees, co-trustees, and beneficiaries through trust administration across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, as one part of Stephen Thienel’s estate administration practice. Because Steve holds an LL.M. in Taxation and prepares returns, the trust’s tax filings are handled by the same attorney, not referred out.
What is trust administration, and who needs a trust attorney?
Trust administration is the process of carrying out a trust after the person who created it, the settlor, dies or becomes unable to manage it. A successor trustee takes over, collects the trust property, reports to the beneficiaries, pays the settlor’s final debts and taxes, and distributes what remains under the trust’s terms. Most of this happens outside court, which is one of the main reasons people use trusts.
The person who needs a trust attorney is usually the successor trustee, especially a first-timer, such as an adult child settling a parent’s living trust. It also serves co-trustees dividing responsibility and beneficiaries who want confirmation the trust is being handled correctly. Out-of-state trustees benefit most, because DMV rules differ at each border.
What is at risk when you administer a trust yourself?
A successor trustee is a fiduciary. The law holds you personally responsible for how you manage trust property, treat the beneficiaries, and account for what you do. Distribute too soon, pay the wrong claim, or favor one beneficiary over the rest, and you can be held answerable for the loss.
A trust does not mean there is nothing left to do. Even a revocable living trust does not erase the creator’s debts. After death, trust property that was revocable stays reachable by the creator’s creditors and for statutory family allowances when the probate estate cannot cover them. That falls to you.
Beneficiaries add their own pressure. They want to know what the trust holds, when they will be paid, and whether you are handling it fairly. It gets harder when a trust owns property in more than one DMV jurisdiction, because a single trust can reach across all three.
What does Thienel Law handle in a trust administration?
Thienel Law manages a trust administration from the day you step in to the final distribution, so you always know what comes next.
- Trustee onboarding: confirming your authority to act, reviewing the trust instrument, and mapping the duties it places on you.
- Asset work: identifying, valuing, and retitling trust property, and coordinating with financial institutions.
- Beneficiary notice: sending the notices the trust and state law require, and keeping beneficiaries reasonably informed.
- Debts and claims: identifying valid claims against the trust and the estate, and paying them in the correct order.
- Tax filings in-house: preparing the creator’s final income tax return and the trust’s fiduciary returns, and flagging estate or inheritance tax exposure early.
- Accountings and distributions: preparing trustee accountings, distributing under the trust’s terms, and documenting the trustee’s release.
Most trust administration matters are handled at a flat, agreed rate, so you know the cost before the work begins.
What is it like to work with Steve on a trust?
Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute consultation. It is a fit conversation for people ready to hire a trust administration attorney. You describe the trust and where things stand, and you and Steve decide together whether working with him makes sense. It is not a working session on your file.
From there the work runs online. Secure video meetings, shared folders, and electronic signatures let a trustee in one state settle a DMV trust without repeated trips. If a matter requires a court appearance, Steve handles it where the trust is administered. You work directly with Stephen throughout, with no handoffs.
How does trust administration differ in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia?
All three jurisdictions have adopted a version of the Uniform Trust Code, so the framework rhymes across the DMV even where the details differ.
Maryland administers trusts under the Maryland Trust Act, its comprehensive trust statute. Virginia follows the Uniform Trust Code in Title 64.2, which sets out the trustee’s duties, including the duty to keep beneficiaries reasonably informed and report to them. The District of Columbia has adopted the Uniform Trust Code as well.
Two points hold across all three. First, trust administration usually proceeds without direct court supervision, unlike probate, though a court can step in if a dispute arises. Second, a revocable living trust does not defeat the settlor’s creditors. After the settlor dies, trust property that was revocable at death stays subject to the settlor’s debts, administration costs, and statutory family allowances to the extent the probate estate falls short. A successor trustee has to account for that, not simply distribute.
Because Stephen is licensed in all three, one attorney can administer a trust wherever in the DMV its assets sit.
Where does trust administration fit in Thienel Law’s estate services?
Settling a trust often runs alongside the rest of an estate. Depending on how the assets were titled, the same family may also need probate, non-probate transfers, and final tax filings, all handled under one roof.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What does a successor trustee do after the settlor dies?
The successor trustee steps in to manage the trust. You locate and value the assets, keep the beneficiaries informed, pay the settlor's final debts and taxes, and distribute what remains under the trust's terms. You do all of it as a fiduciary, personally responsible for getting it right.
Does a trust have to go through probate?
Assets held in a properly funded trust generally pass outside probate, which is much of why people create trusts. Assets left in the settlor's sole name may still require probate. Sorting which assets are in the trust is one of the first steps in any administration.
Do I need a lawyer to administer a trust in Maryland, D.C., or Virginia?
The law does not require one, but most successor trustees benefit from counsel. You take on fiduciary duties the moment you act, and mistakes in notices, accountings, tax filings, or distributions can expose you personally. In the DMV the rules also differ at each border.
Do trust beneficiaries have to be notified?
Generally yes. Each DMV jurisdiction follows a version of the Uniform Trust Code, which requires a trustee to keep qualified beneficiaries reasonably informed about the trust and its administration. What must be sent, and when, depends on the trust and the governing state.
What taxes are involved in trust administration?
Usually the settlor's final income tax return and fiduciary income tax returns for income the trust earns while it stays open. Larger estates can also face federal estate tax, and some states add estate or inheritance tax. Stephen prepares these returns in-house.
Can one attorney handle a trust with assets in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia?
Yes. Stephen Thienel is admitted in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, so he can administer a trust whose assets sit in any of the three and coordinate when a single trust reaches into more than one.
Ready to settle a trust the right way?
Stephen Thienel guides successor trustees and beneficiaries through trust administration in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, with the trust's tax work handled in-house by the same attorney. If you are ready to hire a trust administration attorney, schedule a free 30-minute consultation and find out whether the fit is right.
- Tell Steve about your matter
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