As with most states, Maryland lacked legislation to permit the safe and reliable remote document execution. I was active with the Maryland Bar Association, for example, in efforts seeking legislative reforms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our firm takes pride in applying our knowledge beyond just client work. I am heavily engaged in every aspect of our litigation practice including discovery, witness examination and argument before the court. Our fiduciary litigation includes will contests, trustee removals, and court ordered irrevocable trust modifications.

With planning clients, it may involve drafting complex tax-sensitive provisions for high net-worth individuals and couples or tailoring planning to protect young children or vulnerable adults – whatever is needed for each of our planning clients. My client work is always client specific. We go to great lengths to explain our recommendation to each client so that all questions and concerns are addressed. Our specialization in this area means that we can find the planning, administration, or litigation solution that best fits each client’s needs.

Our firm fosters an ever-deepening understanding of the nuances of the law of fiduciaries and of trusts and estates. The perspective that I continue to bring to the practice of law was informed by my studies with Professor Danforth and others. William Butler Yeats famously wrote that: “Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire.” Over the three years of law school, I took every class that Professor Danforth offered and his passion for trust and estate law became mine. When not introducing first year law students to the law of contracts, Professor Danforth, a nationally renowned trust and estate attorney known particularly for his work in asset protection, teaches classes on the creation, termination, administration, and taxation of trusts and estates. Sitting down for my 9:00 contracts class on the first day of law school, I had no idea the impact my professor, Robert Danforth, would have on my career.

Deborah howe