Areas of Practice
West & Feinberg, P.C. provides legal services of the highest caliber to businesses, professional practices, individuals, estates and trusts. We practice tax and business law, estate planning, and probate and estate administration. In everything we do, we work with our clients to minimize their federal , state and local tax liabilities. Our attorneys have extensive education and experience in the practice of tax law and are admitted to practice before various state and federal tax courts. Our attorneys also have experience teaching law and have spoken extensively at the national and local level to professional groups and trade associations. In particular, they have taught courses at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Maryland Institute for Continuing Professional Education for Lawyers (MICPEL), and have lectured in front of the American Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, CPA societies, medical and dental societies, major financial services and insurance companies, real estate industry groups and various non-for-profit associations. Members of the firm are licensed to practice law in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Florida.
Business Law
We represent business clients in a wide variety of matters. From the inception of a business to its sale or dissolution, we structure transactions that work from a legal, tax and business standpoint. At the inception of a business, we assist with choice of entity issues, entity formation, and negotiating and preparing an agreement among the principals of the business. We advise businesses on ongoing operational issues such as employment matters, review and negotiation of commercial leases, dispute mediation, and financing. When it comes time to sell your business, or if you are considering purchasing a business, we have substantial experience in structuring mergers and acquisitions. We bring our firm’s estate planning experience to bear in designing effective succession plans to transfer a business to the next generation. A substantial number of our clients are professionals and organizations in the health care field. In addition to the business and tax issues noted above, we advise these clients on a variety of health law issues. We represent buyers and sellers of medical and dental practices, from the negotiation of the letter of intent to closing, as well as individuals who are negotiating an entry into or exit from a professional practice.
Estate Planning
For almost four decades, the attorneys at West & Feinberg, P.C. have provided sophisticated and personalized estate planning services to a broad range of clients. We assist our clients in minimizing estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes to preserve assets for future generations. We also provide strategies designed to avoid the expense and hassle of probate. We implement strategies for clients who want to incorporate family foundations, donor advised funds or other charitable giving into their estate plans. We take pride in our ability to meet the estate planning needs of all families. We have substantial experience helping our clients provide for disabled children and deal with elderly parents in declining health. We are also able to design strategies for non-traditional families and those with non-citizen spouses. Services that we provide in the estate planning area include the preparation of Wills, Revocable Trusts, Irrevocable Trusts, Generation-Skipping Trusts, Charitable Lead and Remainder Trusts, Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts, and Qualified Personal Residence Trusts. We also prepare and assist in implementing family limited liability companies. As part of the estate planning process, we prepare Advance Medical Directives and Financial Powers of Attorney, enabling clients to designate an agent to act for them in the event of incapacity. We also advise clients in planning for distributions from qualified retirement plans to maximize benefits and minimize taxes and penalties.
Probate & Estate Administration
The attorneys at West & Feinberg, P.C. have substantial experience with the probate of decedents’ estates. After the death of a family member, we will guide you through the administration of the estate, assist you with the probate process, and advise you with respect to tax elections and financial decisions that must be made. We also assist with post-mortem estate planning and provide recommendations regarding distribution from qualified retirement plans. The firm has an experienced and knowledgeable staff of estate paralegals who assist clients with the tasks that must be accomplished during the probate process and help track the deadlines that must be met. Recognizing that each client has a different level of comfort with handling various aspects of the administration of an estate, we are happy to assist at whatever level is appropriate, ranging from acting as an advisor only through handling virtually all aspects of the process.