Special Needs Planning Attorneys in District of Columbia

16 special needs planning firms in District of Columbia, by county and firm type.

Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to discuss your situation and verify their current practice areas and availability.

16 firms

FirmWashington, DC

Chisholm Law Group, LLC

Since 1994 · Serves the whole state

Bethesda-based tax and estate boutique with a Washington office on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, serving clients throughout Maryland, Virginia, D.C., and New York since 1994. Guides trustees, executors, and beneficiaries through probate administration, living trust administration, and estate tax return preparation, and handles IRS and state tax examinations and appeals. Also plans cross-border estates and expatriation for clients with assets or family overseas.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 5 more

Office: 1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400Washington, DC 20004
Phone: (844) 991-1392

FirmWashington, DC

The Elder & Disability Law Center

Since 1999 · Serves the whole state

Elder-law and estate firm with its main office on 19th Street NW in Washington and offices in Tysons Corner, VA and Bethesda, MD, serving clients throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia since 1999. Guides executors and trustees through probate, estate, and trust administration, handles will, trust, and probate disputes, and establishes guardianships and conservatorships. Robert S. Bullock, a Certified Elder Law Attorney, focuses on Medicaid planning and eligibility, and the firm drafts special needs trusts.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 8 more

Office: 1020 19th Street NW, Suite 510Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 452-0000

FirmWashington, DC

Farr Law Firm

Serves the whole state

Elder law and estate planning firm with a Washington office on H Street NW and offices in Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Rockville and Annapolis, serving Virginia, Maryland and DC. Its attorneys handle the planning and administration of trusts and estates in Washington, DC, guiding families through probate and estate administration and offering trust administration and executor and trustee assistance. Also handles Medicaid asset protection, special needs trusts and guardianship and conservatorship.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more

Office: 1750 H Street NW, Suite 360Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 587-2797

FirmWashington, DC

Frost Law

Serves the whole state

Multi-state tax, business, and estate firm with a Washington office on Connecticut Avenue NW, serving clients in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and beyond. Represents personal representatives through probate filings, releases, and distribution to beneficiaries, counsels trustees on their fiduciary duties, and prepares fiduciary income tax returns (Form 1041) and federal and state estate tax returns (Form 706). Founding partner Glen Frost is an attorney, CPA, and Certified Financial Planner.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 4 more

Office: 1050 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 500Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 618-1873

Free consultation

FirmWashington, DC

Harrison LLP

Since 2003 · Serves the whole state

Washington, D.C. office of Harrison LLP, a national private-wealth firm founded in 2003; the office opened in 2025 in Georgetown Plaza on Wisconsin Avenue NW and serves clients in the District, Maryland and Virginia. Handles probate administration, trust administration, gift and estate tax returns and postmortem tax strategies, and counsels professional and lay fiduciaries administering trusts, decedents' estates and guardianship estates. The firm also has a trust and estate litigation practice and does special-needs and cross-border estate planning.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more

Office: 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 400Washington, DC 20007
Phone: (202) 686-4842

Solo PracticeWashington, DC

Joel W. Anders, P.C.

Serves the whole state

Litigation practice on K Street NW, one block from Farragut North and Farragut West, serving Washington, D.C. and the surrounding Maryland communities. Handles probate administration and distribution of estate assets, and litigates disputes over the administration of an estate, the probate of a will or trust and the validity of a will, along with guardianships and conservatorships. Also drafts wills, living and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney and special needs plans; office hours run weekdays, with evening and weekend hours available upon request.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigationand 7 more

Office: 1717 K Street NW, Suite 900Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 466-4334

Free consultation

Solo PracticeWashington, DC

Kith + Kin Law Firm, PLLC

Estate planning practice on New Jersey Avenue SE in Southeast Washington, founded by attorney Kelly I. Spencer. Works with executors, trustees and beneficiaries managing probate and trust administration, and offers three flat-fee levels of planning, from foundational wills and trusts to Medicaid asset protection, including plans for families with special-needs members. Every plan includes a three-year review and an optional recorded Legacy Interview, and appointments are booked online.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateSpecial Needs Planningand 4 more

Office: 853 New Jersey Avenue SEWashington, DC 20003
Phone: (202) 978-2247

FirmWashington, DC

Kevin C. Martin, Attorney at Law, PLLC

Serves the whole state

Estate planning firm on Massachusetts Avenue NW serving the Washington, D.C. community, with a second office in Fort Lauderdale. Helps personal representatives open estates, obtain letters and complete filings with the D.C. Probate Division, and advises successor trustees and beneficiaries on trust administration. Drafts trusts, wills, powers of attorney and special needs plans, with particular experience serving LGBTQ+ individuals and Foreign Service Officers, and backs its work with a written service-satisfaction guarantee.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 7 more

Office: 650 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 600Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (771) 888-5187

Free consultation

Solo PracticeWashington, DC

Lanchester Law Firm

Serves the whole state

Estate planning practice on Pennsylvania Avenue NW with a second office in Largo, Maryland, serving families in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Attorney Michelle Lanchester drafts wills, living, irrevocable, special needs and life insurance trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives and final-wishes instructions, and advises older adults and their families. The initial consultation is a paid one-hour appointment booked online, held by Zoom, by phone or in the Largo office.

PracticesEstate PlanningElder LawSpecial Needs PlanningPowers Of Attorneyand 2 more

Office: 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 900, South BuildingWashington, DC 20004
Phone: (301) 259-3799

Virtual consultations

Solo PracticeWashington, DC

Lopez Law Firm, PLLC

Serves the whole state

Downtown Washington, DC practice at 1200 18th Street NW where attorney Carlos Lopez handles estate planning and DC probate alongside a family-law practice. Drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney, guardian designations, and special-needs trusts, and assists personal representatives with estate administration: marshalling assets, filing the estate's tax returns, and filing accounting reports.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateSpecial Needs PlanningFamily Lawand 3 more

Office: 1200 18th Street NW, Suite 700Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 769-0505

Free consultation

Solo PracticeWashington, DC

Larkin Law PLLC

Serves the whole state

Estate and fiduciary practice overlooking Farragut Square in downtown Washington, steps from Farragut North. Guides personal representatives and trustees through estate and trust administration: marshaling assets, evaluating creditor claims, and preparing accounts for the probate court and beneficiaries, with limited-scope advice for the do-it-yourself fiduciary. Also drafts wills, revocable trusts, and powers of attorney.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 7 more

Office: 1717 K Street NW, Suite 900Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 240-2362

Solo PracticeWashington, DC

Law Offices of Clifford M. Cohen

Serves the whole state

Estate planning and probate practice on upper Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington, DC, with a second office in Rockville, MD, serving families in the District and Maryland with over 30 years of legal experience. Supports executors through filing and validating the will, valuing assets, handling creditor claims, court filings and tax returns, and helps resolve will contests and beneficiary or executor disputes. Also handles Medicaid and long-term-care planning and guardianship for incapacitated loved ones, and offers a free phone consultation.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder Lawand 8 more

Office: 5335 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 440Washington, DC 20015
Phone: (202) 895-2799

Free consultationVirtual consultations

FirmRockville, MD

The Margolius Law Firm, LLP

Since 2002 · Serves the whole state

General practice rooted in northwest Washington, DC for generations, now working from downtown Rockville, MD, whose attorneys work under both Maryland and DC probate law. Prepares and files probate and administration petitions, mandatory court reports, formal and informal accountings, and estate, fiduciary income, and personal income tax returns, resolves creditors' claims, and distributes estate and trust assets. After a trust creator dies, handles beneficiary notification, asset liquidation, required court approvals, and trust ambiguities and disputes.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 2 more

Office: 39 West Montgomery AvenueRockville, MD 20850
Phone: (202) 332-6600

FirmWashington, DC

McDonald Law Firm, LLC

Serves the whole state

Georgetown, Washington office (by appointment) of Andre O. McDonald's estate planning and elder-law firm, headquartered in Columbia, MD with a second Maryland office in Bethesda. Assists DC executors and administrators with probate and trustees with trust administration, and helps families with Medicaid and long-term-care planning, special-needs planning that protects government benefits, and adult guardianship. Consultations are offered virtually or in person.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 7 more

Office: 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Suite 400Washington, DC 20007
Phone: (202) 640-2133

Virtual consultations

Solo PracticeWashington, DC

Right Size Law PLLC

Serves the whole state

Elder-law and estate practice in a Capitol Hill office on G Street SE, serving clients throughout Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia. Attorney David Jonathan Taylor, a Certified Elder Law Attorney who clerked in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, guides personal representatives through DC Probate Division filings, creditor notice, taxes and distribution, and helps trustees administer trusts after a death. Also handles Medicaid and long-term-care planning, special needs trusts and guardianship petitions.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more

Office: 621 G Street SEWashington, DC 20003
Phone: (202) 546-1536

FirmWashington, DC

Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP

Since 1933

Pennsylvania Avenue NW office of a multi-state firm founded in 1933. Its Trusts and Estates group guides personal representatives and trustees through probate and trust administration, including estate and fiduciary income tax returns, and litigates will and trust challenges and fiduciary disputes. Also handles guardianship and conservatorship proceedings.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 7 more

Office: 1717 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1300Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 659-6800

Estate planning attorneys in District of Columbia average $347 an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $1,041 to $2,082 for a simple individual will and $3,820 to $5,730 for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the District of Columbia will cost calculator sets the two side by side.

In District of Columbia, estates with personal property of $40,000 or less skip probate with the Transfer by Affidavit, 60 days after death. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The District of Columbia probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.

In District of Columbia, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship; a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; an estate near or above the District of Columbia estate tax threshold of $4,988,400; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.

Filter the directory by county and by the practice area you need, and look for experience with your situation; a board certification in estate planning, trust or probate law is a strong signal. Most District of Columbia estate planning attorneys offer an initial consultation, some free and some for a flat fee. Ask up front whether the firm bills by the hour or by package, and what your situation is expected to cost.

Special Needs Planning Attorneys in District of Columbia

District of Columbia attorneys average $347 an hour for wills and estates work. A basic will from an attorney runs $1,041–$2,082; online services cost $30–$300.

District of Columbia imposes its own estate tax separate from the federal one, kicking in well below the federal exemption. Estates near the state threshold benefit from real planning — not because every family needs it, but because the line is lower than people expect.

Estates under $40,000 in District of Columbia can use a simplified affidavit instead of formal probate. Most families in that range can handle it without retaining counsel.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 15, 2026

Legal Sources

Data sourced from District of Columbia statutes and official state code. How we research.

Forms for Planning Your Estate in District of Columbia

Free forms for planning your estate in District of Columbia: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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Free

Financial Power of Attorney

District of Columbia treats a power of attorney as durable by default, and it is signed before a notary.

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Free

Last Will and Testament

In District of Columbia, a will is signed before 2 witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavit.

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All District of Columbia forms

Tools for Planning Your Estate in District of Columbia

Free tools for planning your estate in District of Columbia: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.

How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in District of Columbia runs $3,820 to $5,730 for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Compare Costs

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In District of Columbia, four years at a public university cost about $24,608 and the cost of living is 10% above the U.S. average; the state levies an estate tax above $4,988,400.

Use Calculator

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in District of Columbia runs $3,820 to $5,730 and a simple will $1,041 to $2,082, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Compare Costs

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

District of Columbia does not revoke an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.

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All District of Columbia tools