Estate Planning Attorneys in Northern Virginia
Protect Your Family. Preserve Your Legacy.
Led by Adam L. Engel, Esq., our estate planning practice helps Loudoun County and Northern Virginia families protect what they have built, name the people they trust, and put a clear plan in place before it is ever needed.
Most Families Are Not Ready
The Plan You Put Off Becomes a Plan the Court Writes for You
24%
Of U.S. adults have a will in 2025, down from 33% in 2022
55%
Have no estate plan at all, no will and no trust
36%
Of parents with minor children have a will naming a guardian
$15M
2026 federal estate tax exemption per person, 40% top rate above it
Sources: Caring.com 2025 Wills & Estate Planning Study; Trust & Will 2025 Estate Planning Report; IRS and Kiplinger (2026 figures).
When there is no plan, Virginia law decides who inherits, the court decides who raises your children, and your family absorbs the delay, cost, and stress. A clear plan puts those choices back in your hands, on your terms.
The Work You Do Now to Protect the People You Love
Estate planning is the work you do now, while you are healthy and in control, to protect your assets, name the people you trust, and spare your family confusion later. It is one of the most caring things you can do for the people who depend on you.
Adam L. Engel, Esq. leads this work at Shin Law Office with compassionate, detail-driven counsel. Whether you need a simple will, a trust that keeps your family out of probate, or a tax-smart plan for a larger estate, you get a clear path and documents built to hold up.
Estate planning and probate are two halves of one story. If you have lost a loved one and need help settling an estate, see our Probate Administration practice. This page is about the planning that comes first.
Schedule a ConsultationWhere We Come In
- ✓ You have no will or trust, or yours is years out of date
- ✓ You want to keep your family out of probate where possible
- ✓ You have minor children and no named guardian
- ✓ You want to provide for a loved one with special needs
- ✓ You hold digital, crypto, or out-of-state assets that need a plan
- ✓ You want a plan that fits a blended family
Are You Asking the Right Questions?
The Questions Most People Avoid Until It Is Too Late
A good plan starts by facing a few honest questions while you still hold the answers.
How much will taxes and delays cost your estate?
Who decides your family’s future if you do not?
Will the court control your inheritance?
Who makes decisions if you cannot?
Who would raise your children, and did you choose them?
Have you planned for your digital and crypto assets?
If any of these gave you pause, that is the place to begin. Schedule a consultation and we will help you answer them on your terms.
How We Help
Estate Planning Services We Provide
The documents and strategies that protect your assets, name the people you trust, and make your wishes clear. These are the building blocks of a plan that holds up.
Wills
A clear, valid will that directs who receives what and names guardians for minor children.
Explore →Revocable Living Trusts
Keep control during your life and pass assets to your family without probate after death.
Explore →Irrevocable Trusts
Stronger asset protection and tax advantages for higher-value estates and long-term goals.
Explore →Financial Powers of Attorney
Name someone you trust to manage your money and property if you cannot.
Explore →Advance Medical Directives
Put your healthcare wishes in writing and name who speaks for you if you are incapacitated.
Explore →Special Needs Trusts
Provide for a loved one with a disability without risking their Medicaid or SSI eligibility.
Explore →Charitable & Testamentary Trusts
Support the causes you care about and structure gifts that take effect through your will.
Explore →Estate Tax Planning
Tax-smart strategies that reduce exposure and keep more of your wealth in your family’s hands.
Explore →Asset Protection
Shield what you have built from creditors and risk while keeping your plan flexible.
Explore →Guardianship & Conservatorship Planning
Protect minors and incapacitated adults by naming the people you trust to step in.
Explore →Long-Term Care & Elder Law
Medicaid and elder law planning that secures quality care without draining family resources.
Explore →Blended Family Planning
Make sure spouses, children, and stepchildren are all provided for, since Virginia law will not assume it.
Explore →Digital & International Assets
Plans that cover cryptocurrency, online accounts, and property held overseas so nothing is lost.
Explore →Why Families Trust Adam L. Engel, Esq.
Estate work is personal. We treat it that way, with patience and precision.
Compassionate Counsel
We meet families where they are and explain every option in plain English.
Detail-Driven
Documents are done carefully the first time, because small errors cause big problems later.
Local Knowledge
We work with Loudoun County and Northern Virginia courts and Commissioners of Accounts every week.
Planning and Probate
One team for both sides of the work, so your plan and its execution stay aligned.
How We Work
How We Build Your Plan
1
Listen
We start with your family, your assets, and your goals, not a form. We learn what matters to you.
2
Map the Plan
We recommend the documents and strategies that fit your situation, and explain the why.
3
Prepare & File
We draft your documents with care and make sure everything is executed correctly.
4
Stand By You
We keep your plan current as life changes, so it still works when it is needed.
Attorney Insight
“Most people do not avoid estate planning because they do not care. They avoid it because it feels heavy and far off. My job is to make it simple and clear, so a parent knows their children are protected, a spouse knows the house is safe, and a family knows exactly what was intended. A good plan is not about death. It is one of the most caring things you can do for the people you love.”
Adam L. Engel, Esq.
Estate Planning & Probate Attorney, Shin Law Office
Common Questions
Estate Planning FAQs
Why do I need a will if I already have a trust?
A will acts as a backup for any assets not moved into your trust, so they still pass according to your wishes. It is also the only place you can name guardians for minor children, which a trust cannot do.
How does a revocable living trust work?
You move assets into the trust but keep full control during your lifetime. After your death, the trust distributes those assets to your beneficiaries without going through probate, which saves time, cost, and preserves privacy.
When is an irrevocable trust better than a revocable one?
Irrevocable trusts are harder to change, but in exchange they offer stronger asset protection and potential tax advantages. They suit higher-value estates and focused asset protection goals.
What is a special needs trust?
It lets you provide financial support for a loved one with a disability without putting their eligibility for government benefits like Medicaid or SSI at risk. The trust supplements, rather than replaces, those benefits.
Do I really need an advance medical directive in Virginia?
Yes. An advance directive makes sure your healthcare wishes are honored if you cannot speak for yourself, including your preferences about life-sustaining treatment, and names the person you trust to decide.
What should blended families consider in their planning?
Stepchildren are not automatically heirs under Virginia law. Thoughtful planning makes sure your spouse, children, and stepchildren are each provided for the way you intend, rather than the way a default statute would decide.
Do I need to plan for digital and cryptocurrency assets?
Yes. Online accounts and cryptocurrency can be lost forever without access instructions and clear authority to transfer them. We build that access and authority into your plan.
Put a Plan in Place, on Your Terms
Whether you are starting from scratch or updating an old plan, Adam L. Engel, Esq. and the team at Shin Law Office will help you protect your family across Loudoun County and Northern Virginia. If you are settling a loved one’s estate instead, our Probate Administration team can help.
Prefer to talk now? Reach Adam L. Engel, Esq. at 571-445-6565.
Based in Loudoun County and serving clients across Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland, we know that when everything’s on the line, the right attorney doesn’t just make a difference, they determine the outcome.
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Copyright © 2025 Shin Law Office, PLC. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2025 Shin Law Office, PLC. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of any content on this site is prohibited except for individual, non-commercial, informational use. This limited permission does not allow modification, distribution, or incorporation of any content into other works or publications in any medium. You may not reproduce or distribute content from this site to any third party.