The Law Office of Shannon Gahs

06/06/2026

Here we go! Showing up for our q***r friends and giving out good information all day! Happy Pride Ellicott City!

05/27/2026

Congratulations Chris! He finished exams and is officially a 3L. Chris has been our law clerk for the last year, learning with us while he’s in law school and we’re so excited for him to be one step closer to a member of the Bar!

Why does this matter to you? A lawyer who is teaching is constantly learning. Explaining keeps us sharper. We look up answers when he asks us questions. Mentoring is also part of our duty as lawyers. Like other skilled professions, apprenticeship and teaching are an integral part of how we learn to become lawyers and how we continue to improve. The hands-on learning reinforces what we learn in the classroom and adds the nuance of the clients in our area, unwritten judicial practices, ways to make cases go more smoothly for our clients.

Chris, we’re all better because of you. Thanks for being on our team. And welcome to your 3L year!

05/05/2026

The big question: how much does this all cost? Don't be afraid to ask! Every family has a household budget. You should definitely shop around.

We use flat rates, no surprises. We'll give you a rate quote and a plan forward before we begin any work and we promise that's exactly what you'll pay, not a penny more. There is a range to our pricing, based on whether we're working with a solo person or a couple and whether you need a Trust, but nearly every client file lands between $1300 and $2500 for the individual/couple - including Will(s), Trust, Medical Advance Directive(s), Financial Power(s) of Attorney and Guardian Designation(s) if there are minor children. We hear "that's reasonable" pretty often, and that's our intention. We are involved in our small towns. We want you to be protected and we want you to smile at us in the grocery store and feel like we treated you fairly.

We're not the cheapest option but we are really good at this work. We focus solely on Wills, Trusts, Estates and some Disability/Guardianship issues. As any elite athlete or specialist will tell you, focus and practice is the key to excellence. If you have any questions about cost, please don't shy away. We're already talking about money, love, death and religion after all ;)

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05/01/2026

If you have a house or a child, you need a Will.

05/01/2026

Getting ready for Olney Days tomorrow! We care enough to get the wrinkles out of our table cover… imagine how much we care about making your Estate perfect.

04/29/2026

I made a really hard call today.

I was talking with a client and her adult children when I realized she did not have legal capacity to sign the Trust we were designing together.

To be able to sign a Will or Trust, you must know (1) who your family is, (2) what your assets are, and (3) the natural disposition of your bounty.

What does that mean? It means you have to know how many grandchildren you have, the address of your home, the general balance of your bank account, whether you have a retirement account. You need to know that the “natural” disposition of your assets is most often to benefit your biological or adopted children but you 💯 do not have to follow that general pattern!

When I realized she did not have all three of these requirements, we set the design of the Trust aside and started making another, simpler plan.

I was able to help the family as the beautiful, supportive unit they are, understand what their options are, how to use non-probate techniques to make sure that the client is going to be protected and financially secure for her whole life, and how to use Maryland laws to make it so that the assets that will be left over when she dies will be passed as equally and simply as possible to her children. We talked together about how to reduce risk to her financial future, about how to keep her as independent as possible for as long as possible, and how they can assist her as that capacity diminishes.

I lost a very nice client with a very friendly family today. I couldn’t do what they initially asked, and I lost a couple hundred dollars of income. I could have avoided the ethics question, I could have upsold them on guardianship and potentially taken away her civil rights, I could have pushed back and made them take her to a doctor to determine competency. But that’s not the way you treat people.

In that moment, we found an issue and worked on it together holistically. We respected the client’s independence and authority, and we protected her safety together. There’s nothing more important than that.

04/29/2026

Congratulations to the Maryland State Bar Association Diversity Committee on a great event!
At the end of a long work day, most of us just want to go home, but it is so worthwhile to take the time to build new friendships and maintain old ones with other members of the Bar- respected judges and fellow attorneys. When our clients need us to resolve an issue, find a solution, or get them a great referral, this is how we know who to call!

04/15/2026

We're growing! If any of you have had the privilege of working with Haley Wittstadt over evenings or weekend hours in our Bel Air office, there's big news! She is joining us full time in a few weeks!

Haley has been a part of our team since she interned with us as a law student. It has been an honor to watch her grow into the amazing, independent attorney she has become.

Haley graduated a couple of years ago in the TOP TEN PERCENT of her class at the University of Baltimore School of Law. In addition to her work in Trusts and Estates law with us, she is dedicated to pro bono legal work. A true Bel Air native, she has firmly set her roots here, recently purchasing a home in the community.

She's gotten amazing reviews and feedback in the last year and I know if you have the privilege of working with her, you'll feel the same.

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04/11/2026

I spent the last two days with some of the best female lawyers and law firm leaders from across the State of Maryland at the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland Annual Meeting. I am leaving today inspired, renewed, invigorated. I’m so proud to be a member of this profession.

03/31/2026

Protect the people who mean the most to you. Trusts, Wills, Estates. Free consultations, evening hours, no-surprises flat rates. with shannongahs.com