Downs Law Firm P.C.

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Downs Law Firm P.C. Full-service estate planning firm dedicated to guiding graceful transitions and preserving legacies.

We prepare Wills, Living Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills and Health Care Directives for our clients, and assist with Elder Law Planning, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Administration.

10/15/2026

What Drives Tom Crazy: Naming a son or daughter-in-law as a beneficiary

It may seem like the simplest approach, but life can change. If a surviving spouse later remarries, assets originally intended for your children could become part of a much more complicated family situation.
Thoughtful estate planning isn’t just about deciding who inherits. It’s also about considering how those assets are protected for the people you intended to benefit.

Tom explains why he often takes a different approach when helping families plan for the future.

10/08/2026

What Drives Tom Crazy: Procrastination

“Don’t do anything today that you can do tomorrow.” 😏

That may work as a joke, but procrastination and estate planning are not a great combination.

It’s understandable why people put it off. Estate planning means thinking about topics we would often rather avoid. But creating a plan isn’t really about death – it’s about taking care of the people you love.
Think of it as an act of love for the people who will someday have to carry out your wishes. The best time to plan? Before they need it.

10/01/2026

AI can write that for me

AI can answer a lot of questions, but should it create your estate plan? 🤖

Technology can be a helpful starting point, but estate planning involves more than generating documents. The value of working with an experienced attorney is having someone who can understand your circumstances, ask the right questions, and guide you through the process.

When it comes to something as important as your family and your future, experience still matters.

09/29/2026

🏠 Should you put your house in a trust?

Your home is often one of your most valuable assets—and how it’s titled can make a significant difference in your estate plan.

Tom Downs explains why transferring a home into a trust may help simplify what happens to the property in the future and why proper trust funding is such an important part of the planning process.

Already have a trust? Make sure your home and other assets are actually titled the way your estate plan intends.

📞 Questions about your trust or estate plan? Contact Downs Law Firm to schedule a review.

📧Sign up for our monthly newsletter to learn more tips and updates on estate planning. Visit our website to learn more and sign up.

09/24/2026

Naming Parents as Healthcare Decision Makers

One of the hardest parts of estate planning isn’t deciding who gets your property—it’s deciding who may someday have to make difficult decisions for you.

Without a plan in place, the people you love could be left making deeply personal medical and end-of-life decisions without knowing exactly what you would have wanted.

Planning ahead gives them something invaluable: guidance.

Make your wishes known. Put the right documents in place. And don’t leave the hardest decisions entirely in someone else’s hands.

09/17/2026

Naming a beneficiary on a retirement account may seem straightforward—but what happens after the account passes to them?

If a beneficiary isn’t prepared to manage the inheritance, an outright designation can create problems. Thoughtful estate planning can provide more structure and protection for the assets you worked hard to build.

Tom Downs explains why it’s important to think beyond simply who receives your retirement account—and consider how they receive it.

09/10/2026

✍️ Think twice before marking up your original estate planning documents.

Crossing out a name, writing in a change, or otherwise altering an original will may seem harmless, but those handwritten edits can create questions when the document eventually needs to be used.

Tom’s advice? Keep your originals original. Estate planning documents have formal requirements, and changes should be handled properly rather than with a pen and a quick fix.

Have a change you need to make to your estate plan? Talk with your attorney and make sure it’s done the right way.

09/03/2026

What drives Tom crazy in estate planning? Assuming one person should handle everything.

The person you trust to make medical decisions for you may not be the same person you’d choose to handle your financial decisions—and that’s perfectly fine.

When creating your estate plan, think about each role individually and put the best person in charge of each responsibility. The right choices now can make a huge difference later.

📞 Have questions about who should serve in these important roles? Downs Law Firm can help.

08/28/2026

Being the “responsible child” doesn’t necessarily mean they should inherit everything first.

A common estate planning approach is to leave everything to one trusted child with the expectation that they’ll divide it among their siblings later. But life doesn’t always go according to plan.

If that child dies before you—or circumstances change—the result may be very different from what you intended.

The better approach? You make the decisions in your estate plan instead of leaving them for your children to sort out later.

A properly structured plan can make your wishes clear and help prevent unnecessary complications for your family. Follow Downs Law Firm P.C. for more estate planning tips.

08/26/2026

Where are your important estate planning documents right now? 📁

Having an estate plan is an important first step. Making sure your documents are safely stored, backed up, and accessible to the right people is part of making sure that plan can actually work when it’s needed.

Take a few minutes to make sure your important documents aren’t just protected—they can be found.

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Address

322 Main Street, Suite 102
Laurel, MD
20707

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 1pm

Telephone

+13017767900

Website

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