1701 Pennsylvania Ave NW Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006, United States
In Arlington, VA, The Law Office of Stefan T. Farrar publishes detail around living trusts and will drafting — material useful for narrowing the firm shortlist before a consultation.
Active tabs are practice areas the firm references on its own pages or carries on its Maps listing. Greyed tabs are areas to confirm by phone — silence in public sources is not a "no".
Two sources only: the firm's own website and its Google Maps listing. No referral fees, no edits, no advertorial. If something looks wrong, tell us and we'll correct it.
| Item | Detail | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office address | 1701 Pennsylvania Ave NW Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006, United States | Google Maps | HIGH |
| Phone | +1 509-528-3610 | Google Maps | HIGH |
| Website | stefanfarrarlaw.com/ | Google Maps | HIGH |
From the firm's office
The Law Office of Stefan T. Farrar is indexed in our estate-planning directory for Arlington, VA. Pages on the firm's own website talk about living trusts, will drafting, and elder law. Google Maps category data adds estate-plan reviews. When evaluating, compare the firm's drafting fee to the cost of probate avoidance…
From clients on the public record
No client snippets to quote yet — Google Maps reviews are the live source.
Plain-English summary of what each document does and why most plans include it. Not a substitute for counsel — but useful before the consultation.
Names who inherits, who serves as executor, and who guards minor children. Goes through probate court even when uncontested — that filing window is what most planning aims to shorten.
Ask: flat fee or hourly drafting?Holds title to assets while you are alive and routes them to beneficiaries on death without probate. Funded only when accounts and deeds are actually retitled to the trust — which is the step most plans skip.
Ask: who handles the funding step?Names someone to act on financial matters if you become incapacitated. Without one, family typically needs a court-appointed conservator — a slow and public process. State forms vary widely.
Ask: springing or immediate?Two pieces: a living will stating your end-of-life preferences and a healthcare proxy naming a decision-maker if you cannot speak for yourself. Hospital intake forms expect one.
Ask: HIPAA release included?Inheritance rules, elective shares, and state estate-tax thresholds vary widely. The bucket below is where VA sits — followed by the other regional groupings for comparison.
A surviving spouse can usually claim a one-third or one-half elective share even if the will excludes them. Estate plans here lean on trusts and beneficiary designations to manage that floor.
Marriage divides assets at acquisition. Half of marital property typically belongs to each spouse from the moment it is earned, which changes how trusts and beneficiary designations are drafted, and how a surviving spouse takes title.
Beyond the federal exemption, these states impose their own estate or inheritance tax, often at a much lower threshold (sometimes around $1–2M). Planning may need to address tax in two layers.
Some states offer summary or simplified probate for smaller estates, independent administration, or muniment-of-title routes. Whether a trust is worth it can hinge on which simplified path is available.
Not every document needs a $4,000 retainer, and not every document survives a state-bar template. The matrix below is a rough yardstick — not legal advice.
Often yes. A will names guardians, an executor, and a backup distribution plan; a trust holds funded assets and bypasses probate. Many estate plans use a "pour-over will" so anything outside the trust still gets routed in.
A simple will package can run a few hundred to a few thousand dollars; full plans with funded trusts and tax planning routinely sit in the low five figures. Probate, billed separately, is usually a percentage of the estate or hourly. Always ask for the engagement letter in writing before any retainer.
State intestacy law decides who inherits — typically a surviving spouse and children in fixed shares. The court appoints an administrator. Without a will there is also no nominated guardian for minor children, which can be the most consequential gap.
Most firms quote them as a single estate-plan package, not à la carte. Some include healthcare directives and POAs; others charge for those separately. Confirm before signing the engagement letter so you know what is in scope.
Yes. POA authority ends at death — at that point the executor (under a will) or successor trustee (under a trust) takes over. POAs only operate while you are alive, typically only after incapacity is documented.
A rough schedule is every three to five years, plus any time there is a major life event: marriage, divorce, birth or adoption, a move to a new state, or a significant change in assets. Tax-law changes can also trigger a review.
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