Relevant Law seeks a senior estate planning attorney to lead our Northern Virginia practice. This is an architect-level role for a practitioner who designs comprehensive wealth transfer and preservation structures for high-net-worth individuals and families — coordinating revocable and irrevocable trusts, business succession provisions, charitable vehicles, generation-skipping strategies, and fiduciary appointments into integrated plans that perform under scrutiny. You will operate within an AI-augmented environment where Legal Analysts accelerate drafting and research, allowing you to concentrate on the senior judgment, multi-advisor coordination, and client stewardship that distinguish institutional-grade estate planning. The ideal candidate treats every engagement as a systems design problem — mapping family dynamics, asset composition, tax exposure, and business interests before recommending any instrument.
Responsibilities
Design and implement comprehensive estate plans for high-net-worth individuals and families, analyzing the full constellation of assets, entities, family dynamics, and tax exposure before recommending structures
Lead gift and estate tax strategy, generation-skipping transfer planning, and wealth preservation engagements that adapt to evolving tax law and family circumstances
Oversee complex multi-practice engagements at the intersection of estate planning, business succession, real property, tax planning, and philanthropic giving
Serve as a trusted advisor to clients navigating major life transitions — providing the analytical depth to anticipate downstream issues and the emotional intelligence to support sound decision-making
Direct and supervise AI-augmented workflows across drafting, research, and tax modeling — reviewing AI-generated trust instruments, estate plan documents, and analytical memoranda for legal accuracy, strategic alignment, and client-specific precision
Mentor associate attorneys and Legal Project Managers, developing their capacity for first-principles analytical reasoning and effective AI-assisted practice over template-driven approaches
Requirements
J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school; LL.M. in Taxation or Estate Planning strongly preferred
Virginia Bar membership required
7+ years of substantive estate planning experience advising high-net-worth individuals and families on complex, multi-instrument plans integrating trusts, tax strategies, business succession, and charitable giving
Deep command of trust architectures — revocable, irrevocable, special needs, charitable remainder, GRATs, IDGTs, ILITs — and the judgment to select the right instrument for each client objective
Demonstrated ability to coordinate with financial advisors, CPAs, insurance professionals, and co-counsel to ensure estate plans align with the client's broader wealth strategy
Track record of leading multi-disciplinary engagements where estate planning intersects with business succession, real estate, and tax planning
Working fluency with AI-assisted legal workflows — comfort directing AI-generated drafts, research memoranda, and analytical models through substantive review, with the judgment to identify where AI output requires human correction
Proven capacity to guide clients through emotionally complex decisions with both analytical precision and human sensitivity
What We Offer
Partnership track opportunity
Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, and retirement
Professional development and CLE budget
Hybrid work schedule
AI-augmented practice environment with enterprise technology infrastructure
About Relevant Law
Relevant Law is a legal services brand used by independent law practices in Virginia, Colorado, and Washington. Lawyers provide advisory and transactional counsel to businesses, individuals, and executives. Each engagement has its own scope and fee terms; technology supports, but does not replace, lawyer judgment.