Gary Altman, Esq. is a principal and founder of the Maryland-based estate planning law firm of Altman & Associates. He is a member of the bars of Maryland and the District of Columbia, and has practiced law within and beyond the beltway since 1980.

The firm’s practice is limited to estate planning; tax planning; charitable tax planning; premarital agreements; business succession planning; special needs planning; trust litigation and asset protection strategies. Mr. Altman’s combined legal tax, and financial expertise supports his clients’ estate and succession planning goals. He works closely with his clients and their advisors to formulate innovative and practical solutions designed to minimize the challenges – both tax-related and otherwise – associated with the transfer of wealth.

From 1997 until 2004, Mr. Altman was an Adjunct Professor at the Florida Institute of Technology (Alexandria, VA campus), teaching the estate planning segment of its Certified Financial Planner program. He is currently serving on the Financial Planning Association Chapter Leadership Committee and is the past Chairman and President of the National Capital Chapter of the Financial Planning Association.  Gary is currently serving on the DC Bar, Trusts and Estates Section Committee and is serving on the  CFP Board committee for new testing requirements.  A frequent contributing author, Gary writes for Boomer Living as the Financial and Legal Contributor, as well as for The Business Monthly publication.

Mr. Altman earned his Master of Law in Taxation (LLM) Degree from Georgetown University Law School and his law degree (J.D.) from the New York University School of Law in New York City. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Mr. Altman is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional (1996).  He has two children, Matthew and Jill, and resides with his wife Elizabeth, two labrador retrievers and spends his free time playing racket sports, reading, gardening, and restoring a pre-civil war historic home,  in Potomac, Maryland.  Gary is considered a wine aficionado, and entertains friends and colleagues creating home made brick oven pizza specialities.

Areas of Practice

• Trust and Estates Taxation
• Probate and Estate Administration
• Estate Planning
• Wills
• Powers of Attorney and Advanced Medical Directives
• Trust Law
• Special Needs Planning
• Asset Protection
• Trust, Estate and Investment Management Litigation
• Tax and Business Succession Planning
• Charitable Trusts and Foundations
• Retirement Planning
• Life Insurance Planning
• Pre-and Post Marital Planning

Certification/Specialties

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional, 1988
• Trustee of The Doris M. Carter Family Foundation 2009
• Society of Trust and Estate Practioners, TEP, 2010

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia, 1980
• Maryland, 1992

Education

• Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia, 1992 L.L.M., Major: Taxation
• New York University School of Law, New York, New York, 1980 J.D.
• Wesleyan University, 1977 B.S.

Classes/Seminars Taught

• Adjunct Professor, Estate Planning for Certified Financial Planners, Florida Institute of Technology, Alexandria, Virginia campus, 1997 – 2004

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Association of Small Foundations
• American Bar Association
• Maryland State Bar Association
• District of Columbia Bar Association
• National Capital Chapter of Financial Planning
• Financial Planning Association Chapter Leadership Council
• Maryland Chamber of Commerce
• District of Columbia Estate Planning Council
• Maryland Estate Planning Council
• The Academy of Special Needs Founding Member
• National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors
• Wealth Counsel Advisors Forum
• Steering Committee of the DC Bar Estates, Trusts, Probate Law Section
• Society of Trust and Estate Practioners (STEP)
• The Greater Bethesda and Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce

Birth Information

• May 29, 1955, New York, New York, United States of America

Honors

• Worth Magazine “Top 100 Attorney” 2007,2008, 2009 * Honor bestowed upon the top 100 wealth advisors in the country.
• Washingtonian Magazine January 2007, 2009,  2010 “Top Financial Expert”
• Maryland “Super Lawyer” – 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010  *Honor bestowed upon attorneys for attaining a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
• Washington, D.C. “Super Lawyer” – 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,2010,2011
• Norma Stevens Leadership Award, NCAFPA – 2008