Michelle Jacobs Chapin
Principal, Paley Rothman
Michelle Chapin, a member of the firm’s Estate Planning, Estate & Trust Administration, Tax and Corporate practice groups, advises individuals, families and small business owners regarding their estate and gift planning needs. Recognized as a Top Trusts and Estates Lawyer in Washingtonian magazine, Michelle excels at providing clients with easy to understand explanations of intricate legal and tax matters. She works closely with her clients to create comprehensive and customized estate and business succession plans to achieve their tax and non-tax wealth preservation objectives. She also helps clients implement lifetime gifting and post-mortem wealth transfer strategies and counsels fiduciaries on estate and trust administration matters. Michelle focuses a part of her practice on estate planning for clients with international issues, including estate, gift and other tax concerns of non-U.S. citizens, U.S. citizens with non-U.S. citizen spouses, and U.S. citizens owning property abroad. When she's not being interviewed by the Wall Street Journal or speaking to various groups in the DC metropolitan area, Michelle enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and 2 children.
Prior to joining Paley Rothman, Michelle practiced for several years at a law firm in Northern Virginia where she assisted clients with gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer tax planning as well as probate.
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- Tax Law
- Business Taxes, Criminal Tax Litigation, Estate Tax Planning, Income Taxes, International Taxes, Payroll Taxes, Property Taxes, Sales Taxes, Tax Appeals, Tax Audits, Tax Planning
- Corporate
- Estate & Trust Administration
- District of Columbia
- District of Columbia Bar
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- Maryland
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- Virginia
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- U.S. Supreme Court
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- English: Spoken, Written
- Principal
- Paley Rothman
- Current
- Georgetown University Law Center
- Certificate | Estate Planning
- Honors: With Distinction, Dean’s List
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- Georgetown University Law Center
- LL.M. (2011) | Taxation
- Honors: With Distinction, Dean’s List
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- American University Washington College of Law
- J.D. (2005)
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- University of Florida
- B.A. (2002)
- Honors: With Honors
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- Top Estate Lawyers (Rising Stars)
- Bethesda Magazine
- "Rising Stars"
- Maryland Super Lawyers
- "Rising Stars"
- Washington D.C. Super Lawyers
- “Washington’s Best Lawyers,” Trusts and Estates
- Washingtonian Magazine
- Best Law Firms
- U.S. News & Best Lawyers
- - Tier 2 National Ranking for Trusts & Estates - Tier 1 Metropolitan (D.C. area) Ranking for Trusts & Estates
- Virginia State Bar
- Member
- Current
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- Maryland State Bar
- Member
- Current
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- District of Columbia
- Member
- Current
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- United States Supreme Court
- Current
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- Washington D.C. Estate Planning Council
- Professional Development Committee - Co-Chair - Program Committee - Golf Tournament Committee
- Current
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- nternational Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP-USA)
- Member
- Current
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- Fairfax County Bar Association
- Member
- Current
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- Montgomery County Bar Association
- Member
- Current
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- Website
- Paley Rothman
