Built From a Personal Story. Built for Your Family.
Advocacy and a passion for helping people is at the heart of everything Kelly Spencer does. Kith + Kin Law exists because of that passion — and because of a few pivotal moments that made its purpose undeniable.
Why This Work Matters to Me
I began my legal career representing clients in family law, landlord-tenant disputes, and civil rights matters — adjudicating disability discrimination complaints and counseling Equal Employment Opportunity complainants at the Department of the Navy. I was drawn to that work because it placed me alongside people who needed someone genuinely in their corner.
Then a personal health scare changed everything and served as a wake-up call.
It prompted me to prioritize creating a comprehensive estate plan for my family — something I had been meaning to do and kept setting aside. As I moved through that process, I found myself reflecting on legacy in a deeper way. What it really means. What it actually includes. How much of what we care most about never makes it into any legal document.
That reflection changed how I understood this work. And it changed the kind of firm I knew I needed to build.
That's what Kith + Kin Law is.
Meet the Attorney
Kelly I. Spencer, Esq., Founding Attorney
I have been licensed to practice law since 2017 and hold an active membership with the DC Bar. My background spans family law, civil rights, disability discrimination, and EEO counseling — work that required careful listening, genuine commitment to the people I served, and the ability to guide clients through processes that can feel overwhelming from the outside.
Estate planning calls on exactly the same skills. The families who come to Kith + Kin Law are navigating something meaningful — a new child, a health concern, an aging parent, a loss that made planning feel real and immediate. My role is to meet them where they are, understand their full picture, and build something that genuinely fits their family.
Beyond individual client work, I am active in DC's community education landscape — presenting at webinars, speaking engagements, and community education sessions to help more families understand the value of planning before it becomes urgent.
My own experiences, Peepop, my grandmother, my health scare — are not just personal history. They are the foundation of how I practice.
What a Relational Estate Planning Firm Actually Looks Like
The difference between Kith + Kin Law and most estate planning attorneys in Washington, DC comes down to one question: when do you start recommending?
At most firms, the recommendation happens early. You describe your situation in broad strokes, and within a conversation or two, you're being walked through document options. The plan feels assembled rather than built.
We don't recommend until we understand.
Every client engagement begins with a free 15-minute discovery call — a real conversation about what's prompting you to plan and what you're hoping to walk away with. From there, we move into a Life & Legacy Planning Session, which is where the real work begins.
During that session, we examine your family structure, your goals, your financial picture, and the things a standard intake form never captures — your values, your relationships, the family history you want to pass forward. We ask the questions other attorneys skip. Only after that session do we recommend a plan.
This isn't a transaction. It's a commitment.
The Legacy Interview — Preserving What a Will Cannot
For clients who choose it, the Legacy Interview is a structured, guided conversation that captures your stories, your values, your family history, and the personal messages you want to pass forward — preserved alongside your legal documents as part of your complete estate plan.
I designed it because of Peepop. Because I know firsthand how much a family can treasure a documented message from someone they love — and how much is lost when that message never exists.
Your will directs where your assets go. The Legacy Interview gives your family something a will cannot carry: your voice, your intentions, and the story behind the choices you made for them. It is available to every Kith + Kin Law client as part of the planning process, for those who want it.
A Firm Built for DC Families Who Don't Fit in a Box
Kith + Kin Law is located at 853 New Jersey Avenue SE in Capitol Hill, and we serve clients throughout Washington, DC. We work with all family structures — blended families, multi-generational households, families with property across multiple jurisdictions, and families whose planning needs call for a thoughtful, coordinated approach rather than a standard template.
We serve DC families in all their forms — different backgrounds, different structures, different stories — with intention and care. Every family deserves access to thoughtful, relational estate planning, and we have built this firm with that in mind.
Kith + Kin Law is a boutique firm by design. Every client works directly with Kelly from the first discovery call through plan delivery and the three-year review. You will always know who is handling your plan — and she will always know your family.
Trusted by Estate Planning Clients
Ariana MacLaird
We just signed our trust documents and working with Kelly and her team was amazing. Everything was very easy and from start to finish was less than two months. Kelly is very thorough and patient. She certainly enjoys her work and truly cares about her clients. Highly recommend her if you are looking into estate planning or creating a trust.
Akela Crawford
I’m so grateful for the support and services I received from Kith & Kin! From the initial informational zoom I joined to learn more about the estate planning process, the follow-up one-on-one call I had where Kelly answered all my remaining questions, the hand holding and patience throughout the process, and the genuine efforts to ensure that my family will be protected in the unfortunate event of my passing, Kelly was exceptional and a blessing to work with. I implore anyone considering this process to place your trust in Kelly and the rest of her amazing staff at Kith and Kin!!
Vincent Saulsberry-Fong
Kith + Kin is a great guide to the world of estate planning. What we really loved about their service is that we got a holistic overview of what we needed for our own estate planning. In addition, they will be there to help with big life events. We could not recommend Kelly Spencer, our attorney who helped us, enough. You will be well served by her firm.
Questions DC Families Ask About Our Firm
Who is the attorney at Kith + Kin Law?
Kith + Kin Law Firm, PLLC is a boutique two-attorney firm. Kelly Spencer is the founder and managing attorney, licensed since 2017 and an active member of the DC Bar.
What makes Kith + Kin Law different from other DC estate planning firms?
We don't recommend a plan until we understand your family. Our Life & Legacy Planning Session examines your goals, your family structure, your assets, and what you actually want your plan to accomplish — before a single document is drafted. We also build a Legacy Interview into every plan, capturing stories and values alongside legal documents, and we initiate a complimentary three-year plan review so your plan stays current. No DC competitor offers this combin
Do I have to know what I need before I call?
No. Most of our clients contact us because something changed in their life and they know they need to act — but they're not sure where to start. That is exactly what the free 15-minute discovery call is for. We'll talk through what's prompting you to plan and figure out the right next step together.
Ready to Work With an Attorney Who Starts With Your Family?
Whether you know exactly what you need or you're not sure where to begin, the discovery call is the right first step. It's a conversation — no commitment, no pressure, and no document recommendations before we understand your situation.
