Estate Planning Attorney Serving Capitol Hill, DC

Kith + Kin Law is located at 853 New Jersey Avenue SE — in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, steps from Eastern Market and Barracks Row. If you have been looking for an estate planning attorney near Capitol Hill, you do not need to look far.

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Estate Planning for Capitol Hill Families

Capitol Hill is a neighborhood of long-term homeowners, federal employees, young families, and professionals who have built something significant here — and whose estate planning needs reflect that. The strategies that work for a family with modest assets in another jurisdiction are often not the same strategies that serve a Capitol Hill family well.


We serve Capitol Hill residents with comprehensive, relational estate planning built around their specific circumstances. Every engagement begins with a free 15-minute discovery call and a Life & Legacy Planning Session that examines your family structure, your goals, and your assets before any plan is recommended.

Federal Employee Estate Planning — A Category Most Attorneys Miss

A significant portion of Capitol Hill residents are federal employees — and federal employment creates estate planning considerations that standard planning templates do not address.


Federal employee benefits involve a set of elections and designations that must be actively managed and coordinated with the broader estate plan. Left on default or uncoordinated with your will and beneficiary structure, they can produce outcomes that do not reflect your actual wishes.


The considerations most relevant to federal employee estate planning in DC:

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Survivor Annuity Planning

Federal employees who are married must make an active election if they wish to reduce or waive the survivor annuity for their spouse. The default produces a specific outcome — and that outcome may or may not reflect what works best for your family's financial picture. This decision belongs in a coordinated estate planning conversation, not a form completed at retirement without legal context.

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Thrift Savings Plan Beneficiary Designations

A TSP beneficiary designation is a separate legal document that controls who receives your TSP balance — regardless of what your will says. A will does not override a TSP designation. If the designation on file is outdated, incomplete, or simply the original default from the time you enrolled, your TSP balance may pass to someone other than the person you intend.

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Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Elections

FEGLI coverage elections determine both the amount of life insurance in force and who receives the benefit. Like the TSP, FEGLI passes by beneficiary designation — not through your will. Coordinating FEGLI with your broader estate plan ensures the benefit reaches the right person in the right amount without creating unintended tax or distribution consequences.

We approach federal employee estate planning as an integrated exercise — coordinating TSP designations, FEGLI elections, and survivor annuity decisions with the rest of your plan so nothing is left on default and nothing contradicts your legal documents.

Capitol Hill Property and DC Estate Planning

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Capitol Hill real estate has appreciated significantly over the past two decades. Many long-term homeowners now hold properties that represent their single largest asset — and in some cases, a property value that approaches or exceeds DC's estate tax threshold of approximately $4 million.

For Capitol Hill families, this creates specific estate planning considerations:

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Probate exposure: Real property held solely in the owner's name passes through DC Superior Court probate when the owner passes. Probate is public, time-consuming, and avoidable with the right structure. DC Superior Court is located a short distance from the Capitol Hill office — it is a familiar institution to many Capitol Hill residents, and one most would prefer their family not navigate unnecessarily.

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Trust planning for real property: A properly funded revocable living trust allows a Capitol Hill property to transfer directly to beneficiaries without probate — preserving privacy and giving family members access to the home without a mandatory court process.

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DC estate tax planning: Estates valued above approximately $4 million are subject to DC's estate tax — separate from the federal estate tax. For homeowners whose property values have risen substantially, coordinated planning that accounts for DC estate tax exposure is worth addressing proactively.

Three Practice Areas. One Coordinated Plan.

Kith + Kin Law serves Capitol Hill residents across all three practice areas — estate planning, elder law, and probate. For families navigating multiple needs at once, the integration of these practices into a single coordinated strategy is what prevents gaps and ensures every piece of the plan works together.

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Estate Planning

Comprehensive, relational estate plans in three tiers — will-based, trust-based, or a proactive Medicaid and long-term care planning package. Every plan begins with a Life & Legacy Planning Session. Federal employee benefit coordination is part of the planning conversation for Capitol Hill clients with government employment.

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Elder Law

Proactive Medicaid planning and long-term care planning for Capitol Hill families with aging parents or seniors planning ahead for their own care. DC Medicaid's five-year look-back period means the families who plan early preserve the most. We help Capitol Hill families use the time they have.

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Probate

When a Capitol Hill estate needs to move through DC Superior Court, we guide the personal representative through every step of probate administration — from the initial petition through final distribution. The DC Superior Court Probate Division is nearby. We know the process, and we handle it on your behalf.

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Located in Capitol Hill. Serving the Whole Community.

Our office is at 853 New Jersey Avenue SE, Suite 200, in Capitol Hill — walkable from Eastern Market, accessible from Barracks Row, and Metro-accessible from the Navy Yard–Ballpark station on the Green and Yellow lines and Capitol South on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines.


We serve Capitol Hill residents and DC families throughout the surrounding neighborhoods, including Navy Yard, Dupont Circle, Georgetown, and Columbia Heights. Virtual consultations are also available for clients who prefer to meet remotely.


We serve DC families in all their forms — different backgrounds, different structures, different stories — with intention and care. Every family in this community deserves access to thoughtful estate planning that reflects who they actually are.

Questions Capitol Hill Residents Ask About Estate Planning

  • Is there an estate planning attorney near Capitol Hill, DC?

    Yes. Kith + Kin Law is located at 853 New Jersey Avenue SE, Suite 200, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. We serve Capitol Hill residents and DC families throughout the city with estate planning, elder law, and probate services. The first step is a free 15-minute discovery call — no preparation required.

  • What estate planning considerations are specific to federal employees in DC?

    Federal employees have benefit designations — TSP beneficiary forms, FEGLI elections, and survivor annuity decisions — that operate outside of a will and must be coordinated with the broader estate plan. A designation that is outdated, on default, or inconsistent with your legal documents can produce outcomes that do not reflect your wishes. We incorporate federal benefit coordination into the estate planning process for clients with government employment.

  • Does owning a home in Capitol Hill affect my estate plan?

    Yes. Capitol Hill property values have risen substantially, and real estate is often the largest asset in a DC estate plan. Property held solely in the owner's name passes through DC Superior Court probate. A properly funded revocable living trust allows the property to transfer directly to beneficiaries without probate. For larger estates, DC estate tax planning may also be relevant. These are conversations we have during the Life & Legacy Planning Session.

  • Can I meet with Kith + Kin Law virtually, or do I need to come to the office?

    Virtual consultations are available. Whether you prefer to meet at the office in Capitol Hill or connect remotely, we work with your schedule and your preferences. Let us know when you schedule your discovery call.

Your Neighborhood Attorney. Your Family's Plan.

If you have been putting off estate planning and you live in Capitol Hill, the starting point is closer than you think. A 15-minute discovery call is all it takes to understand what your family needs and what comes next.