Constance Gould Starks

Constance Gould Starks

5.0
Rating: 7.4

Licensed for 45 years

Probate Lawyer at Washington, DC
Practice Areas: Probate, Estate Planning

7053 Western Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

About Constance

Biography

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Probate 75%

Currently specializing in Wills and Probate Administration. Former Register of Wills for DC, Director of the Probate Division of the Superior Ct for 18 yrs. and advised judges on all "ex-parte" filings and complex legal issues pertaining to probate matters.Prior positions: Deputy Register of Wills; Associate Attorney, Houston, Sullivan & Gardner:

44 years | 5,000 cases

75%
Estate Planning 25%

44 years | 100 cases

25%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Hourly Rates

$ 275-300 per hour

Retainer

Sometimes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in District of Columbia for 45 years

State: District of Columbia

Acquired: 1980

Good Standing

No misconduct found

Location

Law Office of Constance G. Starks

7053 Western Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20015-1423

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Constance Gould Starks's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

5 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (5) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 4 of 4 reviews | Responsiveness

Posted by Stager | February 07, 2019 | Hired Attorney | Probate

Recommendation

If you are seeking a highly competent, extremely effective and trusted legal advisor to assist you navigate through less complicated or nuanced probate and non probate matters, I would recommend that you retain the services of Attorney Constance G. Starks. Attorney Starks is responsive, provides prac...tical guidance that helps meets your needsand she cares about her clients. My sister and I, in our roles as PR's for our father's estate, have received the representation that helped us resolve a highly complicated matter and she has a vast network of resources that answers the questions you need to make sound decisions. I would highly recommend that you hire this lawyer!

Posted by anonymous | March 30, 2015 | Probate

Probate

Ms. Starks is an exceptional attorney. Probating an estate in a dysfunctional family can be difficult to say the least, however, Ms. Stark's professionalism made a difficult situation manageable. She is patient and kind, yet very much about staying on task. She refered me to an exceptional pa...ralegal who worked with me to identify and access resources. Ms Starks was available to me and my family by phone and electronic media. She was responsive, resourceful and knowledgeable. She went above and beyond the call of duty to bring my case to a successful conclusion. She was worth every penny, in fact, given the hassles caused by family in-fighting, I believe she was underpaid. I will forever be indebted to her for her help.

Posted by HARRY | February 18, 2015 | Estate Planning

RECOMMENDATION FOR SERVICES

IT WAS WUTH GREAT SATISFACTION THAT I ENGAGED ATTOTNEY CONSTANCE G STARKS TO PREPARE SOME ESTATE PLANNING FOR ME. AT A PLANNING CONFERENCEM SHE MADE ME AWARE OF SOME OF MY SUGGESTIONS THAT MIGHT HAVE AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON MY ESTATE. SHE THEN OFFERED SOLUTIONS TO MY SUGGESTIONS. IN A DETAILED M...ANNER FOR SOLUTIONS. HER DRAFT DOCUMENTS WERE TUPPLIED TO ME IN A TIMPLY MANNER. ATER MY REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE DRAFT, A CONFERENCE WAS ARRANGED SO THAT THE FINAL VERSUON OF THE TRUST DOCUMENT AND ITS SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS COULD BE OFFICIALLY COMPLETED. ALL OF THESE ACTIONS WERE COMPLETED IN A EFFICIENTLY AND WITHIN WRITTEN BUDGET ESTIMATES. IT IS NYEXTREME PLEASURE TOOFFER ANY POTENTIAL CLIENT MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION FOR MS..'S STARKS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. HARRY T

Posted by Deborah | September 09, 2009 | Probate

Settling Estate Dispute with Nursing Home

The nursing facility in which my Mother resided following a stroke hired an attorney who was not ethical, rude, not well trained, and made false statements about my family with regard to my Mother's estate. We were, in court documents, accused of illegal activity. My Mother had four daughters and o...nly one of us received a copy og the letter from the probate court, which was sent by the attorney, that let us know that she was filing to be named administrator. I was personally paying the nusring home, and they never contacted me to discuss this action before they submitted the paperwork to the court. We had just a few days to respond, and I was on a business trip for most of those days. I called Constance G. Starks and she helped us through the process of submitting the necessary paperwork to the court. She stayed on top of everything, advising us through the final submission of the paperwork to closed out the estate. She researched the law and rebutted the ancient and irrelevant references from the nursing home in their allogations. She educated us throughout the process, which helped to keep us calm and everyone's blood pressure down. Attorney Starks knows the estate law well, and she is outstanding when it comes to getting through the bureaucratic maze of rules, regulations, procedures, etc. for the DC probate court system. We never had to worry, we never missed a date for necessary responses. She finally negotiated a settlement amount between us and the nursing home with their new attorney. She was always professional and responsive to our every call. We made it through this valley following our Mom's death only because of her guidance and perseverence.

See All Client Reviews

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Experience

Rating:  7.4 (Very Good)

Honors

2006

Meritorious Public Service, Government of the District of Columbia

2005

Performance Award, Superior Court of the District of Columbia

1995

Quality Service for Excellence in Delivery of Service to Users, Gov't Fin. Offer's. Assn. of the Wash. Metro Area & KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

1990

Civil Practice Seminar, Bar Association of the District of Columbia

1979

Service Recognition on Reorganization Project, The President of the United States

Work Experience

2006 - Present

Attorney, Law Office of Constance G. Starks

2011 - 2012

Adjunct Professor, Howard University School Of Law

1988 - 2006

Register of Wills, Superior Court Of The District Of Columbia

1982 - 1988

Assistant Deputy Register of Wills, Superior Court Of The District Of Columbia

1981 - 1982

Associate Attorney, Houston, Sullivan and Gardner

1979 - 1981

Law Clerk, Margaret A. Haywood, Associate Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia

Associations

1980 - Present

District of Columbia Bar

Member

1992 - 1995

National College of Probate Judges

Member

1986 - 1989

YWCA National Capital Area, DC Chapter

Board of Managers

1982 - 1994

Zonta International, Zonta Club of Washington, DC

Bd of Dir., Chair, Membership, Legal, Parliamentarian

Education

1978

Howard University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

Speaking Engagements

2014

Estate Planning Seminar

Administration of Decedents Estates

2010

Lecture

Wills & The Administration of Estates in DC

2000

For The Record Program

Wills and Probate in the District of Columbia

1998

DC General Hospital Social Work CLE

Wills

1996

Estate Planning Seminar

Will, Trusts, Conservatorships & Guardianships

1995

Internal Revenue Service Training

DC Probate Reform

1995

District of Columbia Bar, Estates, Trusts and Probate Law Section Series

Hot Topics under Probate Reform 1994

1993

World of Finance Program

Estate Planning

1991

Civil Practice Seminar

Probate Practice in the District of Columbia

1988

Georgetown University Law Center

DC Estate Practice for the General Practitioner

Publications

2002

DC Bar Estates Trusts & Probate Section newsletter Bi-montly Columnist

1991

DC Courts Civil Practice Manual Fundamentals of Probate Court Practice

Languages

English

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