PRO

Licensed for 47 years

Estate planning Lawyer at Bethesda, MD
Practice Areas: Estate Planning, Probate, Wills & Living Wills ... +3 more

Virtual Consultation Available

Free Consultation

About Susan

Biography

I am Susan Eleff, an attorney with over forty years of experience in estate planning, business transactions and commercial and residential real estate matters. I welcome new clients in the areas where I practice, and make every effort to provide outstanding service. I invite you to watch the very short "whiteboard" video posted by my photo on my "home page" on this Avvo site.

My estate planning practice includes the preparation of wills, trust agreements, family limited partnerships with planned gifting, powers of attorney, and medical directives. I formulate comprehensive plans to address tax aspects, asset protection and business succession, in accordance with clients' needs and priorities.

My transaction practice extends to a broad range of matters, including corporate, partnership and limited liability company start-ups, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and reorganizations, private placement of securities, buy-sell and employment agreements, secured transactions and intercreditor agreements, work-outs and refinancings.

My real estate work encompasses property acquisitions, sales, development, financing, tax-free exchanges, leasing, restrictive covenant and easement agreements for retail, office, industrial, residential, condominium and mixed-use properties, including big box and shopping center developments, office buildings, raw land, and other real estate. I have also handled trial and appellate litigation on adverse possession cases in the Maryland state courts.

I am admitted to practice in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Illinois. I am a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, and was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving my B.A. there in two years after high school, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with honors in my major, Economics, where I was awarded the Shanbaum Prize (top Economics graduate). I have been rated "AV Preeminent" in the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, the highest rating by that service.

Practical & cost-effective for pre-nups, estate planning, probate, business & commercial real estate

Practice Areas

Estate Planning 35%

33 years | 300 cases

35%

Probate 25%

28 years | 100 cases

25%

Trusts 15%

33 years | 100 cases

15%

Wills and Living Wills 15%

33 years | 300 cases

15%

Marriage and Prenuptials 5%

18 years | 30 cases

Real Estate 5%

43 years | 300 cases

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 15 minutes

Payment Methods

Cash
Check
Credit Card

Awards

2025 2023 2022

...

+ 8

Licenses

Licensed in District of Columbia for 9 years

State: District of Columbia

Acquired: 2016

Good Standing

No misconduct found

Licensed in Virginia for 10 years

State: Virginia

Acquired: 2015

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in Illinois for 24 years

State: Illinois

Acquired: 2001

Active and Authorized to Practice Law

No misconduct found

Licensed in Maryland for 39 years

State: Maryland

Acquired: 1987

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in New Jersey for 47 years

State: New Jersey

Acquired: 1978

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in Pennsylvania for 47 years

State: Pennsylvania

Acquired: 1978

Active

No misconduct found

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Location

Susan Eleff, Attorney at Law

(301) 961-6525

Fax

7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 800 West, Bethesda, MD, 20814

www.elefflaw.com

Get Directions

Susan Eleff, Attorney at law

(301) 622-2750

Fax

(301) 961-6525

Fax

12305 Kemp Mill Road, Silver Spring, MD, 20902

www.elefflaw.com

Get Directions

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Gallery

Online Presence

Other places you can find Susan online.

Susan Lynn Eleff's Reviews

Overall Rating
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.

5.0 /5.0

148 Client Reviews

Avvo

5.0

(145)

Lawyers.com

5.0

(3 )

See client reviews from Lawyers.com

Showing 26 - 30 of 145 reviews

Posted by Tamsen | February 21, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Everything you want in a lawyer

My husband and I hired Susan for our wills and estate planning. She was very thorough and prompt in getting everything done. We were able to review everything as things went along so that in the end, our wills reflected our exact wishes. I would definitely recommend Susan Eleff. She is so easy to... work with and always follows through on what she says.

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Posted by Dianne | September 22, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Conscientious - Creative- Thorough

I recently worked with Susan to redo my previous estate planning documents to bring them up to date. Susan cared about me and my family, providing timely, practical solutions for our unique planning needs. Even in a fairly straightforward last will, there is legal language that can be confusing ...- Susan patiently broke it down to layman's language. She took the time to know the situation well enough to make sure I understood the alternatives and why she was making a particular recommendation. She explained the best ways to write a power of attorney and advanced medical directives so that should they need to be used, there would be no question about my intent. Susan earns a 5 star rating - she is conscientious, creative and thorough.

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Posted by Frank | September 09, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Trusts

Excellent Outcome

I found myself in need of an estate lawyer after my sister, trustee of my mother’s trust, decided to shut down all communications with the family and neglect her fiduciary responsibilities. Susan was very responsive. I was able to speak directly to her, give an overview of the situation, and make an ...appointment for later the same evening to have an in-depth meeting. She quickly helped me understand our legal options, gave great advice and we devised an immediate plan of action. Susan was able to immediately break barriers with my sister & her hostile lawyer. My experience with Susan was excellent.

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Posted by Anna | August 10, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Wills & Living Wills

Right there when you need her!

Recently, I needed my DNR before a surgery which was the last thing on my mind. Susan emailed it to me in a flash helping me take one more pressing thing off my list of pre-surgery to do's. Susan is the kind of professional that meets you in the moment.

Posted by Jack | July 21, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Probate

Give her a call

I made three inquiries to Probate attorneys in The Chevy Chase area. Susan was the first to respond and fortunately, she agreed to work for me. She and her team respond quickly to every call. She is extremely knowledgeable, very accommodating, sincerely caring especially due to our very sad and diff...icult situation. Do not hesitate to call her for help, you will not be disappointed.

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Susan Lynn Eleff's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Susan

Richard Sternberg

Trusts lawyer | Aug 13

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I selected Ms. Eleff to act as independent counsel for a trust I manage because she has a fantastic résumé and even better ratings. I needed someone with top qualifications whom I had never met, and her 10.0 on Avvo and AV from M-H plus her Penn education made her a clear choice. I found her work to be skillful, precise, well-reasoned, and intelligent. I adopted her recommendations in full without changes. As an added bonus, she was easy to work with and cordial even though I kept her at arms-length for the entire assignment. I look forward to working with her again, and she would be on the top of my list for referrals."

Zion Levi

Estate planning lawyer | May 20

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I am delighted to endorse Susan. We are teaming up on a complex case together, and Susan has proven to be on top of her field, highly professional, a team player and all around great lawyer. Did I mention that she cares for her clients immensely and fun to work with? Susan is the real deal!"

John Lassen

Unknown lawyer | Mar 13

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Well respected in the legal community"

Maris Liss

Estate planning lawyer | Dec 17

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have known Susan for many years. Susan is an excellent attorney. She is intelligent, professional and committed to providing superior advice and service to her clients. I wholeheartedly endorse Susan."

Marc Bergoffen

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 30

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I have worked with Susan previously and can say she is an excellent lawyer. I have referred close friends to her for estates and trusts work and would do so again without hesitation."

Lisa Graditor

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 17

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Susan is a superbly qualified attorney with excellent client rapport. She delivers top-notch, cost-effective legal advice in estate planning, real estate, and corporate matters. I strongly recommend her."

Catherine Mack

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 16

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Susan is an extremely intelligent and creative attorney who brings her years of experience to the estate planning process. Nothing is too complex for Susan!"

Nathan Adler

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 16

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I have known Susan for many years both professionally and personally. Susan is an extraordinary attorney – one of the best in the area. She has high intelligence, diligence, superb legal skills, and a passion to achieve success for her clients. I enthusiastically endorse Susan."

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