Gary D Altman

PRO

Gary D Altman

4.3
Rating: 10.0

Licensed for 45 years

Estate planning Lawyer at Rockville, MD
Practice Areas: Estate Planning, Wills & Living Wills, Probate ... +2 more

One Central Plaza, 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 708, Rockville, MD

Virtual Consultation Available

About Gary

Biography

Exclusively Estate Law

Succession planning, estate planning for business owners - management, ownership, taxation

Legacy and Estate Planning, Asset Protection, Fiduciary Services, Trust and Probate Administration,

Charitable Trust and Private Foundations as well as comprehensive counsel to minimize all taxes

Special Needs Planning

Practice Areas

5

Practice Areas

Estate Planning 40%

34 years

40%
Probate 20%

20%
Wills and Living Wills 20%

34 years

20%
Business 10%

10%
Tax 10%

34 years

10%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Retainer

Sometimes


Payment Methods

  • Check
  • Credit Card

Licenses

Licensed in New York for 10 years

State: New York

Acquired: 2016

Currently Registered

No misconduct found

Licensed in Virginia for 10 years

State: Virginia

Acquired: 2016

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in Maryland for 33 years

State: Maryland

Acquired: 1992

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in District of Columbia for 45 years

State: District of Columbia

Acquired: 1980

Good Standing

No misconduct found

Location

Altman & Associates

One Central Plaza, 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 708, Rockville, MD, 20852

www.altmanassociates.net

Gary D Altman's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.3 /5.0

12 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (12) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 5 reviews | Responsiveness

Posted by Temple | July 23, 2012 | Probate

Estate Representation

I was the personal representative of an estate and I hired Gary to represent me in the estate process, he was extreemly knowledgeable and responsive in the representation. I would not hesitate to recommend him.

Posted by Eric | July 17, 2012 | Probate

**Cream Of The Crop**

After the unfortunate deaths of both parents, I was suddenly faced with the daunting task of securing a legal trustee on behalf of both my parents' separate legal estates. After stumbling around in the dark, I made up my mind to find the best Estate Attorney I could find. I will say it confidently ...now that I have found him: that person is Gary Altman. I found Gary's name in the Washingtonian Magazine "List of Best Estate Attorneys" and after meeting him, I was so happy I had. I have not encountered a more dedicated, intelligent, personable or fair lawyer as Gary Altman. He knows what he is doing, he works tirelessly, he is easy to get along with and he is a relief to have on your side. Gary Altman is the real deal. Since working with him, my every dealing with Gary has always been a pleasure, and that speaks volumes considering the surrounding circumstances and duress associated with the subject matter Gary has handled for me on a continuing basis over the past couple of years. Initially, I had come to Gary looking for help with my father's estate. While working in that capacity, Gary's role unexpectedly broadened. It turned out, the separate trustee my mother had chosen before she passed became less than honest and decided to leave the country taking my inheritance, a substantial sum, with him! As horrible an ordeal as it was, Gary took up the slack and immediately went to work on my dilemma. I was updated regularly and accurately as to the extenuating proceedings, which Gary organized in attempt to recover as much of the missing money as we could. Since the situation was so over my head, I could not do much more than simply stand back and watch as Gary orchestrated the proceedings. It took one year before we were able to settle and as difficult an experience as it was, having Gary to work with made it substantially more bearable and probably the only way the proceedings could have been bearable at all. You will know the difference immediately after, like me, your decide to go the easy route at first and work with a "relative" or "close friend" as your Estate Attorney as I had. Then eventually, if you work your way to someone like Gary Altman, you will see what a world of difference there is. I can not rate him highly enough. I can personally, unequivocally and without hesitation recommend Gary Altman to anyone who is in need of his help. He is truly the cream of the crop.

Posted by Betsy | April 19, 2012 | Tax

estate planning

Gary is a brilliant attorney working with our family to resolve serious tax and estate planning issues. Incredibly responsive.

Posted by anonymous | February 02, 2021 | Lawsuits & Disputes

Unresponsive

After paying a significant sum to have legal documents prepared, I reviewed them and found that they contained some pretty basic errors. I called the attorney's office several times to have the errors corrected, to no avail. I ended up having to file a complaint to force the attorney to address the... problem and correct the errors. I cannot in good conscience recommend Mr. Altman to anyone.

Gary Altman

Replied last February 02, 2021

Altman & Associates drafts estate planning documents for the individual per the law. We will not input changes that goes against the planning engagement or would jeopardize the documents.

Posted by Dennis | February 02, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Ignored and Disappointed

Based on our experience, we would discourage anyone from considering using Altman and Associates. Our story: My wife and I were clients with Altman and Associates for over 10 years! Gary Altman did our original estate documents and 7 years later did revisions to all of our documents. During t...his extended period we were satisfied with the services we received. But in October 2015 we scheduled a meeting with Gary Altman to discuss changes to our trust documents. At the conclusion of the meeting Gary told us he would email us draft copies of the modified trust documents reflecting what we had discussed. But after more than two weeks we had not received anything. So after three weeks passed, we sent an email inquiring when we could expect to receive the draft documents reflecting the changes discussed at the meeting. In the email reply Gary Altman indicated we could expect drafts to be arriving no later than the end of the week, which would have been November 6. But nothing arrived. Even after waiting through the holidays, and by then several months had passed, we still had not received the drafts, or any communication from Altman & Associates. Following the original October meeting, we did receive an invoice within two weeks. We paid the invoice in full the next week believing our work would be completed promptly as promised. But after sending a reminder to Gary Altman about our pending work and receiving an assurance the drafts were forth coming, more weeks passed with no drafts and no communication. We were very discouraged that there was no communication about our work. No explanation for the delay, and no indication of when our work would be completed. Having received no communication from Altman & Associates in over two months, we felt that we were being ignored. So we certainly did not feel our business was valued by the firm. We were so disappointed in the performance of Altman and Associates that we decided we did not want them to complete the work for us. In early January we sent another message to Gary Altman advising him of our disappointment, and informing him that we were going to seek new counsel. We also requested that he refund the payment we made for the meeting since nothing was completed and we were greatly inconvenienced by the long delay. There was no response from Altman & Associates. Two weeks later we sent a conventional letter to the Altman and Associates office by USPS. The letter conveyed the same termination message and again requested a refund of our payment. To date, more than three weeks have passed since we sent the letter, and again, no response from Altman & Associates. As long term clients with the firm, we have been shocked by the unprofessional handling of this matter by Altman & Associates. We certainly would not recommend this firm to others.

Gary Altman

Replied last February 02, 2021

Altman & Associates regrets that this is the perception of the firm. We disagree with these sentiments as the client was informed at the request to change documents that we would not do what the client asked, as it went against our professional legal advice. The client was informed of this at the beginning of the review of the trust documents and was refunded.

See All Client Reviews

Gary D Altman's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Gary
Joel Steven Weissler headshot
Joel Weissler

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 11

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. Gary is a delight to work with. He not only knows Maryland law, but is acutely aware of how it differs from the law in other states."

Devang Mukund Shah headshot
Devang Shah

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 01

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Brian R Della Rocca headshot
Brian Della Rocca

Estate planning lawyer | Oct 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Gary's knowledge and experience relating to estate planning makes him one of the top estate planners in the Washington, DC area. He looks for creative answers to complex estate planning issues. I have great respect for his work and his leadership."

Steven M. Jawetz headshot
Steven Jawetz

Estate planning lawyer | Aug 01

Relationship: Other

"Gary and his well-supervised associates did an excellent job preparing and revising wills and trusts and explaining everything they did. Cost effective as well."

Mindy Felinton headshot
Mindy Felinton

Tax lawyer | Jul 17

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

View All Endorsements
Stuart L Plotnick headshot
Stuart Plotnick

Medical malpractice lawyer

Devang Mukund Shah headshot
Devang Shah

Immigration lawyer

Mindy Felinton headshot
Mindy Felinton

Elder law lawyer

Joel Steven Weissler headshot
Joel Weissler

Estate planning lawyer

Rahul Kishore headshot
Rahul Kishore

Family lawyer

Experience

Rating:  10.0 (Superb)

Honors

2025

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2024

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2023

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2022

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2021

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2020

Maryland Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2020

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2020

Top Estate Planner, Washingtonian Magazine

2020

Washington, DC Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2020

Top Wealth Managers, Washingtonian Magazine

2019

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2019

Financial, Washingtonian Magazine

2018

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2017

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2016

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2015

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2014

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2013

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2012

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2011

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2010

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2009

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2009

Top 100 Attorneys, Worth Magazine

2008

Norma Stevens Leadership Awarre, NCAFPA, Financial Planning Association

2008

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2007

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

N/A

AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Work Experience

1993 - 1996

Of Counsel, Linowees and Blocher

1991 - 1993

Attorney, Katz, Frome, Slan and Bleecker

1990 - 1991

Attorney, Tucker, Flyer & Lewis

1987 - 1990

Tax Specialist, Coopers & Lybrand, Washington, DC

Associations

2016 - Present

Rockville Chamber of Commerce

Member

2015 - Present

Leadership Montgomery Core Program

Member

2010 - Present

The Greater Bethesda Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce

member

2009 - Present

Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners

Member

2007 - Present

Wealth Counsel Advisors Forum

Member

2006 - Present

The Academy of Special Needs

Founding Member

2000 - Present

American Bar Association

Member

1995 - Present

Washington, D.C. Estate Planning Council

Member

1990 - Present

Maryland State Bar Association

Member

1990 - Present

Financial Planning Association, National Capital Chapter

Past President/Chairman of Board

1980 - Present

Disctrict of Columbia State Bar Association

Member

2017 - 2019

Hope Connections

President

2011 - 2017

Society of Financial Service Professionals, National Capital Chapter

President/Chairman

2008 - 2016

Association of Small Foundations

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Various Cases on Trust Reformation

Trust was Reformed

See More Legal Cases

Education

1992

Georgetown University Law Center

LL.M. Taxation

1986

College of Financial Planning

Certified Financial Planner CFP

1980

New York University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1977

Wesleyan University

BS - Bachelor of Science

Speaking Engagements

2012

Richmond Financial Planning Association

Post Death Planning

2012

NAPFA Study Group

Post Death Planning

2012

Montgomery County Bar Section on Estates and Trust

Post Death Planning

2012

Financial Planning Association NCA Annual Conference

Post Death Planning

2012

Bryn Mawr Trust

Post Death Planning

2012

Branch Family Reunion Education Seminar

Estate Planning

Publications

2012

Financial Advisor Magazine "The Horror" Gary Altman stresses the Dangers of Not Working with a Legitimate Estate Planning Attorney

2011

Private Wealth Magazine Business Succession Planning

Languages

English

Farsi

Activity

Avvo Rating

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Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution