P&F Stands Against Hate

Stephanie Perry, Managing Partner

Stephanie Perry, Managing Partner

Estate Planning

Estate and Trust Administration

Premarital and Domestic Partnership Agreements

sperry@pasternakfidis.com

T 301.656.8850 Ext. 425

F 301.656.3053

7101 Wisconsin Avenue
Suite 1025
Bethesda, MD 20814


Education

B.S., Florida State University

J.D., Emory University School of Law

Bar Admissions

Maryland

District of Columbia

Virginia

Stephanie Perry is the Managing Partner of Pasternak & Fidis, and she concentrates her practice on estate planning, estate and trust administration, and premarital and domestic partnership agreements.

Stephanie advises clients in the preparation of estate planning documents, and she also counsels clients with respect to the administration of estates and trusts.  In estate planning, Stephanie’s goal is to provide each client with a plan that will meet the client’s personal objectives, while also preserving wealth and minimizing transfer tax liabilities.  In estate and trust administration, Stephanie strives to make what can be a very challenging process as manageable and efficient for clients as possible.  According to Stephanie, the most rewarding aspect of her practice is “getting to know clients and their families and serving as a trusted adviser who will help them achieve their primary objective of taking care of family.”

Stephanie also prepares and negotiates premarital and domestic partnership agreements on behalf of clients.  Stephanie’s primary objective in working with clients in these matters is to make sure a client is properly educated, understands his or her rights, and concludes the process with an agreement that is acceptable to both parties.

Stephanie is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and is admitted to the Bar in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia.  She has been recognized as one of the area’s top estate planning attorneys by Washingtonian and Best Lawyers; in 2018, Bethesda Magazine named Stephanie as one of the top 17 estate lawyers in Montgomery County, Maryland, as recommended by her peers; she has also been recognized by Maryland and D.C. Super Lawyers in the areas of estate planning and probate every year since 2015.

Stephanie is the Immediate Past President of the Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland, and President of the Bar Foundation of Montgomery County.  Stephanie is also a past Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Estates, Trusts and Probate Law Section of the District of Columbia Bar, and a member of the Estate Planning Council of Montgomery County.

Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Stephanie received her B.S. in Political Science and English from Florida State University and her J.D. from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia.  After practicing in Atlanta for several years, she joined Pasternak & Fidis.

An unwavering believer in the power of education, Stephanie served on the Board of Trustees for six years and is a past Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Washington School for Girls (WSG), an all-girls, tuition-free private school.  Located in the District of Columbia, WSG provides access to education and support to 3rd through 8th grade students and their families to prepare them for success in high school and beyond.

Activities and Affiliations

  • Immediate Past President, Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland
  • President of the Bar Foundation of Montgomery County
  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
  • American Bar Association (Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section)
  • Maryland State Bar Association (Estate and Trust Law Section, Taxation law Section)
  • District of Columbia Bar (Past Co-Chair and Steering Committee Member, Estates, Trusts and Probate Law Community)
  • Virginia State Bar (Trusts & Estates Section, Taxation Section)
  • Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland (Estates and Trusts Section)
  • Montgomery County Estate Planning Council

Presentations

Recognition

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Books

Publications

Blog Posts

May 20, 2021

Is Your Estate Plan Consistent with the Terms of Your Premarital Agreement?

A premarital agreement addresses a couple’s rights and obligations to one another when their marriage ends by divorce or death.  A recent Virginia Circuit Court case, In re: Algabi v. Dagvadorj, et al., highlights the importance of ensuring that a decedent’s estate plan is consistent with the terms of his or her premarital agreement; or, in the case where a decedent intends to depart from the terms of his or her premarital agreement, the importance of making this intent clear in the testamentary document.  In Algabi v. Dagvadorj, the parties executed a premarital agreement in which they each waived all claims to the other’s estate at death.  After the parties were married, husband executed a will under which he arguably intended to leave a share… MORE >

January 29, 2018

The District of Columbia Death with Dignity Act

The District of Columbia Death with Dignity Act allows an adult D.C. resident who is terminally ill (i.e., medically confirmed to have less than six months to live) to request medication to voluntarily end his or her life.

In order for a patient to participate in the Death with Dignity program, the following requirements must be met:

  • The patient must be capable of communicating health care decisions to health care providers on his or her own; an agent may not make the request on behalf of a patient.
  • The patient must make two oral requests (separated by at least 15 days) and one written request to an attending physician.
  • The written request requires two witnesses, one of whom cannot be a relative, someone entitled… MORE >
October 1, 2013

Powers of Appointment: A Powerful Estate Planning Tool

What is a Power of Appointment?

A power of appointment is a power given to a person (oftentimes under a trust) which enables the person to designate who will receive property or an interest in property.  The person who creates the power of appointment is the donor; the holder of the power is the powerholder; and the possible recipients of the property are the permissible appointees.

A power of appointment may be general or limited. A general power of appointment is a power that the powerholder may exercise in favor of himself, his estate, his creditors or the creditors of his estate.  A nongeneral power of appointment is commonly referred to as a limited (or special) power of appointment and may be exercised in favor of… MORE >