Two established wealth management and trusts & estates attorneys, A. Everett Hoeg and Lisa M. Hughes, have joined Venable LLP's northern Virginia office as partner and of counsel, respectively. Both lawyers arrive from Reed Smith LLP, where they have practiced together for the past 15 years.
Mr. Hoeg, who practiced at Reed Smith and its predecessor firms for a remarkable 30 year period, also served as co-chair of Reed Smith's Tax, Benefits and Wealth Planning Group. Sensing some change in the market for personal wealth management counsel, both he and Ms. Hughes decided that their practice could benefit from the kind of individual client focus for which Venable is known.
"While we have significant experience working for corporations, partnerships, and limited liability entities, we have always thrived on our work for individual clients," Mr. Hoeg explained. "Although it has a large corporate practice and national platform, Venable maintains a renowned wealth management practice that especially caters to high net worth individuals, and that's what attracted us to the firm at this point in our careers."
"We've long been aware of Venable's work in this area, most notably that of Stef Tucker," added Mr. Hoeg, referring to Venable partner Stefan F. Tucker, consistently recognized as among the premier wealth attorneys in the United States. Mr. Hoeg and Ms. Hughes also cited Venable's A. Christopher Sega, who was named as one of the Top Estate Planners in Washington, D.C., by Washingtonian Magazine, in 2004-2006.
Working largely within the affluent Northern Virginia corridor, Mr. Hoeg and Ms. Hughes have advised wealthy clients from a variety of sectors, including real estate development, technology, professional services, and government contracting. Their clients have included successful entrepreneurs as well as Fortune 500 executives in the region, including those from AOL, General Dynamics, Argon, and other companies.
"We concentrate on personal wealth, whether it was inherited or earned over a lifetime in business," Ms. Hughes explained.
Beyond wealth planning, the two attorneys advise on traditional and tax-oriented wills, trusts, and estates, as well as marital agreements, and business and succession planning. They also have significant experience handling tax matters, including returns, audits, and other challenges from the IRS.
Another area in which Mr. Hoeg and Ms. Hughes focus is planned charitable giving to tax exempt organizations such as public charities and private foundations. "These organizations, and all donations to them, are highly regulated, with rules that seem to change almost daily," Ms. Hughes noted.
Ms. Hughes also has experience representing guardians of incapacitated adults, and in Medicaid and retirement planning. In addition, she has actively advised on numerous public financings, having coordinated the financing of many public improvements in Virginia through the issuance of school bonds and community development bonds.
Venable's Mr. Tucker is in a unique position to assess the talents of Mr. Hoeg and Ms. Hughes, counting both of them as his students when he previously taught at the Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Tucker commented: "Everett and Lisa are superbly well-rounded. They are adept at handling the full range of complex tax issues, but also understand the personal life issues of affluent clients. And there is a substantial client base still to be tapped in the mid-Atlantic region, where both Everett and Lisa have so much experience -- we're certain they will thrive here at Venable."
Mr. Hoeg received an LL.M. in Taxation (1976) from the Georgetown University Law Center, and both his J.D. (1972) and his A.B. (1969) from Duke University. He frequently lectures in the areas of family estate planning and wealth transfer.
Ms. Hughes received her J.D., cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center (1992). She received her B.A., cum laude, from the State University of New York, Stony Brook. She is a member of both the Northern Virginia and District of Columbia Estate Planning Councils.
One of the American Lawyer’s top 100 law firms, Venable LLP has attorneys practicing in all areas of corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property and government affairs. Venable serves corporate, institutional, governmental, nonprofit and individual clients throughout the U.S. and around the world from its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and offices in California, Maryland, New York and Virginia.