George Reilly

George Reilly provides comprehensive estate planning services to his clients, with a special focus on the coordination of tax and financial planning into estate plans. In addition to more than 39 years as an attorney, George has extensive experience and advanced education in tax matters, and is also a Certified Financial Planner® professional, a designation shared by only about 5% of attorneys in the United States. We refer to this distinctive coordination of our client’s legal, tax, and financial planning matters as Peace of Mind planning.

George began his career as an officer in the Navy Judge Advocate General...’s Corps serving the legal needs of Sailors, Marines, and their families for more than 22 years. His Navy JAG experience taught him the importance of everyone, regardless of their net worth, having at least an essential legal readiness estate plan, a concept he calls “Having a plan in place for the just in case!”

Originally from Long Island, New York, George earned his bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College and his law degree from Saint John’s University
School of Law. George later earned a Masters-in-Law degree from George Washington University School of Law with a specialization in income taxation and estate planning.

During his Navy career George served as the Navy’s Tax Counsel during three separate assignments. In that position he represented the interests of Navy leadership as well as Sailors, Marines, and their families with respect to tax legislation, regulations, and policy. He also did extensive writing and teaching on such topics as income and estate taxation, estate planning, legal readiness, and financial planning, and was a frequent presenter on these topics for all branches of the military, as well as providing training to IRS personnel on military-specific tax issues.

Following his active-duty career George served for several years as a civilian attorney and inspector for the Navy and Department of Defense. He then formed his own firm where he first established the comprehensive service model that became known as Peace of Mind Planning to address the life and estate planning needs of his clients in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. This unique approach involves the integration of the estate planning process with a client’s financial situation as well as seeking out opportunities for tax planning.

For some clients George can provide guidance on all aspects of this planning, but for many clients he recommends that a client’s other trusted professionals for taxes, financial planning, business planning, and other subject areas as appropriate work together in a collaborative manner to provide the best possible outcome for the client. Clients appreciate that they can be assured that all of their advisors are rowing in the same direction on their behalf and working out to the extent practicable the various, and sometimes at odds, aspects of their financial and personal lives and goals.

With his extensive experience in this coordinated estate and tax planning approach, George has become a nationally recognized presenter on complex legal and financial issues, with a particular focus on the challenges of planning for individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and employer retirement accounts in estate planning given the significant changes in tax law since 2020. Large retirement accounts pose a significant challenge for many clients in determining how best to address their legacy planning goals while seeking to protect hard-earned wealth by using tax efficient planning tools. We help our clients create comprehensive estate plans that provide the best possible outcome for retirement accounts and other assets to achieve their legacy goals.