Attorneys

“My clients are making some of the most important decisions of their lives. I am honored to advise them and assist them in understanding and implementing their options.”

Jeffrey Kolender

Principal

301-951-9340
301-654-0165 FAX
jkolender@paleyrothman.com

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Jeffrey Kolender chairs the firm’s Estate Planning and Estate & Trust Administration practice groups. He concentrates primarily in those areas and also advises small businesses in tax business planning. Jeffrey recognizes that each client is different and enjoys the challenge of creating a plan that accomplishes the client’s unique goals. He advises clients about adequately providing for their family, including saving taxes, creating trusts for children, planning for disability, and the special planning issues involved in second marriages and same-sex marriages.

He understands that estate planning can be a complex and emotional process for clients. Jeffrey always takes the time to educate his clients, in plain English, on their options so they may make well-informed decisions for what they believe is best for their family. He also works with families to assist them in administering a loved one’s estate, to ensure that the decedent’s goals are met.

Jeffrey has been recognized as one of the top estate lawyers in Maryland and D.C. Prior to joining the firm, he was a tax law specialist at the Bureau of National Affairs, where, among other things, he was the technical editor of the Tax Management Estate Gifts and Trusts Journal. Jeffrey also assisted in the writing, editing and publication of Tax Management’s analysis of the many legislative changes in the tax area, most notably those brought about by the Tax Reform Act of 1986. In addition, he was a co-editor of the Wills, Trusts and Estates Section, Annual Review of Maryland Case Law and has co-authored several articles of interest in the tax and estate planning area.

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Bar Admissions
  • Maryland

  • District of Columbia

Education
  • LL.M. in Taxation, George Washington University National Law Center, 1984

  • J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law, 1983

  • B.A., Emory University, 1980

Accolades & Awards
  • "Top Lawyers," - Washingtonian magazine (2022)

  • Best Lawyers in America - Best Lawyers (2015-2023)
         - Trusts and Estates

  • Best Law Firms – U.S. News & Best Lawyers
             - Tier 2 National Ranking for Trusts & Estates
             - Tier 1 Metropolitan (D.C. area) Ranking for Trusts & Estates

  • Maryland Super Lawyers (2011-2023)

  • Washington D.C. Super Lawyers (2011-2020)

  • "Top Financial Advisers - Estate Attorneys," - Washingtonian magazine (2019-2020, 2022)

  • "Top Attorneys," Bethesda Magazine ​(2019, 2021)
         - Trusts and Estates

  • “Top Estate Lawyers” - Bethesda Magazine (2011, 2018)

  • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated

In The News
Recent Publications
  • "My Mother — Renee Kolender," Holocaust Remembered, April 2022

  • "My Father — Pincus Kolender," Holocaust Remembered, April 2022

  • “Advising Clients About Transfers to Children and Grandchildren – Tax and Practical Considerations” (Outline Co-Author)

  • “Basic Estate Planning for the Small to Mid-Sized Estate” (Outline Co-Author)

  • “Estate Planning for the Wealthy Client” (Outline Co-Author)

  • “Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts–Traps for the Unwary” (Outline Co-Author)

Civic & Community Involvement
  • Bar Association of Montgomery County - Chair, Estates & Trusts Section (1992)

  • Montgomery College Foundation Planned Giving Committee - Member

  • Hebrew Home of Greater Washington - Board of Directors

  • B’Nai Israel Congregation - Board of Governors, Former Vice President

Speeches & Presentations
  • "Securing Your Legacy: Estate Planning and Family Philanthropy," a webinar for Bernstein and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, May 2021

  • "Ten Things You Should Know About Estate Planning," Lecturer

  • “Advising Clients About Transfers to Children and Grandchildren – Tax and Practical Considerations,” Lecturer

  • “Basic Estate Planning for the Small to Mid-Sized Estate,” Lecturer

  • “Estate Planning for the Wealthy Client,” Lecturer

  • “Eight Greatest Estate Planning Techniques in Maryland,” Lecturer

  • “Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts–Traps for the Unwary,” Lecturer