FUREY - Key Persons
Brian Goldenberg joined the firm as a Paralegal in 2017. With over 20 years of Paralegal experience, Brian helps the Attorneys in the firm working on Estate Administration, Corporate and especially Real Estate matters. Prior to joining the firm, Brian worked many years for a title company and is well versed in local real estate protocols, routinely helping with changes of ownership, residential and commercial transactions, and vacant property concerns.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Fellow of the American College of Trusts
Charles S. Abell advises clients on a wide range of estate planning and tax matters, including planning and drafting of wills and trusts, planning for families with children with special needs, charitable gift planning, and planning for the transfer of family businesses. Charles assists personal representatives and trustees with the administration of estates and trusts, and provides tax and other advice in connection with that administration. Charles also provides corporate advice to non-profit and for-profit businesses, including corporate formation and dissolutions and drafting of shareholder and employment agreements.
Charles is a Fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel, and is a frequent lecturer on estate planning and administration topics. He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America.
Prior to entering private practice, Charles served as law clerk to the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan, United States District Judge for the District of Columbia.
Devin Doolan has over 25 years of experience lobbying at every level of Maryland government. He represents a large and diverse array of clients before the Maryland General Assembly and a host of state agencies. He has represented the financial community, telecommunications companies, the insurance industry, health care providers, non-profit employment development entities, large national trade associations, and corporations and individuals with discrete legislative and/or administrative issues.
Since 1975, he has been a founding partner at Furey, Doolan & Abell, LLP. Devin has an active lobbying practice before local government as well, particularly before the Montgomery County, Maryland government. He has also represented an international owner of regional malls and did their land use, lobbying and regulatory work on state and local levels.
Elsie Reid has been with Furey, Doolan & Abell since 1977. She is a real estate and general business lawyer specializing in transactional, land use and regulatory matters before state and local governmental bodies. Her clients include property owners, developers, trust and probate estates, professional practices and entrepreneurs. Elsie also represents a number of early childhood education and child care centers, as well as several area private schools and non-profit institutions. She became a partner of the firm of Furey, Doolan & Abell in 1984 and served for 15 years as the firm's Managing Partner. She became Of Counsel to the firm in 2015.
Elsie values the collaboration she enjoys with her clients in seeking practical and efficient solutions to their business and personal matters. She frequently partners with the estate and trust practitioners to assist in managing complex probate and trust real estate assets where creative problem-solving can enhance the benefits to the firm's clients.
A graduate of Duke University (B.A. 1971 magna cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa), she attended Georgetown University Law School where she was an editor of the Georgetown Law Review. After clerking for the Honorable Rita C. Davidson, then serving on the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, Elsie worked two years as an Assistant General Counsel of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts before joining Furey, Doolan & Abell.
Elsie is active in her community, participating as an Elder, Stephen Ministery and Mission Committee Chair for her church, Potomac Presbyterian Church. For many years she coached a Montgomery Soccer Leagues Girl Team. She served six years on the Board of Directors for Interfaith Works, where she was Chairman of the Board from July 2006 through 2008. In 2010 she was named Interfaith Works "Humanitarian of the Year." For over 29 years she served by judicial appointment on the Character Committee for the Seventh Judicial Circuit of the Maryland Court of Appeals. She is a member of the 1993 class of Leadership Montgomery.
Job Titles:
- Paralegal
- Paralegal in the Estate and Trust Practice of Furey Doolan & Abell
Emily Christian is a paralegal in the Estate and Trust practice of Furey Doolan & Abell, LLP. Raised in Maryland, she received her A.A. from Montgomery College as a member of the Montgomery Scholars program, going on to receive her B.A., summa cum laude, from St. Mary's College of Maryland. During her time at St. Mary's, Emily also studied at the Centre for Medieval & Renaissance Studies at Keble College, Oxford University. Emily has prior experience in the areas of estate and trust administration, veteran's disability law, and title work.
Erica Nordberg is an associate in the firm's Estate and Trust practice. She focuses on probate, trust administration, and estate planning.
Originally from Massachusetts, Erica graduated from Northeastern University and worked as a legal assistant in Boston before moving to D.C. to attend American University Washington College of Law. While in law school, she was a student attorney in the General Practice Clinic, a Dean's Fellow for the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, and the Publications Editor of The American University International Law Review. Prior to joining the firm, Erica worked for Grant, Riffkin & Strauss in Rockville, Maryland where she focused primarily on probate, trust administration, estate planning, and general civil litigation.
After service in the Peace Corps, James Nolan attended law school at George Washington University. During his last year of law school, he served as law clerk to Judge John P. Moore of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland. After graduation, he served in the same capacity for Judge William H. McCullough of the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Maryland.
James was admitted to practice in January 1972 and the concentration of his practice has been litigation. Initially, his practice was general, including civil and criminal matters. The emphasis of his practice for many years has been family law and has included work in the trial and appellate courts of Maryland and the District of Columbia. James is also a trained mediator. He was a partner in the law firm of Sachs, Greenbaum & Taylor and then at Witt & Nolan until January 2004.
James Lillis focuses his practice on civil litigation, including estate, trust, and other fiduciary matters. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.A. from Georgetown University. Prior to joining the firm, James completed a clerkship with the Honorable Eric T. Washington, Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. While at Georgetown Law, he was Senior Editor of the Georgetown International Environmental Law Review.
Jamie Blair is a partner in the Trusts and Estates practice, where she concentrates on estate planning, estate and trust administration, tax planning, and wealth preservation strategies.
Jamie plans both taxable and nontaxable estates for families and high net worth individuals. She also advises trustees and personal representatives on proper estate and trust administration and serves as counsel in contested trust and estate litigation, including claims of undue influence, lack of capacity, breach of fiduciary duty, and fee disputes. She currently serves as the trustee of a charitable trust for one of the country's largest publicly traded real estate investment trusts.
Previously, Jamie focused on estate planning for individuals with special needs and assisted in the day-to-day administration of over sixty special needs trusts. As part of this practice, Jamie consulted with families to safeguard ongoing eligibility for means-test public benefits, such as Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income.
Jamie earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where she received the CALI award for academic excellence. She is currently admitted to practice in the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Born and raised in Southern Maryland, Jasmine graduated from Johnson& Wales University and received her B.S. in Business Management with a Concentration in Finance in 2014. She took interest in Estate and Trust Administration when she joined an Estates and Trust firm in Annapolis, MD as an Administrative Assistant. Due to her hard work and management skills, she later advanced in her career to become the Lead Paralegal of the Estate Administration Department. With over five years of experience as an Estates and Trust Paralegal, she enjoys providing assistance to Fiduciaries in the estate and trust administration process.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends as well as singing.
Jenna was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She received her B.A. in English at Johns Hopkins University, where she was a four-year student-athlete on the Division I Women's Lacrosse Team. Jenna earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law, where she served on the E-Board of the Business Law Review and was awarded three CALI Awards for academic excellence. Prior to attending law school, Jenna spent four years working in creative advertising and strategy for Wieden + Kennedy in New York City, where she advocated for and negotiated on behalf of her client, ABC Entertainment. Before joining the firm, Jenna completed clerkships in real estate and employment law practices.
Judit joined the firm in 2017 as an Estate and Trust paralegal. Judit has over 15 years of experience working as a paralegal focusing primarily in Estates and Trusts. Judit is originally from Budapest, Hungary. She attended University of Tel-Aviv and she earned her paralegal certificate at Paralegal Institute of Washington, DC. She is an active member of the Maryland State Bar Association's Paralegal Community. Judit is dedicated to assisting clients in their time of need. In her free time, Judit enjoys traveling with her husband and daughter.
Julia O'Brien has been with Furey, Doolan & Abell, LLP since 1985, focusing on estate planning and administration.
Her clients include married persons, single individuals, unmarried partners and families with a family member who has special needs. Julia lectures on estate planning-related topics to groups of laypersons, lawyers and other professionals.
Prior to joining Furey, Doolan & Abell, LLP, Julia was a probation officer for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and law clerk to the Hon. Frank Q. Nebeker of the D.C. Court of Appeals.
Julia serves on the Board of Directors of the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and is President of the Board of Foundations for Home and Community, which provides foster care and related services in Maryland. She is a former member of the Board of Trustees of The Madeira School.
Cassie Li is a partner in the firm's Estate Planning practice. She concentrates on estate planning, trust and estate administration, and charitable gift planning. Cassie regularly advises clients on general planning as well as federal and state estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes. She also advises fiduciaries and beneficiaries on a wide array of trust administration matters, as well as family foundations and charitable institutions on matters ranging from creation to ongoing operations.
Prior to joining the firm, Cassie worked at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. and Ropes & Gray in Boston, Massachusetts. She served as a law clerk for Hon. Judge Diana G. Motz of the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1998-1999.
Keely was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated magna cum laude, with distinction, from Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York with a B.A in Political Science. Keely received her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School. She discovered her interest in trusts and estates law while interning with the Hon. Alfred S. Irving, Jr. during his time as Deputy Presiding Judge of the Probate Division of D.C. Superior Court. Prior to joining the firm as an associate attorney, Keely was an estate planning paralegal at a boutique law firm in Rockville, where she developed an appreciation for the importance of ensuring that clients and their loved ones are properly cared for via the estate planning and administration process.
Keely lives in Washington, D.C. with her partner, Jake, and their cats, Nina (Simone) and (David) Bowie.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Fellow of the American College of Trust
Mary Beth Beattie joins Furey Doolan & Abell as Of Counsel, bringing over 33 years of experience in representing clients in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Mary Beth concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, wealth succession planning, tax planning, small business planning, and estate and trust administration.
Mary Beth is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and is a frequent speaker on Maryland estates and trusts law. She actively participates in Maryland State Bar Association committees and projects and has been recognized by the Association for her contribution to pro bono initiatives.
Before entering private practice, Mary Beth served as attorney-advisor to the Honorable C. Moxley Featherston of the United States Tax Court and was a Teaching Fellow at the National Law Center, George Washington University.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Member of the Montgomery County
Over the past 36 years, Patrick Greaney has focused his practice on real estate law and the representation of commercial lenders, developers, builders, businesses and real estate owners. He has represented purchasers and sellers in many real estate, asset sale and entity sale transactions, borrowers in commercial loan transactions, and real estate owners in the appeal of property tax assessments Mr. Greaney has also represented landlords and tenants in shopping centers, office buildings and industrial property, and commercial lenders in a variety of transactions, foreclosures, restructuring and workouts.
Pat is a member of the Montgomery County, Maryland Bar Association and the State of Maryland Bar Association, as well as the Maryland Building Industry Association (MBIA).
Phil O'Donoghue has represented a wide range of clients on estate planning and business matters since 1977. First at Covington & Burling, and beginning in 1982 with Furey, Doolan & Abell, LLP. Phil has concentrated on estate planning, estate and trust administration, and tax planning and controversies. Most of his clients are individuals, small businesses, and charitable organizations. He is adept in quantitative analysis for determining risks and rewards of alternative plans, and with providing and implementing fixes for defective plans.
Phil also has represented fiduciaries, both in advising them in their operations and protecting them in disputes.
He is a recognized expert in trust and estate matters, federal estate and gift taxation and related aspects of fiduciary income taxation, as well as District of Columbia and Maryland law concerning estates and trusts. Phil is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Council and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for trusts and estates each year since 1995 and, in 2015, was selected by Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year for trusts and estates in Washington, D.C.
From 1976 to 1977 he served as Law Clerk to Hon. William B. Jones, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Rachel Burke is a partner in the firm's Estate Planning practice, where she tailors the estate plans of individuals and couples to meet both their tax focused and personal goals. Rachel also advises and assists fiduciaries and beneficiaries in the administration of existing trusts and estates. She enjoys multigenerational planning and administration matters including business succession planning.
Rachel has experience with lifetime giving strategies and testamentary plans to reduce gift, estate, and generation-skipping taxes. She has written and spoken on the topic of fiduciary income taxation.
Rob Grant has a general civil trial practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia, with a focus on fiduciary litigation, including matters relating to estates, trusts and contested guardianships. Rob has tried to verdict cases involving will challenges, the valuation of estate assets, the interpretation and construction of wills and trust instruments, and tort claims relating to inter vivos transfers of assets. He also advises both fiduciaries and beneficiaries in matters relating to the conduct, duties and proper compensation of fiduciaries. He has lectured on topics in estate- and trust-related litigation.
Robert L. Brownell received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. He was an associate of Weinberg & Green in Baltimore, Maryland, until 1973 when he joined Wheeler & Korpeck in Silver Spring.
Admitted to practice in Maryland, he has specialized in real estate matters with particular emphasis on the representation of builders and developers in the acquisition, financing, development and sale of commercial and residential properties.
Shep Abell was a founding partner of Furey Doolan & Abell in 1975, and is now Of Counsel to the firm. After service in the United States Navy as a Lieutenant from 1967 to 1971, Shep served as the Executive Assistant to the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 1970 to 1974, and briefly as Cabinet Secretary of the Maryland Department of Employment and Social Services.
Shep has frequently lectured on estate planning topics for lawyers and lay groups. Since 1985 he has been an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University Law Center where he has taught courses on legal ethics, the Supreme Court, estate planning, and lawyers and poverty.
Shep has served on the boards and committees of over a dozen charitable, educational and religious organizations. He has been and continues to be active with a number of charitable and religious organizations.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Special Agent in the Military Intelligence Branch of the United States Army
For over 35 years, Steve Nealon has worked closely with his Maryland and District of Columbia clients on their estate planning needs, including implementation of a comprehensive plan through preparation of Wills, Revocable Trust Agreements, Power of Attorney, Advance Medical Directives, and related instruments. With the assistance of the firm's experienced estate and trust paralegals, he also guides persons serving as executor of an estate or trustee of a trust through the probate process as well as the tax and administrative requirements associated with estates and trusts.
Steve joined Furey, Doolan & Abell as a partner in the Estate Planning Group in 2012. Prior to joining the firm, he was a partner with the D.C. firm Hamilton and Hamilton LLP. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Trusts & Estates Law, and has been rated AV® Preeminent™ for thirty years by Martindale-Hubbell® (highest peer review rating in legal ability and ethical standards).
Steve has served as a special agent in the Military Intelligence Branch of the United States Army, and as a Judicial Law Clerk for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
Theresa Pierce is a partner in the Estate and Trust practice of Furey, Doolan & Abell, LLP.
Born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area, Tess graduated from Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School and proceeded to receive her B.S., cum laude, from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. At Maryland Law, Tess was an Articles Editor for the Maryland Law Review and a student attorney in the Gender Violence Clinic, where she represented clients in divorce, custody, and marital property matters. Tess is a graduate of the Mid-Atlantic Fellows Institute, Class III.
Prior to joining the firm, Tess served as a law clerk for the Hon. Nelson W. Rupp, Jr. of the Montgomery County Circuit Court. She also worked as a law clerk for the Legislative and General Counsels at GEICO headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Torrey Wilkins is a partner in the firm's Estate Planning practice. He regularly advises families on estate planning and works with Executors and Trustees and estate and trust administration.
Prior to joining the firm, Torrey was a partner at Craighill, Mayfield, Fenwick & Cromelin LLP in Washington, DC. A native Washingtonian, Torrey attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C.
Furey, Doolan & Abell, LLP has been engaged in the practice of law since 1975. Over the past 45 years, the firm has developed a broad-based civil law practice that serves clients across Maryland and throughout the D.C. metro region.
Vincent C. Burke, III is Of Counsel with Furey, Doolan & Abell, LLP. His practice encompasses general corporate matters, closely held businesses, commercial real estate, trusts and estates, financial institutions, employment law matters, and education. His clients have included universities, physician practices, insurance companies, financial institutions, commercial real estate service companies, the Archdiocese of Washington, and numerous other closely held Washington and Maryland area businesses. He served as Special Counsel to the Commissioner of Baseball from 1989-1992.
Prior to joining the firm, Vincent was a partner at Reasoner, Davis & Fox and Of Counsel at Reed Smith Shaw & McClay, both in Washington, D.C. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edward A. Tamm of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1976-1977. From 1982-1984, Vincent served as a political appointee at the United States Department of Commerce in the Economic Development Administration and the International Trade Administration.
PRACTICE AREAS
Estates & Trusts