Ally Legal Planning

Let Our Family Help Yours

Jennifer McManus

Jennifer McManus

Contact

Practice Areas

  • Estate Planning
  • Estate & Trust Administration
  • Special Needs Planning
  • Elder Law
  • Asset Protection
  • Business Succession Planning
  • Prenuptial Agreements

Biography

Jen has worked in the field of estate planning for over a decade. Shortly after starting law school, Jen began work as a law clerk for a small estate planning firm in Howard County and quickly found her career passion. She has expanded her practice over the years to include special needs planning, asset protection planning, advanced tax planning, premarital agreements, and the administration of estates and trusts. Jen has cultivated her expertise and skill set exclusively in this area of law so she can offer each client multiple planning strategies to accomplish their goals.

Jen believes that every client deserves a well thought out estate plan that is shaped by their own set of unique circumstances. She takes the time to get to know each client on a personal level so she can understand what matters most to them. Jen's approach also emphasizes education, and she takes the time to explain complicated tax and legal concepts to empower each client to understand all tools available to them, as well as the possible implications, before they decide on a plan that is right for them.

Jen is an ally to her clients, working together with people in all walks of life to help each of them develop comprehensive plans to accomplish their goals, whether planning for a loved one with a disability, asset protection, incapacity planning or simply planning to ensure that their affairs are handled smoothly and seamlessly upon their death.

Jen is a Howard County native and currently lives in Columbia with her daughter.

 

Education

  • University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, Maryland
    • J.D.
  • University of Maryland
    • B.A., Bachelor of Arts

Bar Admissions

  • Maryland
  • Virginia

Professional Associations and Committees

  • Maryland State Bar Association, General Member (2011-present)
  • Howard County Bar Association, General Member (2011-present); Chair for Estates and Trusts Section (2014-2019); Secretary (2021-2022)
  • Howard County Estate Planning Council, General Member (2014-present); Board Member (2022-present); Chair of the Social Development Committee (2021-present); Secretary (2022-present)
  • Howard Hospital Foundation, Board Member (2023-present)
  • Community Foundation of Howard County, Board Member (2017-2023); Chair of the Development Committee (2020-2023)
  • Bethany United Methodist Church: Endowment Committee, General Member (2019-present); Vice Chair of Endowment Committee (2022-present)
  • Lutheran Village Millers Grant: Mission Miles Fundraiser, Committee Member (2021-present)
  • Thunder Hill Elementary School PTA, General Member (2018-2021); Recording Secretary (2018-2021)
  • Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center Foundation, Board of Trustees (2023-present)

Classes & Seminars

  • Maryland Society of Accounting & Tax Professionals: Seminar on Trust & Estate 1041s – The New Rules, 2014 to 2015
  • Maryland Society of Accounting & Tax Professionals: Seminar on Maryland Probate & Estate Planning, 2014 to 2015
  • Community College of Baltimore County: Seminars regarding Estate Planning to Pre-Government Retirees, 2016 to 2019
  • Maryland State Bar Association: Presentation to the Estates and Trust Section on ABLE Accounts, 2018 to 2018
  • National Business Institute: Presentation on Estate Administration Traps, 2018 to 2018