Contact Information

Main phone

301-652-6880

Fax

301-652-8972

Email

wsabell@fdalaw.com

Assistant

Patti Ondash

Practice Description

• Estates and trusts law, including both planning and administration
• Representation of non-profit organizations

Experience
After service in the United States Navy, Mr. Abell 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. Since 1975, he has been a founding partner at Furey, Doolan & Abell, LLP.

Mr. Abell frequently lectures on estate planning topics both 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, and estate planning. Mr. Abell served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1967-1971.

Bar and Court Admissions

• Maryland, 1970
• District of Columbia, 1975
• U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 1975
• U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 1975
• U.S. Tax Court, 1981
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1982

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Fellow, American College of Estate and Trust Counsel
• Maryland State Bar Association (Estate & Trust Section - past chair)
• Montgomery County Bar Association
• District of Columbia Bar Association

Publications and Presentations

• Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Law Center (Seminar on Judicial Philosophy on the Supreme Court, 1985-1992; Professional Responsibility, 1993-1995; Estate Planning Seminar, 1998-2005; The Practicing Lawyer and the Poor, 2007-date)
• Written and lectured on the following topics:
  • Estate Planning for Families with Handicapped Members
  • Post-Mortem Planning
  • Planning and Drafting Wills and Trusts
  • Estate Planning for Families with Handicapped Dependents
  • Income Shifting
  • Basic Fiduciary Income Tax Program
  • Post-Mortem Estate Planning
  • Estate Planning for Closely Held Businesses
  • Last of the Big Tax-Savers
  • Hot Topics in Estate Planning
  • Post-Mortem Planning with Retirement Plan Distributions
  • Planning for Disability
  • Will Contests
  • Program Co-Chair, Advanced Estate Planning Institute
  • Technology and Estate Planning
  • Practical Charitable Giving
  • Ethics in Estate Planning

Community Involvement
Mr. Abell has served on the boards and committees of over a dozen charitable, educational, and religious organizations.

Education

• A.B., Boston College, 1963
• M.P.A., Harvard University, 1965
• J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1970