About Us

The Ruddy Law Firm focuses on Business, Estate Planning, Probate, Estate and Trust Administration, Elder Law, and Financial Planning.  The firm’s primary objective is to help clients achieve their business and personal goals by offering creative solutions to the unique legal problems that each client may face.  Clients are provided a comfortable environment in which to discuss concerns candidly and receive legal advice designed to protect the client’s interests and solve their particular problem.

Whether you are starting or growing your own business, getting married, watching your children grow, planning for or enjoying retirement, The Ruddy Law Firm can help you along the way. Our firm is committed to providing our clients the highest quality legal services. We look forward to serving you, your family, and/or your business today and in the years ahead.

I have been practicing law for over 45 years, with a focus that has evolved during that time and today includes the following:

• Businesses, including:
  • Represent new and existing businesses in all aspects of their operation, from entity selection and creation, to contracts with vendors/customers, agreements between owners, and general business matters
  • Purchase and sale of businesses, including medical and dental practices, and the financing related to those transactions
  • Business divorces, including unwinding ownership in a corporation and limited liability company when owners part ways
• Estate planning, including:
  • Estate plan design
  • Preparation of all necessary documents to implement the plan, including revocable trusts, wills, durable powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives, living wills and more
• Probate and Trusts, including:
  • Probate of an Estate, from qualification in and filings with the Probate Office, to all filings required by the Commissioner of Accounts, court and Commissioner hearings, tax filings, and final distribution to the estate beneficiaries
  • Administration of Trusts, both testamentary trusts created by will, various trusts created by revocable trusts when the grantor dies, and life insurance trusts
• Adult guardianships and conservatorships, including:
  • petitions to obtain,
  • qualification once appointed by the court,
  • annual reporting to the Commissioner of Accounts and Virginia Department of Social Services,
  • tax filings, and
  • a court appointed guardian ad litem

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Founder and Owner, The Ruddy Law Firm, Fairfax, Virginia, 1992 to Present
Partner, Putbrese, Hunsaker & Ruddy, McLean, Virginia, 1982 to 1992

 

EDUCATION

CFP, College of Financial Planning, 1986
LLM (Tax), Georgetown University Law School, 1980
JD, University of Richmond School of Law, 1977
BA (Economics), Saint Vincent College, 1974

 

BAR ADMISSIONS

Virginia, 1977

 

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Fairfax Bar Association – The largest voluntary bar association in Northern Virginia with over 2000+ members
Member, 1988 – Present
Member, Board of Directors, 1998-2007
Treasurer, 2000-2003
President, 2005-2006

Virginia State Bar, 5th District Disciplinary Committee
Member, 1999-2005
Chair, 2004-2005

Cardinal Basketball Officials Association – The pre-eminent scholastic high school basketball officials association in Northern Virginia
Member Official, 2010 – Present
Member, Board of Directors, 2014 to 2020

Wealth Counsel – Nationally recognized organization dedicated to educating and supporting estate planning professionals
Member, 2014 to Present

 

TEACHING AND PUBLICATIONS

Probate Boot Camp – A Practical Course, October 28-29, 2014, Sponsored by National Business Institute

• Author and Presenter on the topics of First Steps in Probate and Educating the Executor

 

Top Estate Planning Techniques, June 15, 2015, Sponsored by National Business Institute

• Author and Presenter on the topics of Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts and Qualified Personal Residence Trusts

 

Virginia Estate Administration from Start To Finish, March 13, 2025, Sponsored by National Business Institute

• Author and Presenter on the topics of Marshalling the Assets and Dealing with Creditors

 

TELEVISION SHOW

Creator, producer and host of the public television show, The Probate Nation, on local cable channel 10. The show is dedicated  to helping the public navigate the probate system for a deceased loved one’s estate and the “living probate” system for a conservatorship/guardianship of an elderly loved one. You can go to The Probate Nation® YouTube Channel to watch past shows.