Margaret H. Strong has a multifaceted practice helping clients accomplish their lifetime estate planning goals as well as providing hands-on assistance following the death of a loved one.

She works with individuals and couples to create straightforward estate plans, ensuring real property and other assets are titled correctly and will pass seamlessly to their heirs. For clients with more complicated estate plans, Maggie helps develop and implement lifetime gifting strategies, whether outright or in trust for future generations. Maggie also assists clients with property tax issues by properly structuring real property and business transactions to avoid property tax reassessment and, if necessary, representing clients before the Assessment Appeals Board to achieve reassessment reversals.

Maggie works closely with clients after a loved one has passed to understand their role as trustee or executor. Recognizing this is often a difficult time for families, she values the opportunity to provide clients with structure and support. Guiding trustees at every step, Maggie helps clients:

Understand often-complicated estate plans
Handle appropriate communications with beneficiaries
Retitle and distribute real properties and financial accounts
Prepare estate tax returns and advise on income tax filings

When a court-supervised probate is necessary, Maggie efficiently leads clients through every step of the process.

Entity formation is part of her practice. Maggie helps clients form businesses, including single and multi-member LLCs, S Corporations, and non-profit organizations. Whether these entities are set up to hold real property or to operate a business, Maggie readily assists clients with business governance and filings to the secretary of state, as well as mergers and terminations.

Maggie took an unconventional path to the legal profession, first performing as a classical cellist for nearly 10 years. During her musical career, Maggie played as a section cellist with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. and regularly subbed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in St. Louis, Missouri, where she ultimately attended law school, graduating from Saint Louis University School of Law.

Practice Area

Education

Saint Louis University School of Law – J.D., 2019 (Summa cum laude; valedictorian)
Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University – M.A. (Cello Performance), 2012
Northwestern University – B.A. (Cello Performance), 2008

Representative matters

Estate Planning and Asset Titling

Assisted a married couple with a basic estate plan including a revocable trust, pour over wills, power of attorney documents and advance health care directives. Hands-on assistance retitling real property and other assets into the trust to avoid future probate issues.

Representing Trustees of Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts

Help individual and corporate trustees navigate their duties as successor trustees often following an individual’s death or incapacity. Clear guidance with every step, including:

Analyzing and interpreting complicated estate planning documents
Coordinating with banks and brokerages to marshal assets and retitle accounts
Handling real property ownership issues and sales
Preparing and filing estate tax returns and providing income tax guidance
Timely distributing assets to trust beneficiaries

Probate Court Representation

Represented personal representatives of probate estates in multiple counties, guiding them through every step of the highly technical probate process. Other representative probate matters include spousal property petitions, Heggstad petitions, 850 petitions, and conservatorship proceedings.

Property Tax Reassessment Reversal

Represented a property owner before the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board and successfully obtained a full reversal of property tax reassessment.

Complex Estate Planning and Lifetime Gifting

Assisted clients with estate tax planning by developing a comprehensive estate plan and capturing the current estate tax exemption through lifetime gifting.

Business Formation and Governance

Represented a client in the formation of multiple LLCs to hold a portfolio of real property interests. Directly handled all property transfer paperwork and advised on applicable federal and state tax issues.

Trust and Elder Abuse Litigation

Represented a client in bringing claims against a sibling for undue influence and elder abuse of their parent; successfully achieved a settlement restoring the parent’s original estate plan.