PRACTICE AREAS
Estate Planning, Probate & Estate Administration, Business Formation & Succession, Special Needs Trusts, Marital Agreements, Expert Testimony, Taxation
From estates with French jewelry collections and prized stallions, to estate planning for ordinary people like us and our loved ones, Lisa can and has handled it. She brings her seemingly inexhaustible supply of legal knowledge—and her customary charm and calm—to bear for every client.
Over her 30+ years practicing trusts and estates law, she has developed extensive knowledge of planning for assisted reproductive technology, same-sex couples, closely-held businesses, incapacitated beneficiaries, and non-citizens. In the office, we count on her for input in those cases as well as for her ability to take charge of a project and get it done.
Lisa has recently taken up ballroom dancing. She claims to be a beginner, but we’re pretty sure she scores perfect 10s.
Lisa has been awarded as Best Lawyer’s Lawyer of the Year for Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law in Washington, D.C.
CONTACT LISA
CHRISTOPHER T. LEIGHTON
Partner
PRACTICE AREAS
Chris focuses his practice on estate planning and administration, as well as fiduciary litigation and taxation. He has a passion for working with individuals, families and family-controlled entities to create tailored tax and estate planning strategies.
Chris advises clients on the following types of matters:
- Design and preparation of comprehensive estate plans
- Formation, governance and strategic planning of closely-held businesses
- Contested guardianships, conservatorships and other fiduciary disputes
- Administration of trusts and estates
- Preparation of Federal estate and gift tax returns
- Military and Veterans’ issues
A native of the D.C area, Chris graduated from Gonzaga College High School and clerked for the Honorable Joseph A. Dugan, Jr. of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County after law school. Chris then served eight years on active duty in the U.S. Army JAG Corps where he served primarily as a first chair litigator in criminal, administrative and appellate matters on both sides of the aisle.
Chris continues to serve in the U.S. Army Reserve, defending Officers and Soldiers against administrative elimination proceedings, and is never shy in leveraging his litigation experience to advocate for any of his clients. Outside of the office, Chris enjoys coaching youth sports and spending time with his wife, three children and the world’s only unaffectionate Goldendoodle.
CONTACT CHRIS
A. EVERETT HOEG, III
Attorney
PRACTICE AREAS
Estate Planning, Probate & Estate Administration, Business Formation & Succession, Expert Testimony, Taxation.
Everett has more than 50 years of experience representing entrepreneurs and business executives in their personal and business matters. He knows the ins and outs of business divorces and buy-sell provisions like no one else we’ve met. Everett’s practice focuses on creative estate planning, trust department representation, business succession planning, and high stakes estate and gift tax matters. He serves as an active independent trustee of a regional closely-held business, providing business advice in addition to legal counsel. In his ample free time, Everett enjoys sports and reading American history.
CONTACT EVERETT
RYAN MAZALATIS
Associate
Ryan supports the Hughes Legacy Law PLLC team with focused research in each of the firm’s core practice areas – estate planning, probate and trust administration, and federal estate and gift tax matters. Ryan also assists the firm with the drafting of estate planning documents and the preparation of tax returns.
Originally from the Charleston area, Ryan is a double Hoya, having attended both college and law school at Georgetown University. Ryan majored in Spanish and attained fluency studying at the Universidad de San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador. At Georgetown Law, Ryan worked as a Student Attorney in the Georgetown Law Center’s Health Justice Alliance Law Clinic, helping clients with sensitive medical issues access public benefits and housing. During his time at Hughes Legacy Law PLLC, Ryan has developed a passion for connecting with clients and translating their unique circumstances into effective estate plans tailored to their needs.
In his free time, Ryan enjoys reading books on history, trying new foods, traveling to new places, and spending time with his friends, family, and two cats.
SUSANNAH BUSH
Senior Paralegal
Susannah has nine years of experience in the legal field with the last six focused exclusively on estate planning and administration. She takes pride in helping our clients navigate the difficult processes and conversations surrounding the loss of a loved one with patience and empathy. Susannah engages with the probate office and commissioner of accounts on behalf of the firm’s clients and assists in the preparation of affidavits, inventories, and accountings. Further, Susannah enjoys assisting attorneys in the drafting of estate plans tailored to each client’s unique situation. She has worked for attorneys licensed in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.
Growing up as a U.S. Army brat, Susannah has had the good fortune to living all over the world. She graduated from the College of Charleston with a dual degree in Political Science and Jewish Studies and a minor in International Studies. She has called the DMV home for the last eight years.
Outside of the office, Susannah enjoys spending time with her golden retriever and rescue cat, yoga, running, rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies and South Carolina Gamecocks, and writing for a local lifestyle magazine.
