“I am most proud of the cases where I obtain favorable results for my clients. Each estate case is unique, and the families I represent are facing complex financial and tax problems at time when they are also dealing with very difficult personal situations.”
For more than three decades, Tim O’Brien has advised clients regarding complex estate and trust issues, estate planning options, and also recommended various ways to avoid unnecessary taxes.
If necessary, Tim will seek court intervention to resolve disputed matters, whether the dispute involves a will contest, the validity of a trust agreement, or the recovery of misappropriated assets. Known for his tenacious advocacy, Tim doesn’t shy away from complex or contested matters. In fact, Maryland judges regularly appoint Tim as a successor personal representative for estates that have been mismanaged by previous fiduciaries.
Tim has helped countless families navigate difficult situations, such as recovering estate assets that have been misused, settling tax liabilities with the IRS, and protecting assets for future generations
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- US Supreme Court
- US Tax Court
- University of Baltimore School of Law, JD, 1988
- Frostburg State College, BS, 1981
- Certified Public Account (Maryland 1983, Inactive)
- The Daily Record’s Trust & Estates Law Power List, 2024
- Best Lawyers in America®, U.S. News & World Report
- DeMatha Catholic High School Lou Amico Service Award (2015)
- “DC Area’s Best Estates and Trusts Lawyers,” Washingtonian magazine, 2004
- The John Carrol Society Catholic Charities Legal Network Pro Bono Award (2021)
- Prince George’s County Bar Association, Probate, Estates, Trusts, & Elder Law Section
- Co-Chair, 2014-present
- Member, 1988-present)
- Maryland State Bar Association, Estate & Trust Law Section, 1988-present
- Trustee, Bar Associations’ Insurance Trust, 2004-present
- DeMatha Catholic High School
- Member, Board of Directors, 2016-2022 (Chairperson 2016-2019)
- Member, Board of Advisors, 1998-2003 (Chairman 2001-2003)
- Chairman, Strategic Planning Committee, 2008, 2013, and 2018
- Member, Finance Committee, 2013-2022.
- Treasurer, Friends of Glenn Ivey, 2001-2009
- Treasurer, FOR Maryland Jobs and Schools (proponent for expanding casino gambling), 2012-2013
- Treasurer, Glenn Ivey for Congress, 2012-2016
- Treasurer, Friends of Judge Carole Coderre, 2022-2023
- Maryland Association of Judges of the Orphans’ Court: Defending A Caveat Proceeding (May 2010); Evidence (November 2011); Motions Practice Before Orphans’ Court (June 2014); Orphans’ Court Judge Orientation – Hearings: Transmittal of Issues; Ruling on Motions; Evidence; Orders and Opinions (February 2015, February 2019).
- Prince George’s County Bar Association Probate, Estates, Trusts, & Elder Law Section: Basic Estate Planning (January 2014); New Probate Rules (January 2016); Recent Appellate Cases/ Estates and Trusts Issues (January 2017, January 2020); Computation of Maryland Estate Tax – 2019 and Beyond . . . (January 2019).
