“To straighten that which has been made crooked is a great duty, and a great honor.”
Eli was born, bred, and buttered in a small town in rural Mississippi. While there are many positive aspects to the land of grits and catfish, the reality is that for many Americans the strongest association with the deep south is a history of division over civil rights issues and the realization of one's full humanity and agency as a citizen of this great country. The son of a civil rights attorney, Eli grew up seeing that for every hundred community leaders beating at the branches of prejudice, there was only one hacking at the root. And that one was always an attorney. Those experiences set Eli on the path to where he is today, dedicating his life to the representation of clients who need strength to exercise and defend their rights.
Eli set himself to pursue a life in service of others, offering strength for those who need help to act on their legal rights. Eli has served hundreds of clients throughout northern Virginia over several practice areas, but his focus has always been the administration and litigation of trusts and estates. This is why before going into private practice, he began his legal career clerking for the Commissioner of Accounts for the Fairfax County Circuit Court – the county's fiduciary watchdog supervising and policing trust and estate administrators, executors, guardians, and conservators.
Probate, trust, and estate cases are important because they are not just about money, but about making true the wishes of those who want to care for their family. An inheritance may be the biggest gift a person receives in their life, and it can be transformative in the horizons it opens. The funding of a trust or estate is a selfless act of a family member making real their desire to care for their loved ones after they are gone. As the ancient Greek proverb goes – "Society grows great when elders plant trees whose shade they will never know." That is why interference with that transfer is such an atrocious act. Eli recognizes that to straighten that which has been made crooked is a great duty, and a great honor.
Eli lives in Springfield with his wife, Kaitlin, and their pets, Banjo the dog and Bertie the cat. Outside of work, Eli is a marathon runner and enjoys fishing, hiking, and volunteering.
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