“I have always enjoyed the challenge of unravelling and solving complex problems. That is why estate and trust work is so compelling to me. Nearly every day I get the chance to help people solve some of the most nettlesome problems facing them and their families."
Meet Paul Riekhof
Watch VideoPaul Riekhof is the firm’s managing director and a principal in Joseph, Greenwald & Laake’s Estates and Trusts Group. He has more than 25 years of experience in representing individuals, families, and businesses in matters including estate planning, probate, trust administration, estate tax planning, business planning, guardianships, and estate litigation matters.
Paul’s clients count on him for multi-faceted legal counsel that takes into account complex structures, tax liabilities, asset protection, and potential litigation issues. Paul has assisted many clients with strategic wealth preservation planning and trust administration matters, and takes pride in going the extra mile to identify all of the issues and making the process easier for his clients and their loved ones.
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- US District Court for the District of Maryland
- US Supreme Court
- JD, University of Colorado School of Law, 1995
- BA, University of Chicago, BA, 1989, with honors
- His experience includes representing and advising clients concerning all aspects of estate tax planning, wealth preservation, family business preservation, gift and charitable gift planning, buy-sell agreements, establishing special needs trusts and discretionary trusts to conserve assets for the benefit of disabled individuals, establishing irrevocable trusts to remove insurance and other assets from estates, establishing revocable trusts for probate avoidance, disability planning, trust reformation and estate and trust litigation.
- Maryland’s Estate & Trusts Law Power List, The Daily Record, 2025
- Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation – Trusts & Estates
- Co-Chair, Managing Partners Group of the Maryland State Bar Association
- Member, Appellate Courts Judicial Nominating Commission
- American Bar Association
- District of Columbia Bar Association
- Finance Council Member and Liaison/Chair, St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church
- Former Executive Director, Montgomery-Prince George’s County Continuing Legal Education Institute, Inc.
- Former Member and past President, Board of Directors, Family Services, Inc. (now known as Sheppard Pratt – Gaithersburg)
- Maryland State Bar Association
- Montgomery County Bar Association
- “The Unfortunate Burden: Dealing With State Estate Taxes.” Financial Advisor
- “Estate Planning for Parents: What You Need to Do to Protect Your Family’s Future.” Washington Parent
- “The Keys to Estate Planning During and After Divorce” Law.com (subscription required)
- “How does a divorce impact predivorce estate planning?” The Daily Record, 2024
- Author of numerous estate, trust and related tax articles and many CLE courses for legal publications, including Thompson Reuters Practical Law, Estate Planning and Law360
- Prince’s Estate and the Countless Challenges Ahead, Law 360, 2016
- Anticipate Goals and Habits of Millennial Beneficiaries, Estate Planning, 2017
- All About Trusts For Estate Planning, Presenter, Halfmoon Education, 2022
- Overview of the Maryland Probate Process, The Probate Nation, Presenter, 2022
- Maryland Ancillary Probate, Presenter, The Probate Nation, , 2022
- Overview of the Maryland Probate Process, Complete Trust Course, Presenter, Halfmoon Education, 2017
- The Probate Nation, Presenter, , 2017
- Federal Fiduciary Income Tax Workshop, Presenter, Halfmoon Education, 2016
- Complete Trust Course, Presenter, Halfmoon Education, 2014
