Michele Zavos Law Group, PLLC is a boutique law firm that concentrates our practice on a number of family law related areas so that we can give our clients the best possible personal and professional service. We focus on adoption, divorce and dissolution, custody, estate planning, probate, family mediation, and the drafting of Wills and other personal planning documents. We help our clients protect themselves and the families they choose, including families in the gay and lesbian, deaf, and transgendered communities.

We work closely with our clients and are known for our personal service. We can meet with you in our offices or, as necessary, at your home or business. Appointments are available during business hours, evenings and Saturdays. Our attorneys are also available for phone consultations.

Adoptions
Adoptions are the heart of our practice. We represent all types of adoptive parents including LGBT parents, married couples, unmarried couples, grandparents and non-birth parents. Our extensive adoption experience includes second parent adoptions, stepparent adoptions, international re- adoptions, adoptions through foster care systems, surrogacy adoptions, agency adoptions, and direct placement adoptions. We represent adoptive parents in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. We are also experienced in meeting the requirements of the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children.

Estate Planning
We believe it that it is essential for each of us to protect ourselves to the fullest extent of the law. To help our clients achieve this goal we have carefully designed a Personal Planning Documents package. This package starts with a Will but goes further to include a Living Will, Health Care Power of Attorney, Financial Power of Attorney, HIPPA authorization for access to health care records and a Final Arrangements document.

We prepare property, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.

We also offer customized documents to establish legal relationships with children. Those documents include Designations of Standby Guardians, Temporary Guardianship and Power of Attorney for Health Care, nominations of guardians within a Will and various forms of living and testamentary trusts.

Custody & Visitation
When difficult legal issues relating to children arise in your family, we can help you find a solution. We will work with you to negotiate custody agreement, visitation, and child support. Although we attempt to negotiate solutions to contested issues, when we believe it is in our clients' best interests to litigate the matter, our attorneys will aggressively and forcefully represent you in contested court proceedings.

Divorce & Dissolution
We represent clients who are ending domestic partnerships or legally recognized marriages. We will work with you to achieve an amicable resolution to the financial and domestic issues that arise during these transition periods. We will negotiate on your behalf and draft a separation or property agreement tailored to your needs. If we are unable to reach an agreement for you, our attorneys will provide you with skilled and knowledgeable representation in a court of law.

Donor & Parenting Agreements
Our clients create family in many ways. We have extensive experience crafting documents that help you build and protect your family. Our donor and parenting agreements are custom designed to fit your situation. We are also available to review egg donation contracts and surrogacy agreements as well as pre-existing contracts the affect your legal rights as a parent.

Probate
If you are appointed to serve as the executor of an estate we can provide assistance in the filing, management and closing of the estate. Should you experience complications regarding property following the loss of a loved one we can assist you in resolving them.

Family Mediation
Michele is a trained mediator and works specifically in the area of family mediation. Mediation is a process that allows parties to resolve their own disputes, assisted by a third party mediator. The mediator does not represent either party and has no stake in the outcome of the issues. She helps the parties focus on the real issues between them, and helps the parties themselves craft a resolution.