James A. List Bio

James A. List is an estate planning and business attorney who represents individuals, families with disabled members and mid-Atlantic companies. He prepares business continuation and succession plans for corporate clients, and coordinates retirement and estate plans for individual stockholders. List specializes in asset protection planning, special needs trust planning, business entity formation, tax planning, charitable gifting strategies, business succession planning, real estate, and trust and business litigation, among other services.

Prior to starting his own practice, List was a partner in the wealth management and corporate departments of Miles & Stockbridge P.C. from 2004 to 2007, and in the corporate department of Hodes, Pessin & Katz P.A. from 2001 to 2004. He operated a boutique firm, Law Offices of James A. List P.A., which served technology, marketing, medical, manufacturing and construction companies from 1985 to 2001. In 1995, List served as in-house counsel for defense contractor General Services Engineering. Previously, he worked for Maryland National Bank as the portfolio manager for retirement products, after serving as a marketing research analyst, a senior telecommunications analyst and an information systems analyst.

List serves on the boards of two Maryland organizations, in addition to serving the community in other roles. He has been a board member of The Arc of Baltimore since 2006 and currently serves as secretary. Likewise, he has served on the board of The Red Devils, which supports breast cancer families, since 2006. In 2006 and 2007, he chaired the organization’s annual fundraising Heart and Sole Stroll event. In addition, List was an instructor and panelist for the Judicial Institute Business and Technology Case Management Program in 2003 and 2004. He produced and regularly spoke the WBAL radio show “Maryland Business Review” in 2002 and 2003.

List frequently lectures about legal topics including business continuation planning, special needs trusts, estate planning, risk management, charitable gifting and long-term care. He has spoken at events for companies including M&T Bank, Legg Mason, Chesapeake Financial Group and the American Red Cross. In addition, List wrote “A Layperson’s Guide to Estate Planning” in 1998 and updated it in 2001, 2004 and 2008, when he finished the fourth edition.

List earned his J.D. from the University of Baltimore in 1985. He graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with his bachelor’s degree in 1981.