Email Scott Alperin directly at [email protected]
Over the last quarter-century, I’ve been fortunate enough to develop a law firm that I am proud to bear my family’s name. Although my paternal grandparents and maternal great-grandparents were immigrants from Eastern Europe, I have strong roots in the local community, being the third generation to call Hampton Roads, Virginia my home.
We truly have a family environment here at Alperin Law, both literally and figuratively. Not only does our warm and inviting atmosphere make you feel as if you are at a family gathering as soon as you enter our lobby and meet our staff, but you are actually with my family. In his retirement, my father Calvin came on board at Alperin Law to take on the role of client concierge. In true, old-school fashion, his goal (as well as mine and the entire firm) is to ensure that every client gets treated like royalty, or at least like family.
My Background
Born and raised in Norfolk, I attended Norfolk Academy from Grades 1-12. It wasn’t easy for my parents to send me to private school, as my father worked for the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and my mother was a pre-school teacher. As a result of the many sacrifices my parents made over the years to make sure I received a good education, for which I will forever be grateful, I attended the University of Virginia, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in French Language and Literature.
After spending a year in Paris to continue my education and to pursue my dream of immersing myself in French culture and language, I applied to law school from my dorm room in the southern part of Paris. In 1994, I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Baltimore School of Law, earning my Juris Doctor Degree. There, I developed a passion for the law and served as a member of Law Review as well as the Associate Articles Editor of the University of Baltimore Law Forum, while also receiving the American Jurisprudence Award in Constitutional Criminal Procedure.
After serving as a judicial intern for the Honorable William N. Nickerson of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, following law school I was rewarded with a position as Law Clerk to the Honorable Glenn T. Harrell, Jr. of the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland. I began my practicing legal career in the fields of land use planning and zoning and commercial and residential real estate transactions at a respected law firm in Rockville, Maryland. Soon thereafter I met my wife (a Portsmouth native) and returned home to Hampton Roads in 1997.
Back home, I continued my real estate and land use practice, but also expanded into estate planning, business law, and elder law, as well as tax-deferred exchanges. I now represent clients in all matters relating to estate planning, elder law, special needs planning, estate and trust administration, asset protection, business law, business succession planning, residential and commercial real estate, and tax-deferred exchanges.
My Professional Affiliations and Designations
I am proud to have earned an AV Preeminent® rating by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, which is the highest peer rating standard available to practicing attorneys. An AV Preeminent® rating signifies that a large number of my peers rank me at the highest level of professional excellence for my legal knowledge, communication skills, and ethical standards.
I have also been awarded the coveted designation of Estate Planning Law Specialist, which is an American Bar Association-accredited designation for attorneys who have demonstrated a high level of professionalism, skill, and knowledge in the area of estate planning law. In addition, I am an Accredited Estate Planner®, a designation bestowed upon estate planning professionals who have the highest standards of knowledge, skill, ethical conduct, and experience in estate planning. Recently, I was voted by my fellow attorneys and the public as being one of the top trusts and estates lawyers in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area by Coastal Virginia Magazine.
For over a decade, I have been a member of WealthCounsel, a national organization of over 2,500 lawyers who share their experience and wisdom, and who are committed to serving estate planning clients with a high level of dignity and excellence. I am currently serving as the president of the Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, which is dedicated to improving the quality of legal services to people as they age as well as those with special needs. I am a past president of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, a diverse community of accomplished professionals whose common purpose is to deliver the highest level of ethical service to their clients. In addition, I am an active member of the Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council, whose mission is to promote a multi-disciplinary approach to helping clients create a thorough and comprehensive estate plan consistent with their specific goals and objectives. I have also been involved with the Academy of Special Needs Planners, the Financial Planning Association, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, and the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association.
Starting in the fall of 2023, I will be serving as an adjunct professor at William and Mary Law School where I will be teaching an elder law course. Through engaging lectures, class discussions, and practical exercises, I hope to prepare students to serve as effective advocates for the elderly and to promote their legal rights and interests. I look forward to working with the university community and contributing to the education of the next generation of legal professionals.
Why An Estate Planning And Elder Law Attorney Gives Back to the Community
Community involvement is critical to our mission at Alperin Law. Because we are able to experience first-hand on a daily basis which organizations and community resources are most beneficial to our clients, volunteering in those organizations and charities is a natural extension to what we do to serve our client base. For example, as an elder law attorney who regularly sees how dementia can affect individuals and families, I have been proud to have served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association over the past several years. As a Board member, it is rewarding to see what great progress we are making toward a cure for this terrible disease that robs its victims of their memories and even their personalities. We help educate clients and families who are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease about the support groups, respite opportunities, and other resources that are available to assist them right here in Hampton Roads.
I am also honored to serve on the Board of Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, an organization that provides a full spectrum of services to meet the health, education and welfare needs of individuals in the Hampton Roads community. From home health care to counseling to personal affairs management to food assistance, as well as a host of other benefits, Jewish Family Service makes a broad range of essential services available to the community at large, not just the Jewish community. JFS is an organization that helps everyone in many areas of need but has become particularly critical to meet the needs of the most vulnerable individuals in our society, in particular, the indigent aged, blind or disabled population who, if not for Jewish Family Service, would have no one to advocate for them.
As a natural adjunct to Alperin Law’s special needs planning practice area, it has been particularly rewarding for me to participate on the Board of Vanguard Landing, Inc., an I.R.C. 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to construct, own and operate an intentional special needs community in Virginia Beach where intellectually and developmentally disabled adults can live, work and recreate in a safe, campus-like setting that allows these special individuals to thrive and achieve their life’s full potential. This community will be the first of its kind in Virginia, and we hope to make it a model for similar communities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and elsewhere.
In My Free Time
When I’m not helping clients protect their families and assets or serving the community, I enjoy spending time with my wife, Lori, and my two children, Noah and Zoey. We love to travel to a wide range of destinations, but we particularly enjoy the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where we’ve developed some special family memories over the years since the kids were little. I also love the experience of mountain biking, which my son Noah has started to appreciate with me, as well as skiing, bodyboarding, hiking, and exploring nature.
Court Admissions & Bar Memberships
I am admitted to practice law in all State Courts in Maryland (1994), Georgia (1995), Virginia (1996), and North Carolina (2019). In addition, I am admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. I am a member of the American Bar Association and its Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, Virginia State Bar and its Trusts and Estates Section, the Virginia Beach Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar, and the Georgia State Bar.