James F. Anderson was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania. After high school, he attended Gannon University where he was an active member of Zeta Beta Tau, Phi Alpha Delta, Pi Sigma Alpha and Phi Alpha Theta. He graduated summa cum laude with degrees in History and Political Science, and was recognized for academic excellence in Political Science.

James went on to attend the George Mason University School of Law, where he focused his studies the areas of estate planning, business law, and tax law. He earned his Juris Doctorate in 2008 and has been engaged in the practice of law ever since. James’ major practice areas are Estate Planning and Trust and Estate Administration, but he also assists clients with Guardianship and Conservatorship issues, contract and dispute negotiations, and contract preparation and review.

Giving back to the community and sharing valuable legal information with members of the public has always been an important component of James’ legal practice. While at George Mason, James participated in the Legal Clinic for Assistance to Service Members and Veterans; assisting active duty service members with a variety of legal issues, and he continued to assist the Legal Clinic by acting as a supervising attorney for clinic members following his graduation. James has also volunteered his time to the Wills for Heroes program, which provided free estate planning services to local police, firefighters, and other first responders, when those programs were organized in the counties of Prince William, Fauquier, and Arlington.

Lastly, in an effort to make good information more available to members of the Northern Virginia community at large, James has consistently given presentations on various estate planning topics to numerous community groups and organizations as well as presentations that were open to the general public.

Bar Admissions

• Virginia
• District of Columbia
• Maryland

Bar Associations

• Virginia State Bar
• District of Columbia Bar
• Maryland State Bar
• Arlington County Bar Association, Co-Chair of the Trusts & Estates Section
• McLean Estate Planning Council

Awards

• Arlington Magazine Top Lawyer, Trusts & Estates, 2024
• Arlington Magazine Top Lawyer, Trusts & Estates, 2019

Articles

• What Will Your Loved Ones Need to Know? Preparing a Letter of Instruction, October 30, 2020
• Integrating Disclaimers into Bypass/Tax Shelter Trust Provisions in 2018 and Beyond, February 28, 2018
• Standby Guardians for Minors, April 14, 2020