In 2020, Shari Fleming founded Our Legacy Matters — a community initiative focused on ownership and wealth retention in communities of color — not as a marketing project, but as a parallel institution to her legal practice, grounded in the same belief that legal tools for wealth transfer need to be accessible to the communities that have historically been excluded from them.
Overview
The Law Office of Shari Fleming is a Maryland-based estate planning and real estate law practice led by Shari Hathaway Fleming, an attorney with an unusually dense set of professional credentials spanning law, real estate, academia, and philanthropy. Fleming was admitted to the Maryland State Bar in 2008 and has since built a practice that straddles the intersection of estate planning, real estate transactions, and wealth-building guidance for individuals and families.
What distinguishes this firm from a standard estate planning practice is the breadth of Fleming’s professional licensure. In addition to her law degree, she holds the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation, the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) credential, a Maryland Associate Real Estate Broker license, and a Maryland Title Producer license. She is also a court-designated civil mediator and a Notary Public. That combination means she can handle not only the legal instruments of estate planning — wills, trusts, powers of attorney — but also the real estate transactions that frequently intersect with estate matters, and the philanthropic planning that high-net-worth clients sometimes incorporate into their estates.
Fleming also serves as Planned Giving Officer for Bowie State University and teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus and Howard Community College, as well as real estate continuing education courses. That academic engagement reflects a systematic approach to legal knowledge that goes beyond client service.
The firm is located in Owings Mills, Maryland, serving clients in the greater Baltimore area and across Maryland.
Practice Areas
Estate Planning. The firm prepares wills, trusts, and related planning documents. With an AEP designation and nearly two decades of practice, Fleming handles estates ranging from basic planning for first-time clients to more complex structures involving charitable giving and real estate assets.
Trust and Estate Administration. Following a death or incapacity, the firm guides executors, trustees, and beneficiaries through the administration process, including asset collection, creditor resolution, probate compliance, and distribution.
Probate. The firm handles Maryland probate proceedings for estates that must pass through the court system, as well as advising on probate avoidance strategies in the planning stage.
Real Estate Transactions. Fleming’s real estate broker license and title producer license allow her to advise on real estate transactions from the legal side. She handles the documentation, title review, and legal aspects of residential real estate transactions.
Business Formation and Succession Planning. The firm assists clients with establishing business entities and with succession planning — the legal structures through which business ownership transfers to the next generation or to new owners upon death or retirement.
Charitable and Planned Giving. The CAP designation (Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy) reflects training in charitable giving strategies. Fleming’s role as Planned Giving Officer for Bowie State University puts this training into active practice. The firm advises individual clients on incorporating charitable gifts into their estate plans through vehicles such as charitable trusts, donor-advised funds, and planned gift structures.
Attorney Profiles
Shari Hathaway Fleming is the principal attorney and founder of the practice. She earned her B.S. in History and B.S. in Black Studies from Lincoln University Pennsylvania, graduating magna cum laude. She earned her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and was admitted to the Maryland State Bar in 2008. Her post-J.D. credentials include: Accredited Estate Planner (AEP), Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP), Maryland Associate Real Estate Broker, Maryland Title Producer, court-designated civil mediator, and Notary Public. She has been recognized by The Daily Record as a 2021 Leadership in Law Generation J.D. honoree. She serves as Planned Giving Officer for Bowie State University and teaches at the University of Maryland Global Campus, Howard Community College, and in real estate continuing education programs. In 2020 she founded Our Legacy Matters, a community focused on ownership and wealth retention in communities of color.
Location and Service Area
10451 Mill Run Cir Suite 400, Owings Mills, MD 21117. Phone: 410-316-6800. Email: [email protected]. Website: https://sharifleming.com/
Note: The firm’s website also lists 10821 Red Run Boulevard, Suite 1611, Owings Mills, MD 21117. Clients should confirm the current office location when scheduling. The firm uses a client portal via MyCase for document management and communication.
Service area: Maryland, with particular focus on the Owings Mills and greater Baltimore area.
Client Focus
The Law Office of Shari Fleming serves individuals and families who need estate planning, estate administration, and real estate legal services. The firm has a particular orientation toward clients in communities of color who may have had limited prior access to estate planning services, reflecting Fleming’s founding of Our Legacy Matters in 2020 as a community initiative around wealth retention.
Clients who need philanthropic planning integrated into their estate plans benefit from Fleming’s CAP credential and her working experience as a planned giving officer at an active university. The multi-license structure — law, real estate broker, title producer — means clients who are both estate planning and buying or selling property can work with the same attorney across both matters.
No foreign language capabilities beyond English are specified for this firm.
FAQ
What is the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation?
The AEP designation is awarded by the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils to attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, financial advisors, and insurance professionals who meet substantial experience and education requirements in estate planning. Holding an AEP alongside a law degree signals advanced commitment to the field beyond basic bar admission.
What is the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) credential?
The CAP is awarded by the American College of Financial Services and is designed for advisors who work with clients on charitable giving. It reflects training in the legal and financial structures of charitable planning, including planned gifts, charitable trusts, and donor-advised funds. Fleming also works as a planned giving officer at Bowie State University, meaning she applies this training professionally outside her private practice.
Does Shari Fleming handle real estate transactions, or only estate planning?
Both. Fleming holds a Maryland Associate Real Estate Broker license and a Maryland Title Producer license in addition to her law degree. The firm handles real estate transactions and estate planning, which frequently intersect when property passes through an estate or trust.
What is Our Legacy Matters?
Our Legacy Matters is a community initiative founded by Shari Fleming in 2020 centered on ownership and wealth retention in communities of color. It operates parallel to her legal practice and reflects an interest in making wealth-transfer tools accessible to communities that have historically underutilized them.
Is the Daily Record Leadership in Law award a peer recognition or a self-nomination?
The Daily Record’s Leadership in Law program recognizes attorneys who have made notable contributions to the legal profession in Maryland. Fleming received the Generation J.D. honor in 2021, which specifically recognizes early-to-mid career attorneys who have demonstrated impact in their practice and community.
Closing
A practice built on the convergence of estate planning, real estate, philanthropy, and community-focused wealth education gives The Law Office of Shari Fleming a scope that goes beyond what most estate planning boutiques offer — matched by a credential set that spans law, real estate, planned giving, and mediation.