Julia G. Henry

Julia’s practice is focused on the development and administration of trusts and estates, including special needs trusts and the estates of incapacitated adults, with particular attention to the unique needs and challenges of each individual client’s situation. The combination of her education, experience as an attorney and entrepreneur, and compassionate nature allows Julia to give her clients skilled and cutting-edge legal counsel while also helping them to navigate the understandably emotional aspects of this area of the law.

Practicing both Virginia and North Carolina law, Julia developed her practice in estate planning and administration in her hometown area of Martinsville and Danville, Virginia, where she enjoyed serving a broad range of clients with diverse needs. She then joined a large firm in the Washington, D.C. area, where she gained valuable experience working with young professionals, entrepreneurs, and high net worth individuals to create tax, estate, and charitable giving planning crafted to adapt over time as families and businesses grow. 

In developing each client’s estate plan, Julia draws on a broad range of techniques from basic wills and revocable trusts to more complex strategies, including self-settled and third party special needs and supplemental needs trusts, incapacity planning, generation-skipping and dynasty trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, qualified domestic trusts for non-citizen spouses, and the creation and use of family entities, to reduce the impact of wealth transfer taxes as well as the administrative burden on future generations.  In addition, Julia works with clients to modify and decant existing trusts to ensure they are compatible with changes in the law and the clients’ circumstances, and to assist with the administration of trusts and estates after the loss of a loved one.

As Julia settles into Durham during this unique time, she spends her time with her husband and son, exploring the outdoor spaces in Durham and the surrounding areas, enjoying the local food scene, and improving her photography and singing skills.  Once the Covid-19 quarantines are behind us, Julia looks forward to traveling, visiting DPAC, getting to know her new home, and finding out how she can be of assistance to the community, particularly in the local arts and music scene.

Julia intends to sit for the Estate Planning and Probate Administration examination in the Fall of 2021 to become a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Administration.

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EDUCATION & ADMISSIONS

  • J.D., Wake Forest University School of Law
  • B.A., College of William and Mary, English and Music
  • Licensed to practice in North Carolina and Virginia

PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC ACTIVITY

  • Member, North Carolina Bar Association
  • Member, Virginia State Bar
  • Member, Durham County Bar Association
  • Member, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)

PRACTICE AREAS