Attorney, Shareholder, CELA

Letha Sgritta McDowell

757-399-7506
252-722-2890
757-397-1267

Letha Sgritta McDowell is a Shareholder of Hook Law practicing in the areas of estate planning, elder law, special needs planning, estate and trust administration, asset protection planning, long-term care planning, personal injury settlement consulting, guardianships & conservatorships, and tax law. Ms. McDowell’s clients range from high-net-worth individuals with over $75 million in net worth to families with limited assets.

Ms. McDowell is a past President of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and was named as a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Trusts and Estates Council (“ACTEC”) in 2020. She is certified as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation (“CELA”) and Board Certified as a specialist in Elder Law by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. Furthermore, McDowell is accredited to prepare and prosecute claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Ms. McDowell is currently the chair of NAELA’s strategic planning committee, a member of the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Chapter of NAELA, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Purdue Center for Cancer Research. She is the former Chair of the North Carolina State Bar’s Elder Law Specialization Committee and is the former Editor-in-Chief of “Gray Matters”, the newsletter for the Elder Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. She is a consultant for InterActive Legal and has worked on several law and technology initiatives including IBM’s Watson project. Along with her experience practicing as an attorney, she has dedicated much of her time writing for national publications including, but not limited to: Wolters Kluwer, Wealthmanagement.com, the NAELA Journal, Trust & Estates Magazine and many more.

Education

  • University of Maine’s School of Law | Juris Doctor, 2004
  • Purdue University | Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 2001

Memberships

  • Member of the Board of Directors for the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) – 2017-2023 
  • Member, VAELA
  • Member, NC NAELA
  • Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council
  • Fellow of NAELA

Bar Admissions

  • North Carolina State Bar
  • Virginia State Bar
  • United States District Court – Eastern District of North Carolina

Certifications

  • Elder Law Attorney certified by the National Elder Law Foundation
  • Board Certified as a specialist in Elder Law by the North Carolina State Bar
  • Board of Legal Specialization
  • Accredited to prepare and prosecute claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs

Honors and Awards

  • Rated AV preeminent 5.0/5.0 by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Super Lawyer Rising Star for 2014 – 2016, 
  • Super Lawyer 2018 – 2023

Publications

  • Elder Law Report (Wolters Kluwer)
  • Special Needs Trust Handbook (Wolters Kluwer)
  • Life Estates Revisited (Quinnipiac Probate Law Journal Vol 33, Issue 1, 2019)
  • Dead Celebrity Podcast – Marlon Brando: Loss Of Capacity (Welathmanagement.com Oct 2019)
  • Asset Protection Planning For Blended Families (NAELA Journal Nov 2017)
  • IRS Confirms Safety Of Qtip And Portability Elections (WG&L Estate Planning Journal Feb 2017)
  • Challenges To Eligibility For Health Coverage (Trusts & Estates Magazine Dec 2017)
  • Recent Developments And Trends In Elder Law (Trusts & Estates Magazine June 2017)
  • Asset Protection And Long-Term Care Planning For The Unmarried Couple (Trusts & Estates Magazine June 2018)
  • Ten Signs Your Client Has Dementia (Trusts & Estates Magazine July 2018)
  • Will Individuals With Disabilities Be Forced Into Nursing Homes? (Wealthmanagement.com Nov 2018)
  • Guns & Dementia (Wealthmanagement.com Oct 2018)
  • Protecting The Spouse Of A Client Needing Long-Term Care (Wealthmanagement.com February 2019)
  • Protecting The Spouse Of A Client Needing Long-Term Care (Wealthmanagement.com February 2019)