ATTORNEY PROFILE
Margaret A. O’Reilly is an estate planning and elder law attorney with over thirty-five years of legal experience. Attorney O’Reilly graduated from Duke University with a degree in psychology, and received her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts. For over 15 years, Attorney O’Reilly focused her practice on personal injury and medical malpractice litigation, representing injured persons in claims for compensation and benefits. Because of her work with the families of her clients, she developed an interest in end-of-life decision making and the ethical issues – both biomedical and legal – confronting families who are faced with these decisions. She studied health law and bioethics, and redirected her practice to the area of elder law. She continues to have a particular interest in health care decision-making and the difficult issues confronted by families in caring for an elderly relative.
Born and raised in Fairfax County, Attorney O’Reilly practiced law in the Boston area for 25 years before returning to northern Virginia in the fall of 2003. She is active in several community and non-profit groups, and serves on the board of directors for the Herndon Rotary Club and Arts Herndon. She is a frequent instructor for both legal and community groups, including Virginia Continuing Legal Education, the National Business Institute, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute of George Mason University.
Attorney O’Reilly is certified as a specialist in elder law by the National Elder Law Foundation, and has been selected as a member of the Council of Advanced Practitioners of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. She serves on the board of directors of the Virginia Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Attorney O’Reilly has been selected every year from 2014-2023 to the Virginia Super Lawyers list, an honor reserved for those lawyers who exhibit excellence in practice. Only 5% of attorneys in Virginia receive this distinction. Ms. O’Reilly also has been selected by her peers for inclusion in the 30th edition (2023) of “Best Lawyers in America”. She is recognized as a “Super Lawyer” in the field of elder law, and as one of the top elder law attorneys in the greater Washington DC area by Washingtonian Magazine, in December 2022. Margaret A. O’Reilly, PC is included by US News & World Report in their 2020 Best Law Firms list. Firms in the list are recognized for professional excellence with consistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise. Margaret O’Reilly, PC is ranked as one of the “Best Law Firms” for the DC area in 2017 by BestLawyers.com.
She focuses her practice in the fields of estate planning, elder law, trust and estate administration, guardianships, and special needs planning.
BUSINESS MANAGER
Matt Scheeser, a native of Sandusky, Ohio, is the business manager for the Law Office of Margaret A. O’Reilly. He maintains the books and records and is responsible for the financial side of the business. Mr. Scheeser also gathers information and makes edits for estate planning documents, files deeds with the local courts, and serves as the client liaison for any issues that may arise. He has worked with the Law Office since its founding in July 2012, having worked with Ms. O’Reilly in other financial and artistic capacities for the previous ten years. In 2022, Mr. Scheeser became an Enrolled Agent and is admitted to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. In Mr. Scheeser’s spare time, he plays the organ and sings for local area churches, and travels internationally whenever he gets a chance.
OFFICE MANAGER
Linda Powell joined our staff in November 2012 as Office Manager. When you contact us, she is the person that answers your call. You may contact Linda to schedule your office appointment. Linda’s prior experience ranges from data processing and personal computers to customer service. Linda grew up in the Washington, DC metropolitan area (Montgomery County), and has lived in the northern Virginia area since 1971. She also thinks of herself as an “upstate New York” person from her years at Syracuse University. She has a BA in journalism and political science and she still bleeds “orange” during college basketball season. Linda enjoys cooking, a good mystery novel, vacations to the Outer Banks and walks to Algonkian Park. She has two married daughters in the area and five grandchildren.