Leslie Ruth Stallknecht, Esq.
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Background
Leslie Ruth Stallknecht is a local attorney, having graduated first in her class from Gar-Field
High School in Woodbridge, Virginia in 1968. Leslie Ruth then obtained her undergraduate
degree from the College of William and Mary, her Master's degree in English from Syracuse
University, and in 1979, her law degree, magna cum laude, from Syracuse University. Leslie
Ruth worked as a judicial law clerk in the Onondaga County Court System in Syracuse, New
York, and joined the law firm of Westmoreland, Patterson & Moseley in Macon, Georgia in
1981 as an associate attorney. From 1982 to 1985, Leslie Ruth also taught legal writing and
served as an Adjunct Professor in the law clinic of Mercer University's Walter F. George School
of Law in Macon, Georgia. In 1985, Leslie Ruth and her husband, Karl M. Rice, moved to
Woodbridge, Virginia, and opened the firm now known as Rice & Stallknecht, P.C.
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Leslie Ruth practices law mainly in the area of wills, trusts, estate planning, and estate
administration. She regularly drafts both revocable and irrevocable trusts, wills, general and
special powers of attorney, and advance medical directives (living wills). She also works in
the area of special needs trusts, and assists clients with forming both third-party and self-settled
special needs trusts. Leslie Ruth especially enjoys assisting and advising clients regarding
the complexities of being a court- appointed Executor or Trustee, including record-keeping
responsibilities and preparing the estate Inventory and Annual Accountings to submit to the
Commissioner of Accounts.
Some of her favorite work has been in the area of wills and trusts. She prides herself on making
the process as simple as possible for the client. She stresses that not everyone needs a living
trust, and a formal probate process might be avoided or minimized through more simple planning
techniques depending upon the client's individual and family situation. Although in recent years
many do-it-yourself will and trust products have appeared on the market, Leslie Ruth feels very
strongly that in many, if not most, cases, bringing an attorney into the process can help to avoid
many pitfalls. She has lectured widely on the subject of estate planning.
Although Leslie Ruth is not currently practicing Social Security disability law, she has extensive
experience in representing disabled clients at the application, hearing, appeals, and Federal Court
appellate review levels. This experience has made her more sensitive to the challenges that
many older clients may face as they age, and has given her a working knowledge of Medicare
and Medicaid issues. That knowledge is particularly helpful in the estate planning process.
Leslie Ruth is admitted to practice in Virginia and New York.
Civic Activities
Leslie Ruth has represented the Dumfries Magisterial District of Prince William County on the
Citizens Advisory Committee to review the water and sewer elements of the Comprehensive
Plan, and she has served as Chairman of the Citizens Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee
and Chairman of the Citizens Disney Review Advisory Committee. Leslie Ruth was a member of the School Board of St. Francis of Assisi School in Triangle, Virginia, for many years and
served as its Chairman for several of those years. Leslie Ruth particularly enjoyed her years as
Secretary of the Finance Council of St. Francis of Assisi Parish and Secretary of the Principal's
Advisory Council of Forest Park High School.
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