Overview
Sarah Messersmith is an attorney in the firm’s Estate, Trust & Wealth Transfer Practice Group, where she provides compassionate, strategic counsel to clients navigating all aspects of estate planning and administration.
Sarah helps individuals and families plan for the future and administer estates with care and precision. She advises clients on the preparation of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance medical directives, and frequently assists with tax planning and business succession strategies. Sarah’s practice also includes guiding executors and trustees through the complex processes of probate and trust administration following a loved one’s death. Her background in real estate and corporate matters allows her to address a broad range of issues for clients with business ownership interests and substantial property holdings.
Sarah is known for her compassionate guidance, skillful handling of complex family dynamics, and efficiency in managing high-value estates. She works to ensure that every client’s plan reflects both their financial and personal priorities, from preserving family harmony to protecting long-term wealth.
In addition to her private practice, Sarah serves as Commissioner of Accounts for the City of Hampton, reviewing fiduciary filings for estates, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships. She is recognized by her peers for her professionalism and dedication to the community and has been named among The Best Lawyers in America and CoVaBIZ Magazine’s Top Lawyers.
Read Less
Representative Matters
Represented estates involving substantial assets, multiple beneficiaries, issues about advancement of inheritance and complex accounting reports to the Commissioner of Accounts
Advised clients on sophisticated estate and tax planning matters, including the creation and funding of revocable living trusts and trusts for minor beneficiaries.
Represented estates with significant real estate portfolios requiring strategic disposition through sale, exchange, or distribution to beneficiaries.
Guided business-owning families through estate administration, including preparation of corporate and company documents to transfer ownership interests.
Recognition & Honors
Honors & Recognitions
Best Lawyers in America, 2024-2026
Virginia’s Legal Elite; Virginia Business Magazine, 2025
Top Lawyers; CoVaBIZ Magazine, 2019-2022
Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Stars; Estate Planning and Probate, 2017-2019
LEAD Peninsula, Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Class of 2016
Junior League of Hampton Roads Liz Jones Community Commitment Award, 2014
Articles Editor; William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law, 2004–2005
Press & Publications
News
Speaking Engagements
Community & Professional
Associations
Commissioner of Accounts; 8th Judicial Circuit, Virginia, 2020-present
- Virginia Conference of Commissioner of Accounts
Virginia Living Museum, Board of Trustees, 2018-present
- President, 2024-present
- President Elect, 2022 – 2024
- Secretary, 2020 – 2022
Peninsula SPCA, Director Emeritus
– Board of Directors, 2013 – 2023
– President, 2020 – 2021
– First Vice President, 2016 – 2019
– Chair, Fur Ball Committee, 2014 – 2016
Hampton Public Library Foundation, Board of Directors, 2016 – 2021
- President, 2019 – 2021
- Secretary/Treasurer, 2016 – 2018
Hampton Bar Association, 2005-present
Virginia Bar Association, 2005-present
- Young Lawyers Division Executive Council, 2006 – 2014
Newport News Bar Association, 2012-present
Peninsula Estate Planning Council, 2011-present
Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors, 2019 – 2021
Junior League of Hampton Roads, 2010 – 2014
- Publications Committee, 2011 – 2013
- Craft Beer Festival Committee, 2013 – 2014
- Liz Jones Community Commitment Award, 2014
Sarah Bonwell Hudgins Foundation, Board of Trustees, 2008 – 2017
- President, 2014 – 2017
- First Vice President, 2011 – 2014
- Associate Treasurer, 2010 – 2011
Credentials
Education
College of William & Mary; B.S., summa cum laude, 2002
William & Mary Law School; J.D., 2005
Beyond the Law
Outside the office, Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband and young son, gardening, and supporting local animal and conservation causes. A lifelong animal lover, she has served on the Peninsula SPCA Board and currently serves on the Virginia Living Museum Board of Trustees.
