About Letha Sgritta
Letha Sgritta McDowell built a legal foundation at Purdue University and earned her J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law in 2004. She also attended Wake Forest University the same year. Those early academic steps led to a steady career in elder law and estate practice.
She entered private practice soon after law school and was a partner at Oast & Hook beginning in 2005. Over the next decade she worked in firm settings that emphasized trusts, estates and elder law. Records show she served at Oast & Taylor PLC in 2012 and later became a shareholder at Hook Law in 2016. In 2015 she provided subject matter expertise and consulting services for InterActive Legal. In 2024 she is associated with McDowell Law Group, PLLC.
McDowell has admitted practice before multiple jurisdictions, including Virginia and North Carolina, and she is listed for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. That credential set aligns with a practice that frequently deals with multi-jurisdictional estate and probate matters and issues that touch federal venues.
Her professional credentials reflect a long investment in elder law. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and an ACTEC Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estates Counsel. She holds certification from the National Elder Law Foundation as a Certified Elder Law Lawyer and is a Board Certified Specialist in Elder Law by the North Carolina State Bar. Those honors are tied to a steady involvement in professional organizations.
McDowell has held leadership and board roles. She served as past president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and remains active in NAELA’s North Carolina chapter as a board member. She belongs to VAELA and has been connected to the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel since 2023. Her work in the community has included time on the Norfolk SPCA board and local estate planning councils in Hampton Roads.
Her clients tend to be older adults, families handling probate and trust administration, and fiduciaries seeking counsel on long-term care planning and asset protection. Her written and organizational roles over the years suggest a lawyer comfortable in both courtroom and advisory settings. She currently practices at McDowell Law Group, PLLC, handling elder law, estate planning and fiduciary matters.
