An Estate Planning Attorney Who Cares

Your Local Estate Planning Attorney

Acorn Law is a Pennsylvania law firm in the Telford / Souderton area owned and operated by Jonathan Atkinson. Acorn Law is focused exclusively on Estate Planning and Estate Administration. As an Estate Planning attorney, Jonathan is also knowledgeable about real estate law, tax law, family law, and business law, among others.

Jonathan’s interest in Estate Planning began when he was an intern for an estate planning lawyer in Virginia. Jonathan soon realized he loved the work, and decided then-and-there to start his own Estate Planning law firm. In Jonathan’s eyes, being an Estate Planning attorney allows him to work with real people, and provide a service that everyone needs.

Jonathan attended law school at George Mason University, in Arlington, Virginia. While there, he focused he studies on Taxation and Estate Planning, as well as taking courses in Business Associations, Nonprofit Law, and participating in an Innovation Law Clinic as a tax-track student.

An Estate Planning Attorney Who Cares

Before pursuing a career in the legal field, Jonathan had a variety of interests.  Growing up, he was sure he was going to become a youth pastor, because he always wanted to help those around him. He spent a year at an internship program started by the church he grew up in, but while he appreciated the formative experience, he realized that being a youth pastor wasn’t right for him.

From there, Jonathan left British Columbia to attend the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University. Jonathan originally intended to study Sociology and Psychology, because understanding and helping others was still his primary interest. However, he found that Sociology was too broad for his interests, and Psychology was too narrow. Instead, he found that his courses in the Great Books helped him understand people and the world around him, and so ended up majoring in Theology and minoring in Philosophy.

Jonathan earned his Masters in Theological Studies from Villanova University, originally intending to become a theology professor and help lead other students through the same formative experience he had while in college. However, while there he realized that the best use of his own talents was not in academia, but the legal field.

Jonathan chose to pursue a law career because he was sure he could find good work to do, even though he wasn’t sure what it was when he started. Although he is now working as a lawyer, and not a youth pastor or a professor, it is still his love of people that drives him.

One of Jonathan’s Estate Planning professors made the point that “counselor” is one of the titles used for lawyers, and that their role is to give good counsel to their clients. Jonathan took that advice to heart. He sees Estate Planning as an opportunity to help people plan for what are very difficult times, and make sure that they do everything they can to take care of their family and ease their burdens.

When Jonathan works with clients, he isn’t just focused on the legal documents. We make an Estate Plan because we want to take care of others – financially and otherwise. Creating the documents is just the first part of that process – necessary, but not enough on it’s own. Jonathan works with his clients to help them understand what conversations they need to have with their loved ones to prevent conflict down the road, and helps them work through how best to broach difficult topics.

Settling Down in Small Town Pennsylvania

Acorn Law is named after the location of Jonathan’s first home on Acorn Avenue in Telford, Pennsylvania. After over a decade of post-secondary education and various jobs, Jonathan was relieved to finally settle down and begin a family. Once he finished law school, Jonathan and his wife Lily moved to Telford in late 2021 to be in the community they wanted to raise their children in. They welcomed their first child – David – shortly after moving into their new home.

Both Jonathan and Lily quickly fell in love with their new home town. They are getting to know their neighbors, participating in local events, and becoming part of the community. Everyone they met has been friendly, and they enjoy going for walks around town and running into people they know – a change from the endless suburbs Jonathan grew up in.

Jonathan is originally from British Columbia, Canada, but after moving to the United States to pursue his undergraduate degree, he decided he never wanted to leave. His family attends St. Philip Orthodox Church in Souderton, and look forward to becoming involved with local businesses and organizations. They intend to settle down permanently in the Telford / Souderton area, and are excited to see how both they, and Acorn Law, can positively impact the community. You always find him at NGIV (Networking Group of Indian Valley) meetings, at Third Fridays in Souderton, and often at the Telford Night Market.

Jonathan currently serves as  secretary on the board of the Saint Justin Academy, a home-school co-op started by his church, and he and Lily lead the Young Adults ministry at St. Philip. He is also a member of the Montgomery County Bar Association and the Bucks County Bar Association. In January 2023, he will begin serving on the executive board of Souderton Connects, a local non-profit working to revitalize Souderton, as treasurer, and will chair the finance committee.

When not working, Jonathan enjoys cooking and baking, hosting dinners, gardening, home projects, board games, and figuring out how to raise the most adorable 1-year old there is.