Eleanor Weston Brown

Eleanor Weston Brown is a seasoned attorney whose practice centers on estate and tax planning, estate administration, and wealth transfer strategies. Her work blends technical tax knowledge with thoughtful planning to help clients protect assets and manage transitions. She is widely regarded for building lasting advisor relationships grounded in trust, clarity, and steady guidance.

Eleanor earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia. She later received her Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond School of Law. She advanced her legal training with an LL.M in Taxation from William and Mary Law School. She also clerked with the Appellate Division of the Internal Revenue Service.

Eleanor has been in private practice since 1985, handling complex tax-driven transactions across multiple sectors. Her experience includes mergers, acquisitions, tax-free reorganizations, tax-exempt entities, and tax controversies at all levels of government. This background strengthens her estate planning work, from straightforward wills to advanced generation skipping and charitable planning.

Eleanor brings a strong academic foundation to her legal career through years of teaching. She served as an Associate Professor of Law with tenure at Regent University School of Law. Her courses included Estate and Gift Tax, Corporate Tax, Wills and Trusts, Estate Planning, and Business Associations, reflecting her broad command of tax and estate law.

Eleanor has received numerous honors recognizing service, teaching, and legal excellence. These include the Hampton University Presidential Award for Outstanding Citizenship, the Faculty Award for Excellence in Service from Regent University, and repeated recognition as Professor of the Year. She has also been named among Virginia Business Magazine’s Legal Elite.

Eleanor Weston Brown is admitted to practice in Virginia and North Carolina, as well as before the United States Tax Court and the United States Supreme Court. She has served as Commissioner of Accounts for the City of Hampton and held leadership roles on public boards, applying legal insight to governance, redevelopment, and long-term community planning.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Patten, Wornom, Hatten & Diamonstein, L.C.
• Member, Virginia State Bar
• Member, North Carolina Bar Association
• Commissioner of Accounts, Circuit Court for the City of Hampton, Virginia (Judicial Appointment 2019-2023)
• Member, Peninsula Estate Planning Council

Licensed State

• Virginia
• North Carolina

Education

• William and Mary Law School
  Master of Law (LLM)
• University of Richmond School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of Virginia
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges