About
Schwartz Montoya Legal, LLC
Schwartz Montoya Legal, LLC was established in 2023 by Matthew F. Schwartz, Esq. and John P. Montoya, Esq. as a successor organization to Lange Legal Group, LLC. Matt and John are honored to serve the community by providing the services previously offered by Lange Legal Group, who for over 30 years served the legal needs of over 3,000 clients, a clientele comprised of individuals, families, and businesses who have trusted us with their most valuable and precious assets. Matt and John are committed to providing the most innovative and sound estate planning and administration strategies available.
Most estate planning firms are only focused on what happens after death and are not proactive in offering lifetime transfer of wealth advice. We review these considerations with you and provide advice regarding lifetime gifts to family members, Roth IRA conversions, and minimizing income taxes during life to maximize the inheritance for the next generation, just to name a few wealth transfer techniques.
Although estate planning certainly is analytical and quantitative in nature, the best solution may not always be the one that optimizes tax savings. In listening to the goals of our clients, we understand that often the best solution is the one that matches and helps foster the family’s values and objectives, regardless of the tax implications.
Along with our retirement and estate planning services, we partner with families to navigate the complicated paperwork involved with estate and trust administration, providing support to our clients through this difficult and highly emotional process. We will work with your family to implement your estate plan and provide comprehensive advice and recommendations throughout the administration process. We have introduced planning opportunities that both save taxes for families and help to get funds to younger family members at a time when they can most use the money.
Attorney Profiles
Matthew F.
Schwartz, Esq.
Attorney at LawMatt is a lifelong Pittsburgher who grew up in Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair. After high school, Matt attended Northwestern University graduating with a dual degree in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Economics and obtained his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. In 1997, Matt started his legal career with Thorp Reed & Armstrong as a benefits attorney and eventually found his calling as a retirement and estate planning attorney. After working with Cohen & Grigsby, Matt worked for Jim Lange as part of Lange Legal Group, LLC from 2003 until 2023. As the managing attorney for Lange Legal Group, Matt hired John P. Montoya, Esq. in 2017 to help manage and support his own growing practice while providing additional support for Jim’s legal practice. In 2023, Jim announced his desire to focus his time and energy on his financial practice, which allowed Matt and John the opportunity to form Schwartz Montoya Legal, LLC. Matt is honored to continue providing legal services to his existing clients and is excited to lead the growth of the new firm. Over the years, Matt has also realized the importance of giving back to the community through leadership roles with professional societies such as the Allegheny Tax Society and the Probate & Trust Section of the Allegheny Bar Association and nonprofit organizations including the Pittsburgh Foundation and Temple Emanuel of South Hills. Although Matt is proud of his professional accomplishments, he is most proud of his family that includes Beth, a hospice social worker and his wife of 26 years, his daughter, Rebecca now a materials engineer in Boston and his daughter, Anna, studying sustainable business at Indiana University in Bloomington. Matt does his best to return calls or respond to emails within 24 hours.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to Matt at matt@pghestateplan.com or at 412-419-1005.
John P.
Montoya, Esq.
Attorney at LawJohn was born and raised in West Virginia after his parents decided to move from Connecticut to start a life in the country. After high school, John attended the University of Pittsburgh, graduating with a degree in Psychology and fell in love with the city he now calls home. John remained with his alma mater and obtained his law degree in 2006 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. John started his legal career with Eckert Seamans providing oversight for a large-scale document review project. In 2008 John joined PNC Bank as a Trust Officer and Fiduciary Manager and worked at PNC for nearly 10 years, providing fiduciary, risk, and compliance oversight for its trust department. In 2017, John was introduced to Matthew F. Schwartz, Esq. to discuss an opportunity to practice as an estate planning attorney and later that year John started working with Matt and Jim Lange as part of Lange Legal Group, LLC. John is thankful to Jim and Matt for the opportunity to fulfill a goal held since law school. In 2023, Jim announced his desire to focus his time and energy on his financial practice, which allowed Matt and John the opportunity to form Schwartz Montoya Legal, LLC. John is honored to help grow the new firm. While clients are always at the forefront, John also finds it rewarding to be involved with the community as a member of professional organizations like the Allegheny Tax Society and the local and state bar associations, as a mentor and volunteer for pro bono legal service clinics, and working with nonprofit organizations like the Pittsburgh Foundation. John and his wife Lindsay live in their Greenfield fixer-upper with their two children and two dogs, and they still find some time to play Ultimate Frisbee and board games with friends.
John can be reached at john@pghestateplan.com or at 412-419-1005.
Rhonda L.
Round
Paralegal & NotaryRhonda was born and raised in Pittsburgh. After high school she attended Bradford Business School, graduating in 1999 with an associate degree in Specialized Business – Legal Administration. Immediately after graduation (literally the following Monday), Rhonda embarked on what would become the start of her extensive legal career. For 19 years Rhonda worked with Rosenwasser and Horovitz and assisted with estate planning, divorce and custody matters. After their retirement and helping the partners to wind down the office, Rhonda joined Abernathy & Hagerman in 2018 as an Estate Paralegal and worked with the firm for the next 2 years. In 2020 Rhonda decided take a break from the law firm setting and joined DeBlasio & Associates as a tax preparer. After 2 years of full-time tax preparation, Rhonda decided to return to the legal field and joined Lange Legal Group, LLC in November of 2022. While she has a love for the legal field, Rhonda also has experience with personal taxes, fiduciary returns and inheritance taxes. Taxes always fascinated Rhonda and after a nudge from her mom, she started her tax career in 2002 and worked with H&R Block to prepare income tax returns, still handling a few to this day. Rhonda passed the IRS Registered Tax Return Preparer Test in 2012 and became a Pennsylvania Notary Public in July of 2018. Rhonda’s passion is helping clients with their estate planning and she is a resource and wonderfully supportive to family members after a loved one passes away. With the transition from Lange Legal Group, LLC to Schwartz Montoya Legal, LLC, Rhonda is excited to work with our existing and new clients. Rhonda and her family still live in her childhood neighborhood. She enjoys spending time with her dogs, reading and gardening.
Rhonda can be reached at rhonda@pghestateplan.com or at (412) 419-1005.
Sue S.
Jeffries
Client Support Manager & NotarySue is the point of contact for all of our clients at Schwartz Montoya Legal. With over twenty years’ experience in client service and process management, Sue is a skilled listener for each client’s unique needs. She seamlessly guides clients through the process, whether it is Estate Planning, Estate Administration, inquiries, or problem-solving as a liaison between you and your attorney.
Sue can be reached at sue@pghestateplan.com or at (412) 419-1005.