Wills, Trusts & Estates

I enjoy custom drafting trusts and designing estate plans. I charge a flat fee for a complete trust package including a first and final draft of the trust, "pourover" will(s); durable power(s) of attorney; advance health care directive(s); deed to transfer personal residence to the trust; preliminary change of ownership report; account retitling letter(s); coordination of beneficiary designations on non-trust assets; and a detailed letter of instruction. If there is a complicated situation, such as a family business, multiple properties in other states, additional hourly fees will apply. I enjoy complicated and simple estate planning, solving problems and working with families.

• Charitable Giving
• Charitable Trusts
• Drafting Trusts
• Drafting Wills
• Estate Administration
• Estate Planning
• Living Trusts
• Living Wills
• Probate
• Power of Attorney
• Special Needs Trust
• Revocable Trust & Irrevocable Trust

CA, Dec 1988
Bar Number: 138738

Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law

California State Court

State Bar of California

I continuously strive to stay current with legislation, case law and trends in the areas of estate planning, probate and elder law. I typically complete at least three times as much continuing education as the State Bar requires.

I have drafted over 1000 trusts and represented over 1300 individuals and families. I have assisted many clients' families with settling their estates after the clients have died. The families have been pleased and surprised by how fast, simple and inexpensive the process can be when the client has a properly drafted and funded revocable living trust.

1

California

Our focus is on estate planning, probate, estate administration, special needs trusts and charitable gifting. I work with individuals and families who want to simplify their estates for their heirs and minimize taxes and transfer fees.

I come to the estate planning field with a background in counseling. Before law school, I was a career counselor at Hartnell College in Salinas. I have a degree in marriage and family counseling, which helps in advising families and individuals. I also worked for a few years in financial planning.

I regularly provide free public service seminars on a variety of estate planning topics, which are offered through local charities and churches. We have a bookkeeping service associated with our law firm, which is partly owned by my wife. The firm only works with personal bookkeeping and does bill paying, file and tax organization, and utilizes Quicken and QuickBooks.

Paralegals: Candace Evans and Linda Agrati

(831) 622-8802

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, Saturday by appointment

I have emergency after hours at an extra charge.

Yes

None

Trust Packages range from $995 for a single person with outright distributions to $3,000 or so for a couple with a $7 million net worth (or more) taxable estate and more complex planning issues. Call for a personalized quote.

$270 per hour for attorney work; $90 per hour for paralegal work; $45 per hour for assistant or bookkeeping work

I offer an initial consultation of up to 30 minutes without charge, after which my normal hourly rate will apply.

One half of trust fee is due upon retention; the balance is due upon completion. Hourly work for new clients requires a down payment of 1/2 of estimated charges, which will be placed in trust account and billed against as work is completed. Clients are expected to pay within 30 days of billing statement.