Track record
US$2 million judgment against trustee
Obtained US $2 million judgment against trustee in San Francisco County Probate Court for trust beneficiary following a multi-week bench trial. Trustee was surcharged for breaches of fiduciary duty in connection with sub-trust funding and trust administration.
Beneficiary of life insurance policy
Obtained summary judgment in favor of the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, defeating claims of other family members who had petitioned the San Mateo County Probate Court to treat the policy as a trust asset.
Defense and award of attorney's fees
Complete defense and award of attorney's fees on behalf of an estate's executor following a three-day bench trial in Los Angeles County Probate Court. Defeated allegations the personal representative had stolen US $2 million of assets from the estate.
Charity beneficiaries
Represented charity beneficiaries in a removal action in San Diego County Probate Court and successfully had the estate's executor removed and a private professional fiduciary appointed.
Estate's administrator
Represented estate's administrator and forced the turnover of US $1 million in assets to a receiver appointed in San Mateo County Superior Court pending adjudication of the estate's claim to ownership in a disputed business.
Dismissal of estate negligence claim
Obtained dismissal of a negligence action filed against an enrolled agent in Napa County Superior Court.
Private professional fiduciary
Successfully defended a private professional fiduciary against a removal claim filed by the conservatee's child in a conservatorship proceeding, and maintained the favorable outcome through argument before the First District Court of Appeal.
Corporate trustee fiduciary duty
Defended a corporate trustee against claims of breach of fiduciary duty concerning trust administration and the sale of a multi-million dollar real estate portfolio. Case settled on favorable terms after three days of trial in San Diego County Superior Court in what was projected to be a three-week trial.
Talks
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'Guardians Of The (Trust) Galaxy: Trust Protectors Defined, Explained And Explored,' Professional Fiduciary Association of California (PFAC) - June 2, 2023, co-presenter
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'Recent Developments in Trust, Estate, and Conservatorship Law,' San Luis Obispo County Bar Association (Trusts and Estates Section) - May 31, 2023, co-presenter
- 'Trust Protectors,' Independent Trustee Alliance (ITA) Annual Conference - May 11, 2023, co-presenter
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'Trust Protectors,' California Lawyers Association - April 4, 2023, co-presenter
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'Estate planning, trust, and probate law: 2022 year in review,' Probate Attorneys of San Diego (PASD) - March 15, 2023, co-presenter
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'If There's a Trust, Why Is There a Fight?,' The Ron Greenwald Show - February 28, 2023, speaker
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'Overview of Trusts and Estates Practice,' University of San Diego School of Law - February 23, 2023, co-presenter
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'Trust protectors,' Professional Fiduciary Association of California (PFAC) - January 11, 2023, co-presenter
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'Recent Developments in California Trusts and Estate Law,' California Lawyers Association Annual Meeting - September 17, 2022, co-presenter
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'Recent Updates on Cases, Statutes and Fiduciary Regulations in Trust and Estate Law,' Professional Fiduciary Association of California (PFAC) - May 6, 2022, co-presenter
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'Virtual Lunch with Lawyers,' California Western School of Law - August 16, 2022, speaker
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'The Britney Effect: AB 1194 and Conservatorships in 2022,' Orange County Bar Association - April 22, 2022, co-presenter alongside Judge Hubbard, Commissioner Heisler, and Marilyn Kriebel LPF
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'Let's Get Digital! E-Discovery in Trust and Estate Litigation,' California Lawyers Association (CLA) - April 14, 2022, co-presenter
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'What's Sacramento Up To? 2021 Legislation and its Impact on Fiduciaries,' PFAC - San Diego Region - March 23, 2022, co-presenter
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'Let's Get Digital! E-Discovery in Trust and Estate Litigation,' San Mateo County Bar Association (SMBCA) - March 17, 2022, co-presenter
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'Recent Developments in Estate, Trust, and Probate Law,' Probate Attorneys of San Diego (PASD) - March 16, 2022, co-presenter
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'Case and Statutory Updates in Estate, Trust and Probate Law and California Fiduciary Regulations,' The 26th Annual PFAC Educational Conference - August 26, 2021, co-presenter
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'E-Discovery in Trust and Estate Litigation,' California Lawyers Association, Trust & Estate section 'Trust Me' podcast - May 6, 2021, speaker
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'Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law: 2020 Year in Review,' Trust & Estate Section of the San Diego Bar Association webinar - April 1, 2021, co-presenter
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'Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law: 2020 Year in Review,' Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Section of the La Jolla Bar Association webinar - March 11, 2021, co-presenter
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'Contested Nonprobate Transfers - When the Estate Plan Trumps,' California Lawyers Association - February 26, 2021, presenter
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'Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law: 2019 Year in Review,' Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Section of the San Diego County Bar Association webinar - July 15, 2020, co-presenter
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'Contested Nonprobate Transfers: When the Estate Plan Trumps,' Professional Fiduciary Association of California PFAC 2020 Annual Conference - June 4, 2020, presenter
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'Wine Not? California's New Decanting Act,' San Mateo County Bar Association Estate Planning & Probate Section - October 10, 2019, co-presenter
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'Probate Court: New Attorney Fundamentals,' San Diego County Bar Association - September 13, 2019, co-presented with Hon. Julia C. Kelety
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'Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law: 2018 Year in Review,' San Diego County Bar Association - March 14, 2019
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‘Wine Not? California's New Decanting Act,' First American Trust - February 4 and 6, 2019
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'Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law: 2017 Year in Review,' San Diego County Bar Association - March 1, 2018
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'Incapacity & Undue Influence,' PCT Associate Training - Estate Planning Series, December 14, 2017