Laura W Patton

Practice Summary

After serving over one thousand estate planning clients over the years here in California, that part of my practice is at capacity. I refer out almost all new estate planning clients, so that I can serve my existing clients with plan updates, and assist them with post-mortem needs when a family member dies. About 80% of my practice is now flat fee trust administration and probate work, which I do virtually using Zoom and email. I am accepting new clients for uncontested probates and trust administrations. In the last several years, I have developed a process to provide efficient and empathetic trust administration services. With the use of prescheduled regular meetings, we make progress on the paperwork and asset collection very quickly, and small issues don't become big ones. Flat fees give the Trustee clarity on the expenses in advance, so they can hold a smaller reserve. Families often save on income taxes by taking earlier deductions for administrative expenses like legal fees on the Trust tax return. I do not handle conflicts or contested litigation - those matters get referred out. I am interested in working with families to provide harmonious and professional services to protect the trustees/executors from liability and preserve their family relationships in spite of the stress that money issues can cause.