Trust Me

Show Notes: Licensed Professional Fiduciaries play a key role in the trusts and estates ecosystem in California. In this episode, we discuss the role that professional trustees play in trust administration, and the skills and experience they bring to bear in order to secure the legacies and wishes of the clients they serve.    About Our Guest:  Marguerite Lorenz is a California Licensed Professional Fiduciary and a Master Certified Independent Trustee. Marguerite is a managing partner at Lorenz Private Trustees. Marguerite serves as Vice Chair of the Board of the Independent Trustee Alliance, a national organization for trustees across the country. She speaks and writes frequently, and she authored the books Ethics for Trustees and Ethics for Trustees 2.0. Look for Marguerite’s new books, “Luck or Control”, and “How to be a Successful Ninety-Year-Old”, scheduled for release in late 2025. Marguerite can be reached at mlorenz@mytrustee.net or on LinkedIn. About Our Host:   Matt Owens is a partner in the San Diego (Del Mar) office of Sheppard Mullin. His practice is focused on trust, estate, and inheritance disputes. Matt is a certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), and he is a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM).  Matt can be reached at mowens@sheppardmullin.com or on LinkedIn. Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Cat Hammons and Todd Gajdusek

New laws were enacted in 2024 that affect California trust and estate practitioners. Join our two speakers, attorneys Jadene M. W. Tamura and Mara M. Mahana, on this episode as they describe the highlights of the new laws and how they affect trusts and estates practice, estate and trust litigation, incapacity proceedings, and more. About Our Podcast Speakers: Jadene M. W. Tamura is a Shareholder and Co-Chair of the Trusts & Estates Department at Parker Milliken, practicing in the areas of trust and estate planning, administration, and litigation. Jadene is a certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM). Jadene may be reached at jtamura@pmcos.com. Mara M. Mahana is a Senior Wealth Strategist and Executive Director at Wells Fargo Bank. Mara works with high- and ultra-high net worth clients to review, develop, and consult on estate and wealth transfer plans, taking into consideration clients’ unique values, needs and circumstances. Prior to joining Wells Fargo Bank, Mara was a practicing attorney with 20 years of experience in trust and estate law.  Mara is a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM). Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Cat Hammons and Todd Gajdusek

Complicated clients need complicated planning.  And as years go by, those complications may have led to the creation of multiple trusts for the next generation.  Children and grandchildren who benefit from those multiple trusts often come to their attorneys and ask, “What can we do to simplify?”  The top-of-mind answer for many planners is to find a way to combine these trusts.  In this episode of Trust Me!, our guests, Andrew Katzenstein and Cary Robbins of Proskauer Los Angeles, discuss what to consider when combining trusts.   About Our Guests: Andrew Katzenstein is a partner in the Private Client Services Department of Proskauer Los Angeles where he assists high net worth individuals, companies and charitable organizations with all aspects of tax and estate planning. He focuses his practice on tax planning matters, which include estate, gift and generation-skipping tax planning, as well as income tax of trust planning, probate and trust administration matters, resolving disputes between fiduciaries and beneficiaries, and charitable planning. Andrew can be reached at: akatzenstein@proskauer.com  Cary Robbins is a partner in the Private Client Services Department of Proskauer Los Angeles.  Cary provides sophisticated estate and tax planning advice to individuals and families, with an emphasis on the multigenerational transfer of wealth.  She works with clients from a variety of backgrounds, including real estate investors, entrepreneurs, business owners, private equity principals, and individuals with inherited wealth.  She also routinely counsels clients on their charitable giving and assists clients with the formation and administration of private foundations to meet their charitable goals. Cary can be reached at: crobbins@proskauer.com About Our Host: Host Anna Soliman is Trust Counsel and Chief Fiduciary Officer of Fiduciary Trust International of California. Prior to joining Fiduciary Trust International, Anna was an estate tax attorney for the Internal Revenue Service and also worked in private practice, specializing in estate planning and trust administration for ultrahigh net worth individuals.  She is also a TEXCOM member and the Vice-Chair of the Fiduciary Income Tax Section of the American Bar Association.  Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Cat Hammons and Todd Gajdusek

Show Notes: Breslin and Smith and Farrant, oh my! The road to speedy probate trials has become more challenging over the last few years due to recent case law. Practitioners who intend to steer their trust and estate litigation matters to trial must be prepared for the roadblocks they will face along the way. In this episode, two trust-and-estate litigators identify such roadblocks, as well as effective strategies for getting through them or avoiding them altogether. About Our Guest: Golnaz is a partner in the San Diego (Del Mar) office of Sheppard Mullin. Her practice focuses exclusively on disputes over trusts, estates, conservatorships and other fiduciary matters. Golnaz is a graduate of Loyola Law School and she is member of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association. She has been selected by Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers in the practice area of trust and estate litigation. Golnaz can be reached at gyazdchi@sheppardmullin.com. About Our Host:  Matt Owens is a partner in the San Diego (Del Mar) office of Sheppard Mullin. His practice is focused on trust, estate, and inheritance disputes. Matt is a certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM), and served as Chair of the Executive Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association's Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law Section. He is ranked by Chambers in Private Wealth Disputes. Matt can be reached at mowens@sheppardmullin.com or on LinkedIn. Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Cat Hammons and Todd Gajdusek

The aftermath of trust litigation brought by beneficiaries against trustees is too often a lawyer malpractice claim against the drafting lawyer.  Listen to Sean McKissick and Kristin Yokomoto discuss the 1958 balancing test applied to lawyer malpractice cases and the messages from the courts in recent cases.  About Our Guest:  Sean McKissick Sean McKissick is a partner at Downey Brand LLP in Sacramento, California, where he specializes in trust and estate litigation.  He serves as the Vice Chair of the Probate and Estate Planning Section of the Sacramento County Bar Association.  He is the current Editor of Trust on Trial, a blog focusing on trust and estate litigation in California that was founded by the Honorable Jeffrey Galvin prior to his ascension to the bench.  Listeners can receive Sean’s blog posts via email as they are posted by subscribing at https://www.trustontrial.com/subscribe/.   About Our Host:  Kristin Yokomoto Kristin Yokomoto, Esq., is a partner at Baker & Hostetler LLP in Costa Mesa, California. She practices in the areas of estate planning for high net worth clients, business succession planning, trust administration, and probate. She is a Legal Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law certified by the State Bar of California. Kristin is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Executive Committee Member of the CLA Trust and Estate Section (TEXCOM), and Committee Member of the Orange County Bar Association Professionalism & Ethics Committee. Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek and Cat Hammons

Land Back is an Indigenous-led movement focused on returning land to Indigenous Tribes in a way that strengthens Indigenous sovereignty and communities. This episode features a discussion about how Land Back comes up in the context of estate planning and introduces key concepts for estate planners, financial advisors, and tax advisors to assist clients in taking such action. About Our Guests: Alma Soongi Beck is an attorney in  Lathrop GPM Private Client Services Practice Groups. Beck is certified as a specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law by the State Board of Legal Specialization, and her practice focuses on trusts, charitable planning, gift and estate tax planning, and post-death administration including trust administration and probate. She speaks regularly on estate planning issues affecting LGBTQ+ and unmarried couples, on the evolution of gender and parentage in estate planning and administration, and on Land Back to Indigenous Tribes. She has previously served on the boards of the Transgender Law Center, Our Family Coalition, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF) and the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California (KABANC). Prior to joining Lathrop GPM (formerly Hopkins & Carley), Alma was a partner at Lakin Spears, LLP, as well as founder and principal attorney for The Beck Law Group, P.C. A Korean American child of immigrants, Beck had led workshops on implicit bias for legal professionals, college students, and climate organizations since the 1990s, most recently for the Climate Reality Project Bay Area Chapter.  Jo Carrillo JD/JSD is Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Indigenous Law Center (ILC) at UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings). For over three decades, Carrillo has taught and written extensively in property and property-related subjects, including Federal Indian Law. Carrillo earned her BA from Stanford University, her JD from the University of New Mexico, and her JSD from Stanford Law School. She is a member of the Order of the Coif, the American Law Institute, and a former Trustee of the Law & Society Association; she was a Visiting Scholar at The Center for the Study of Law & Society at UC Berkeley Law, and a Visiting Professor at Stanford Law School. As Faculty Director of the UC Law Indigenous Law Center, Carrillo facilitates a seminar series called Law &. This series brings lawyers, students, and California Tribal leaders into the law school classroom to discuss land back and land stewardship issues. Recently, again with assistance from the Resources Legacy Fund, Carrillo has undertaken to study land back transfer documents. Carrillo has served on the UC Law SF Legacy Committee. She now serves on the UC Law SF Restorative Justice Advisory Board, which counsels UC Law SF Chancellor and Dean David Faigman on decanal initiated restorative justice efforts for Indigenous communities in California. As a long-term project, Carrillo is co-editing a volume, with UCLA Professor of History Benjamin Madley, on redressing 19 th century state sponsored harms against California Indigenous Peoples. . About Our Host: Erika Gasaway is a trust and estate litigation partner who was fomerly with Hopkins Carley, which is now LathropGPM. She is on the nationwide Private Client Services team and co-chairs the Trust & Estate Litigation Task Force. She is based in San Jose, California where she represents ultra-high and high net worth families, fiduciaries, and family offices to resolve disputes as various phases of their life cycles. Erika is a member of the California Lawyer’s Association Trust and Estate Section’s Executive Committee (“TEXCOM”). Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek and Cat Hammons

Estate planners not only help clients plan for what happens at death. Nowadays, especially with the high divorce rates, trust and estate lawyers also need to be mindful of how certain planning will play out in the event of a divorce.  In this episode of Trust Me!, we discuss what estate planners should know about the basics of family law. About Our Guest: Vanessa Soto Nellis is a Shareholder and Chair of the Family Law Practice Group of Lewitt Hackman.  She is also a Certified Specialist in Family Law.  She prides herself on bringing “calm to crisis” in family law matters, by focusing clients on the big picture, even in high-conflict divorce and child custody situations. Representing individuals in all aspects of family law in Southern California, Vanessa counsels and litigates for clients in dissolution (or divorce) matters, spousal support, child support, visitation rights, cohabitation, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and other family law matters. Vanessa was designated one of the Best Lawyers in America in Family Law in 2024 by Best Lawyers Magazine, and a Southern California Super Lawyer (2018-present) and Rising Star (2007-12 and 2015-17) by Super Lawyers Magazine. The publication also named her one of Southern California’s Up-and-Coming 50 Women Attorneys, as well as one of the Up-and-Coming 100. Vanessa is a member of the State Bar of California, San Fernando Valley Bar Association (SFVBA), SFVBA Family Law Executive Committee, Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the Ventura County Bar Association. She co-founded Women To Women, a professional network here in Los Angeles. Vanessa can be reached at: VNellis@lewitthackman.com About Our Host: Host Anna Soliman is Trust Counsel and Managing Director for Fiduciary Trust International of California out of the Los Angeles Office.  She is also the Chief Fiduciary Officer of their California trust business. Prior to joining Fiduciary Trust International, Anna was an estate tax attorney for the Internal Revenue Service and also worked in private practice, specializing in estate planning and trust administration for ultrahigh net worth individuals.  She is also a member of the Trust and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association and is a Vice-Chair of the Fiduciary Income Tax Section of the American Bar Association.  Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek and Cat Hammons

What enhanced remedies are parties entitled to recover under Probate Code section 859? Is it double damages, triple damages, or something else? There has been a district split, and now even a division split, on whether parties can receive “double damages” under Section 859. Recent case law sheds light on this issue, and the guests on this episode were counsel of record in two of those recent cases, enabling them to share key insights and an overview of where the law stands now on Section 859.  About Our Guests:  Cheryl Walsh  Cheryl is an attorney at the Law Offices of Cheryl Walsh in San Juan Capistrano, California. She handles estate planning, trust and estate administration, trust and estate litigation, conservatorships, and elder law. Cheryl is a graduate of Loyola Law School and she is member of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association.   Cheryl can be reached at cheryl@walshseniorlaw.com.  Scott Ingold  Scott is a partner at Higgs Fletcher & Mack in San Diego. He is a trust and estate litigator, licensed in both California and Nevada. Scott is a graduate of California Western School of Law, is a board member of the Probate Attorneys of San Diego, and is a member of the Trusts and Estate Section of the California Lawyers Association.   Scott can be reached at ingolds@higgslaw.com.  About Our Host:   Matt Owens is a partner in the San Diego (Del Mar) office of Sheppard Mullin.  His practice is focused on trust, estate, and inheritance disputes.  Matt is a certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM), and served as Chair of the Executive Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association's Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law Section. He is ranked by Chambers in Private Wealth Disputes.  Matt can be reached at mowens@sheppardmullin.com, on LinkedIn, or on X. Sound Engineer: Cat Hammons Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

Haggerty vs. Thornton is a case that made its way to the California Supreme Court with an eagerly anticipated decision. This case concerns an area of law that is of great interest to planners, administrators, and litigators: the method of amending trust and whether the method of revocation can be considered the same as the method of amendment. About Our Guests: Jennifer Campbell is a partner at Carlin and Peebles LLP in Southern California. She focuses her practice on estate planning and trust administration. She assists clients in drafting estate plans, advising fiduciaries in the administration of trust in estates, addressing fiduciary legal risks, advising fiduciaries about trust funding and distributions, preparing estate and gift tax returns, negotiating and drafting settlement agreements, and drafting legal pleadings and orders.   She emphasizes deep personal relationships with her clients, allowing her to understand and meet their specific objectives.  Her practice is enhanced by her extensive experience in both law firms and the legal departments of financial institutions. She has presented and written on this topic for the California Lawyers Association and in other venues. Jenny can be reached at jcampbell@karlinpeebles.com. Howard Kipnis has over 40 years of experience representing corporate fiduciaries, financial institutions, and many small businesses and individuals in dispute resolution and litigation arising from banking, brokerage, and probate and trust services.  He has co-authored an attorney practice guide and, over the years, has been a featured speaker at several seminars and trade conferences, including statewide CEB programs on topics such as trust and probate administration and litigation practice. He's also testified as an expert witness in several cases, including issues arising from probate, trust, litigation, administration, and banking and fiduciary issues. For six years, he served on the executive committee of the trust in the state section of the California Lawyers Association,  and he's been lead counsel on several published opinions.  He was counsel of record in the case of Haggerty v. Thornton. Howard can be reached at hkipnis@as7law.com. About Our Host: Ciarán O'Sullivan is a trust and estates litigator in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He is a member of the executive committee of the trust and estates section of the California Lawyers Association.  Ciarán can be reached at ciaran@cosullivanlaw.com. Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

When does a trust beneficiary’s cooperation with a trustee to modify, reform, or decant a trust become a taxable gift by that trust beneficiary? In late 2023, the IRS Office of Chief Counsel answered that question in CCA202352018. In this episode, our guest Jenny Hill Bratt discusses the CCA and its impact on trust and estate practitioners and their clients.    About Our Guest: Jenny Hill Bratt is a partner in the San Diego (Del Mar) office of Sheppard Mullin.  Her practice is focused on US and international estate and income tax planning, trusts and estates administration, family and closely-held business planning and charitable planning and exempt organizations. Jenny is a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and is certified as a specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. She served on the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM), and was involved in the passing of the California Uniform Trust Decanting Act effective January 1, 2019. She is ranked by Chambers in Private Wealth Law. Jenny can be reached at jbratt@sheppardmullin.com or on LinkedIn. About Our Host: Matt Owens is a partner in the San Diego (Del Mar) office of Sheppard Mullin.  His practice is focused on trust, estate, and inheritance disputes. Matt is a certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM), and served as Chair of the Executive Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association's Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law Section. He is ranked by Chambers in Private Wealth Disputes. Matt can be reached at mowens@sheppardmullin.com, on LinkedIn, or on X. Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

There are many things to consider when choosing a trustee or successor trustee for a trust. The trustee will face a number of challenges over the course of their service and will need to plan ahead to avoid the inevitable pitfalls.  In this episode of Trust Me!, we discuss a proactive plan for a trustee to successfully administer a trust, and an overview of primary things to consider to mitigate the risk of adverse action against a trustee.  About out Guests:  Herbert A. Stroh, Esq. is a partner at McCormick and Barstow in San Luis Obispo, California, where he assists clients in trust and estate litigation, administration, planning, and conservatorships. He has also served as a mediator in trust and estate disputes.  Josh Yager, Esq., CFP is the managing partner of Anodos Advisors, a fiduciary consulting firm in Santa Barbara, California, where he is a recognized content expert on the issues of fiduciary duties relating to the management and oversight of trust assets.  About Our Host: Daniel C. Lorenzen is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Venable LLP, where he advises  individuals, families, and closely held businesses that have contacts in California, the United States, and around the world. He advises clients on all of the traditional tools of wealth planning, with an eye for holistic planning to minimize federal, international, state, and local taxes. Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

When a client passes away, one of the most important items on our to-do list is to file certain tax returns.  In this episode of Trust Me!, we will be discussing an overview of things to consider during the period of post-death administration, mainly focusing on filing the federal estate tax return (Form 706).   About Our Guests: Lisa M. Piehl is the Program Manager for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Estate and Gift Tax Policy division.  Lisa has been with the IRS Estate and Gift Tax division since 1994 in different roles, such as: Estate and Gift Tax Attorney, Supervisory Attorney, and Attorney Advisor.  Lisa works out of the Woodland Hills, CA office.  Robin L. Klomparens is a tax attorney and a Director at Fennemore Law.  Renowned for her expertise in tax law, Robin excels in navigating complex tax code changes, providing her clients with up-to-date and effective legal counsel. She has contributed significantly to legal education as an adjunct professor at USF’s LLM program, Golden Gate University’s MS program, and currently at McGeorge School of Law. A prior member and current advisor to CLA’s Tax Section Executive Committee and Estate and Gift Committee, and a member of ACTEC, she also contributes to various charitable boards. Her extensive lecturing and publications further establish her knowledge in tax law. About Our Host: Host Anna Soliman is Trust Counsel and Managing Director for Fiduciary Trust International of California out of the Los Angeles Office. Prior to joining Fiduciary Trust International, Anna was an estate tax attorney for the Internal Revenue Service and also worked in private practice, specializing in estate planning and trust administration for ultrahigh net worth individuals.  She is also a TEXCOM member and is involved with the Fiduciary Income Tax Section of the American Bar Association.  Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

In this episode of Trust Me!, Bette Epstein discusses the magic of the trust and estate mediation process to informally resolve disputes, which includes party engagement, active listening, patience and problem solving.  About Our Guest: Bette Epstein is a mediator, arbitrator and referee with ADR Services, Inc.  Ms. Epstein has been mediating trust and estate disputes since 2000.  Following a remarkable career as a trust and estate litigator, she turned her focus to alternative dispute resolution 24 years ago and has been helping parties settle their disputes since. Ms. Epstein is located in Northern California and mediates disputes virtually throughout California. bepstein@adrservices.com https://betteepstein.com/ About Our Host: Kristin Yokomoto is a partner at Baker & Hostetler LLP in Costa Mesa, California and focuses on tax and estate planning for high-net-worth individuals, trust administration and probate. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the American Bar Association. Ms. Yokomoto is a member of the Executive Committee of the California Lawyer Association’s Trusts and Estates Section. kyokomoto@bakerlaw.com Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

California just passed a directed trust statute! In this episode of Trust Me!, Michael Rosen-Prinz and David Khanjyan will go over the basic structure of a directed trust, along with the specifics of California’s new directed trust statute. About Our Guests: Michael Rosen-Prinz is a partner at Loeb & Loeb LLP (Los Angeles office). Michael maintains a broad trusts and estate practice, including wealth transfer planning, planning for family governance and business succession, cryptocurrency and QSBS planning, and estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax matters. Michael also has deep experience forming and operating single family offices and private trust companies; advising on governance, succession, tax, regulatory and operational issues. In addition, Michael devotes a substantial portion of his practice to cross-border planning for domestic and international families. In this area, he advises clients on foreign trusts, pre-immigration planning and expatriation, as well as inbound and outbound investments and compliance matters related to structuring investment vehicles in the U.S. and internationally. Michael is also a member of TEXCOM. Michael can be reached at: mrosenprinz@loeb.com David Khanjyan is an associate at Loeb & Loeb LLP (Los Angeles office). He advises clients on the domestic and international aspects of income, estate and gift tax planning. He works with U.S. and non-U.S. individuals, families, trustees and businesses with multijurisdictional issues to structure tax-efficient plans. David is a member of the Pro Bono Committee and helps orchestrate various pro bono projects throughout the firm. He also is a member of the Armenian Professional Society and was a graduate editor of the Tax Law Review at NYU School of Law. David can be reached at: dkhanjyan@loeb.com About Our Host:  Host Anna Soliman is Trust Counsel and Managing Director for Fiduciary Trust International of California out of the Los Angeles Office. Prior to joining Fiduciary Trust International, Anna was an estate tax attorney for the Internal Revenue Service and also worked in private practice, specializing in estate planning and trust administration for ultrahigh net worth individuals. She is also a TEXCOM member and is involved with the Fiduciary Income Tax Section of the American Bar Association Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

In this episode of Trust Me!, Kristin Yokomoto discusses ethical considerations in the estate planning world. She covers issues relating to engagement letters, conflicts, communication, capacity and more. About Our Guest: Kristin Yokomoto is a partner at Baker & Hostetler LLP in Costa Mesa, California and focuses on tax and estate planning for high-net-worth individuals, trust administration and probate. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the American Bar Association. Kristin is a member of the Executive Committee of the California Lawyer Association’s Trusts and Estates Section and the Orange County Bar Association Professionalism and Ethics Committee. She is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law with the California Bar Association of Legal Specialization. Kristin recently published an article on the Trusts and Estates Mediation and the Role of the Mediator for the Trust and Estates Quarterly and is earning an LL.M. in Dispute Resolution. About Our Host: Host Anna Soliman is Trust Counsel and Managing Director for Fiduciary Trust International of California out of the Los Angeles Office. Prior to joining Fiduciary Trust International, Anna was an estate tax attorney for the Internal Revenue Service and also worked in private practice, specializing in estate planning and trust administration for ultrahigh net worth individuals. She is also a TEXCOM member and is a Vice-Chair of the Fiduciary Income Tax Section of the American Bar Association Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

Clients have grown to be more charitably inclined and want to incorporate charitable giving as part of their estate plan. In this episode, we discuss the basics of charitable planning, as we review the ABCs of those great acronyms: the CRUTs, CRATs, and CLATs. About Our Guest: Amy Takeuchi Wanlass is a Senior Wealth Advisor for Northern Trust based in their Pasadena office. Amy has over a decade of experience in delivering estate planning and tax advice, as well as financial planning services. Amy works with individuals and their families on complex wealth transfer strategies, estate and income tax planning, and charitable planning goals. Prior to joining Northern Trust, Amy was with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as a Senior Wealth Planner. Amy was also previously a practicing trusts and estates attorney at nationally recognized law firms including Venable LLP and Mitchell Silberberg and Knupp LLP. Amy can be reached at: akt3@ntrs.com About Our Host: Host Anna Soliman is Trust Counsel and Managing Director for Fiduciary Trust International of California out of the Los Angeles Office. Prior to joining Fiduciary Trust International, Anna was an estate tax attorney for the Internal Revenue Service and also worked in private practice, specializing in estate planning and trust administration for ultrahigh net worth individuals. She is also a member of the Trust and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association and is a Vice-Chair of the Fiduciary Income Tax Section of the American Bar Association. Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

What must be, and what should be included, by the trustee of a trust in an accounting? And, who is entitled to receive what kind of information? In this episode, our guest Denise Riley discusses the details of what is required in an accounting.   About Our Guest:  Denise Riley is the Senior Fiduciary Officer of the West Region in the San Francisco office of Northern Trust.  In addition to being the fiduciary practice leader, she is responsible for the development and implementation of fiduciary strategies to serve the needs of Northern’ s private clients. Denise has broad estate planning and fiduciary experience.  Prior to her career at Northern Trust, she practiced law, specializing in tax, estate and charitable planning, estate and trust administration, and tax controversy, most recently at Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe. She also headed the Northern California fiduciary practice at U.S. Trust and served as the Chief Fiduciary Officer at Morgan Stanley Trust Company.  She is a member of the State Bar of California and American Bar Association, where she has been active in several estate planning and taxation committees. She is past president of the San Francisco Area Women Tax Lawyers, and has written and spoken on a variety of tax and estate planning topics  About Our Host:    Erika Gasaway is a shareholder at Hopkins & Carley, a premier trust and estate planning, administration, and litigation firm in downtown San Jose and Redwood Shores, California.  Erika represents clients in trust and estate disputes such as trust contests, will disputes, and enforcing trusts at all stages from pre-litigation counseling and negotiations all the way through trial or settlement. She is a member of the Trust and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association and several other associations for estate panning and professional fiduciaries.  She can be reached at egasaway@hopkinscarley.com  or via Linked In.  Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

A revocable trust is an essential part of an estate plan in California. And when clients ask why they need a revocable trust, our answer is always: to avoid probate! We know that probate is time consuming and costly, but have you ever wondered how our system came to be? In this episode of Trust Me!, Anne Rudolph and Ralph Hughes discuss their recent article published in the Trusts & Estates Quarterly -- The Rise of Revocable Trusts in California. About Our Guests: Ralph E. Hughes is a founding Shareholder of Hughes and Pizzuto, APC focusing on Probate and Trust Administration, Probate and Trust Litigation, and related mediation. Ralph received his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1976. Shortly thereafter, he moved to San Diego. Since that time, he has been involved in all aspects of probate, estate planning, trust and probate administration, and related litigation. He is a member of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), and is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law. Ralph is affiliated with West Coast Resolution Center and conducts mediations through that organization. He has participated in well over 100 mediations. Anne M. Rudolph is a Shareholder of Hughes and Pizzuto, APC focusing in Probate and Trust Administration, Probate and Trust Litigation, and Appeals. Anne is the Chair of the Firm’s Appellate Section. Anne received her law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law where she graduated in the top 5% of her class. She has been a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law since 2013. Anne has earned an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell for legal experience and knowledge as well as ethical standards. She has also been named a Top Rated Estate and Trust Litigation Attorney by San Diego Super Lawyers® since 2018, an honor that is reserved for the top 5% of attorneys in California. She is a frequent speaker on legal ethics issues that arise in the fields of trusts, estate planning, and probate. About Our Host: Host Anna Soliman is Trust Counsel and Managing Director for Fiduciary Trust International of California out of the Los Angeles Office. Prior to joining Fiduciary Trust International, Anna was an estate tax attorney for the Internal Revenue Service and also worked in private practice, specializing in estate planning and trust administration for ultrahigh net worth individuals. She is also a TEXCOM member and is involved with the Fiduciary Income Tax Section of the American Bar Association. Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

Join estate-planning attorney Elizabeth Bawden and trust-and-estate litigator Matt Owens for a discussion about the Corporate Transparency Act.  About Our Guest:  Elizabeth Bawden is a partner in Withers Bergman’s Los Angeles office. Elizabeth focuses her efforts on estate planning, planned giving, and tax-exempt organizations. Elizabeth represents clients in matters related to family wealth transfers for large estates, sophisticated estate and gift tax saving techniques, charitable planned giving, and complex probate and trust administrations, including matters involving digital assets and cryptocurrencies. She also regularly represents tax-exempt organizations in formation, organizational and operational issues. Her practice also includes advising socially minded entrepreneurs and business owners on their options for dedicating their companies to philanthropic causes.  Elizabeth is certified by the California Board of Legal Specialization as a legal specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law and a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). She received the 2019 Distinguished Service Award from the Los Angeles Council of Charitable Gift Planners, where she has served as president and has been a member for 15 years. Elizabeth has been recognized in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide in the area of Private Wealth Law – Southern California since 2021.  Elizabeth can be reached at elizabeth.bawden@withersworldwide.com  About Our Host:  Matt Owens is a partner in Sheppard Mullin’s San Diego (Del Mar) office. Matt focuses his practice on trust, estate, and inheritance litigation. He has prosecuted and defended a wide range of matters in probate court, including trust contests, elder-abuse actions, accountings, contested conservatorships, and claims involving breach of fiduciary duty. His clients include high-net-worth individuals and families, corporate trustees, and licensed professional fiduciaries.  Matt is certified by the California Board of Legal Specialization as a legal specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, he is a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM), and he was recognized in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2023 for Private Wealth Disputes – California.  Matt can be reached at mowens@sheppardmullin.com Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek

Join Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello and Estate Planning Attorney Melissa Raneri Karlsten for a conversation about elder abuse, including internet and technology scams that everyone, no matter their age, is being bombarded with on a daily basis. Scott and Melissa discuss shipping notifications, product subscriptions, and why you should not click on links, or pick up the phone if you do not recognize the caller. In addition to finding out the scammers' old and new tricks, you will also learn ways to protect yourself and others from being a victim of financial scams. And, Scott and Melissa discuss how trusts and estates attorneys can help to protect their clients from financial scams.  About Our Guest: Guest Scott Pirrello is a Deputy District Attorney at San Diego's District Attorney's Office where he is the head of Elder Abuse Prosecutions and is a member of the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force. Scott is a frequent speaker on elder abuse crimes and how the community can help better protect victims. Scott's work on an instrumental case in San Diego revealed a nationwide elder fraud network and he continues to work to bring information about these scams to the public in an effort to protect others.  About Our Host: Host Melissa Raneri Karlsten is a trusts and estates attorney at the law firm of Aaron, Riechert, Carpol & Riffle, APC in Redwood City, California. She is also a member of the Trusts and Estates Section Executive Committee of the California Lawyers Association. Links: 60 Minutes: Cyber Scammers Target Parents, Grandparents for Digital Theft: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2r1MJk85Zo   FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): https://www.ic3.gov/  County of San Diego, HHSA, Don't Get Hooked: https://www.sdcda.org/content/helping/dont-get-hooked.pdf  Thank you for listening to Trust Me! Trust Me is Produced by Foley Marra Studios Edited by Todd Gajdusek