Are you looking for a local Pasadena estate attorney to help create your California Living Trust?
I hope you’ll consider our Pasadena Estate Planning office, headed by superb attorneys Conner Clemons and Liz Seitz, and serving clients throughout the San Gabriel Valley.
It’s not easy choosing a Living Trust attorney—or at least, it shouldn’t be.
You Really Do Need a Specialist
Estate planning is a dynamic, ever-changing field that absolutely demands focused expertise. Often, lawyers handle estate plans as a small sideline, and just don’t have the time to keep up with ever-shifting California inheritance or “Death Tax” laws, and even less with federal inheritance tax shifts.
Inheritance law changes come frequently and dramatically, on everything from trusts to taxes to IRAs—believe me, I know. This year, for example, we experienced the upheaval of the U.S. SECURE Act, which should trigger a re-think of everyone’s estate plan.
That’s why every attorney in our practice spends serious time each month on professional development—attending seminars when they aren’t giving seminars.
You won’t find the right estate lawyer simply by searching “living trust attorney near me.” And please, don’t rely on some online trust mill. A Living Trust is way too important for a robot, and every trust requires personal customization, no matter how simple you may imagine your situation to be.
Local Matters, Too
Being local often matters a lot with an estate attorney.
Estate Planning is a personal relationship. And even as the world moves to attorney videoconferencing with Zoom and the like, I know you will always want someone with a local office for signings and paperwork.
Just as importantly, only a full-time Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley estate attorney will maintain the right estate-related contacts with local accountants and financial planners—they can and should work together for you.
Living Up to the Practices We Inherited
Estate Planning creates a solemn, vital agreement which must move from generation to generation. At CunninghamLegal, we accept that charge with the utmost responsibility.
When he retired in 2017, attorney Stephen Bezaire honored us by entrusting his longstanding Pasadena estate planning practice to CunninghamLegal. The Law Office of Stephen Bezaire was known for the care and respect he showed to clients, and we are proud to continue his tradition—even as he now enjoys his well-deserved retirement in Washington State.
Indeed, we’re in the same location at 2700 East Foothill Boulevard in Pasadena—at the intersection of San Gabriel Boulevard and East Foothill Boulevard, still with free parking!
Stephen’s wonderful staff of three stayed on with CunninghamLegal after the transition, and they continue to provide the best legal advice for clients. We were also entrusted with Stephen Bezaire’s more than 5,000 client files—all in safekeeping.
Helms & Myers Passes Us the Torch
In October 2019, CunninghamLegal also inherited the Arcadia, California, law firm of Helms & Myers, a highly-respected practice with clients throughout the San Gabriel Valley.
James Helms, known as Jim Helms to his friends and clients, practiced in Arcadia since the early 1950s. He was even mayor of Arcadia in the 1970s. Sterling Myers practiced family law since 1972.
We transitioned Helms & Myers’ nearly 10,000 clients and former clients to our office, and we help them to this day—maintaining the high standards set by Mr. Helms and Mr. Myers for the very best in client service.
About Pasadena Estate Attorney, Connor Clemons
Conner Clemons is an experienced and dynamic attorney whose entire focus has become Estate Planning & Living Trusts. That means Conner helps people protect their assets, create a legacy, and make things easy for themselves and their loved ones.
It’s important that Conner’s background was in taxation. He has an LLM, which is a master’s in taxation law. In other words, besides getting through college and law school, he continued his education with yet another advanced degree in income tax, estate tax, gift tax, capital gains tax, and generation skipping transfer tax.
Conner digs deep, and finds great satisfaction in planning strategies that involve Roth IRAs, Roth Conversions, Proposition 13 preservation, and asset protection strategies; as well as avoiding, minimizing, and deferring capital gains taxes. He grew up in the Seattle area, and now calls Downtown Los Angeles his home.
About Pasadena Estate Attorney, Liz Seitz
Attorney Liz Seitz focuses primarily on Trust Administration. That means Liz spends much of her practice helping families as they navigate the complex legal and financial challenges of caring for an incapacitated loved one, as well as managing the many estate details when a loved one passes away.
Liz has a particular expertise in preserving low Proposition 13 taxes for families. Indeed, avoiding reassessment forms a substantial part of the services, and value, that Liz provides to clients. Importantly, she handles the required statutory notices, including California Probate Code Section 16061.7.
I especially know that Liz has a big heart, and I am touched by her unique ability to comfort clients when they’re going through difficult times. She makes her home in Pasadena, and grew up right next door in San Marino.
What Do We Do?
The lawyers and staff at CunninghamLegal help people plan for some of the most difficult times in their lives; then guides them when those times come.
Our office has represented families of all types, large and small businesses, celebrities, professionals, and people at every level of income and complexity of assets. Many of our clients work with us right after they’ve gone through the loss of a loved one—a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a partner, a grandparent. We help to provide stability during such times, with the goal of guiding and protecting every client.
We always approach our work with ethics, knowledge, care, and caring.
Make an appointment to meet with CunninghamLegal Pasadena for Estate Planning and Trust Administration. We offer in-person, phone, and Zoom appointments. Just call +1 866.988.3956 or book an appointment online.
Make sure your Living Will and Estate Plan are up-to-date with your current family situation and the latest laws. Make sure you protect yourself as a trustee.
We look forward to working with you!
