Chang H. Chae

Chang H. Chae is a member of the firm, practicing in the areas of estate planning, trust administration and probate, entity formation and tax and charitable planning. 

Mr. Chae is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law (certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization) and is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC).  He is a former Co-chair of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association.  He has been repeatedly named by Los Angeles Magazine and Law & Politics Magazine as a “Southern California Super Lawyer,” recognized as a Best Lawyer® and is rated AV® Preeminent™ by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell.  Mr. Chae has served as a member of the board of directors for a community college foundation, as chairperson for a planned giving committee and as a professional advisor to a community foundation.  He is a member of the International Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and is on the Steering Committee of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, Professional Advisory Network. 

Mr. Chae has lectured to many professional and lay audiences, including the USC Tax Institute, the USC Trust and Estate Conference, the National Business Institute, the Advanced Planning Conference, the ABA Taxation Annual Meeting, and to other professional and charitable groups. 

Mr. Chae is the co-author of the following published articles:

  “Keeping the ‘Family’ in the Family Home: Special Planning Challenges Posed by QPRTs,” California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, Official Publication of the State Bar of California Trusts and Estates Section

  “ Power to the People! (An Exploration of the Use of Powers of Appointment in Estate Planning),” Estate Planning, 2008 (30th Annual UCLA-CEB Estate Planning Institute)

  “Death and Taxes: No Longer a Certainty. A View of Estate Planning When the Federal Estate Tax Is Not an Issue,” 37th Annual USC Trust and Estate Conference, 2011

  “Give Me My Money — Now! (Having Second Thoughts on the Wisdom of an Outdated Plan),” 64 Major Tax Planning, 2012

Mr. Chae was admitted to the California Bar in 2000 and the Iowa Bar in 1996.  He received a B.A., with honors, from Grinnell College in 1993, and a J.D. degree, with distinction, from the University of Iowa in 1996.  Mr. Chae also attended the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

Mr. Chae was born in Seoul, South Korea, but raised in Des Moines, Iowa.  He also speaks Korean conversationally.  He is a former Chair of the Leadership Board for his church, and is an AYSO soccer coach and referee for the teams of his three children.