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Lawyer Profile

Image of Christopher D. Carico

Christopher D. Carico

Carico Macdonald Kil & Benz, LLP
  • Recognized Since:
    2011
  • Recognized in:
    Litigation - Trusts and Estates
    Trusts and Estates
  • Law School:
    Loyola Law School
  • Website:
    http://www.caricofirm.com
  • Location:
    841 Apollo Street, Suite 450
    El Segundo, CA 90245

Christopher D. Carico is a board certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law with over 30 years of legal experience. His practice includes all facets of trusts and estates, and he represents families, individuals, professional trustees, conservators, guardians, and beneficiaries.

Mr. Carico is one of a handful of California attorneys with expertise in both the estate tax planning and litigation components of trust and estate law. Because of this dual expertise, Mr. Carico is able to design estate planning instruments that can stand up to the closest scrutiny and challenge others’ instruments from the ground level up.

Mr. Carico divides his time between: (1) representing beneficiaries and fiduciaries in dispute resolution, will contests, trusts contests, contested conservatorship, Marvin claims, financial elder abuse actions, challenged accountings, fiduciary surcharge and removal actions, property characterization disputes, and 850 petitions; and (2) counseling clients on advanced estate planning techniques including family limited partnership, family limited liability companies, designated beneficiary trusts, grantor retained annuity and unitrusts, qualified personal residence trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, charitable remainder trusts, charitable foundations, self-cancelling installment notes, and life insurance trusts.

Mr. Carico has frequently served as a court-appointed expert to provide his opinions and recommendations to the probate court in the following types of actions: trust reformation proceedings, fiduciary accountings, actions for breach of fiduciary duty, actions for fiduciary suspension and removal, fee petitions, and compromise of creditors’ claims.

Committed to helping individuals resolve trust and estate disputes as quickly and efficiently as possible, Mr. Carico consistently volunteers time as a mediator on the various Court-sponsored pro bono probate mediation panels, and is currently acting as a volunteer Probate Settlement Officer on Los Angeles County Superior Court’s Probate Settlement Conference Panel. Mr. Carico also serves on the Executive Committee for the Trust and Estate Section of the State Bar of California.Mr. Carico graduated with a J.D. cum laude, from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. He obtained his B.A in economics from Occidental College.

His previous affiliations include Carico Johnson Toomey LLP (2008-2017), Carico Toomey & Associates LLP (2007-2008), Davis & Carico LLP (1996 – 2007), Law Offices of Christopher D. Carico (1990 – 1996), and Mullen & Henzell (1989 – 1990).

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  • Lawyer Bio
  • Client Comments
  • Firm Details
  • News & Media
  • Case History

Lawyer Bio

Christopher D. Carico is a board certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law with over 30 years of legal experience. His practice includes all facets of trusts and estates, and he represents families, individuals, professional trustees, conservators, guardians, and beneficiaries.

Mr. Carico is one of a handful of California attorneys with expertise in both the estate tax planning and litigation components of trust and estate law. Because of this dual expertise, Mr. Carico is able to design estate planning instruments that can stand up to the closest scrutiny and challenge others’ instruments from the ground level up.

Mr. Carico divides his time between: (1) representing beneficiaries and fiduciaries in dispute resolution, will contests, trusts contests, contested conservatorship, Marvin claims, financial elder abuse actions, challenged accountings, fiduciary surcharge and removal actions, property characterization disputes, and 850 petitions; and (2) counseling clients on advanced estate planning techniques including family limited partnership, family limited liability companies, designated beneficiary trusts, grantor retained annuity and unitrusts, qualified personal residence trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, charitable remainder trusts, charitable foundations, self-cancelling installment notes, and life insurance trusts.

Mr. Carico has frequently served as a court-appointed expert to provide his opinions and recommendations to the probate court in the following types of actions: trust reformation proceedings, fiduciary accountings, actions for breach of fiduciary duty, actions for fiduciary suspension and removal, fee petitions, and compromise of creditors’ claims.

Committed to helping individuals resolve trust and estate disputes as quickly and efficiently as possible, Mr. Carico consistently volunteers time as a mediator on the various Court-sponsored pro bono probate mediation panels, and is currently acting as a volunteer Probate Settlement Officer on Los Angeles County Superior Court’s Probate Settlement Conference Panel. Mr. Carico also serves on the Executive Committee for the Trust and Estate Section of the State Bar of California.Mr. Carico graduated with a J.D. cum laude, from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. He obtained his B.A in economics from Occidental College.

His previous affiliations include Carico Johnson Toomey LLP (2008-2017), Carico Toomey & Associates LLP (2007-2008), Davis & Carico LLP (1996 – 2007), Law Offices of Christopher D. Carico (1990 – 1996), and Mullen & Henzell (1989 – 1990).

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  • Education
  • Bar Admissions
  • Affiliations
  • Award List

Education:

  • Loyola Law School, J.D.
  • Occidental College, B.A.

Bar Admissions:

  • California, The State Bar of California

Affiliations:

  • Loyola University School of Law - Cum Laude
  • Loyola University School of Law - Order of the Coif

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for work in:

  • Litigation - Trusts and Estates
  • Trusts and Estates
 

Awards:

  • Best Lawyers in America®, Trusts & Estates 2010-2013
  • Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation – Trusts & Estates, 2011-2013 ®
  • Southern California Super Lawyers, Estate Planning & Probate, 2009-2012
  • Martindale Hubbell Rating: AV; www.martindale.com
  • California State Bar, Board of Legal Specialization, certified specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law; www.ls.calbar.ca.gov
  • Member, Trusts & Estates Executive Committee, California State Bar
 

Lawyer Client Comments

Firm Details

Carico Macdonald Kil & Benz, LLP
http://www.caricofirm.com
 
Headquarters
841 Apollo Street, Suite 450
El Segundo, CA 90245
(310) 545.0010
View Firm Profile

News & Media

Featured Publications

Cover for our Southern California publication

Lawyer Case History

In re Pacific Trust

Served as Court-appointed Guardian ad litem to represent interests of grandchildren in $130,000,000 breach of fiduciary claim by children against parents/trustees.  After 9 days of trial, the Court granted the Guardian ad Litem's motion for judgment under civil code section 631.8 dismissing claims to $70,000,000.00 in foregin assets, which would have exposed remaining $60,000,000 in domestic assets to liability for income taxes, interest and penalties of $50,000,000 and liability for gift taxes, interest and penalties of an unknown amount. 

In re: Stryker Family Trust

Lead trial attorney in law firm's representation of siblings in action to remove other sibling as trustee based on claims of financial elder abuse and breach of fiduciary duty against 90 year old father.  Law firm ultimately recovered $500,000 in gold buillion from Candian gold dealer, and $250,000 property in Nicaragua pursuant to Probate Code section 850, having traced the assets back to the Trust as its source. After multi-day trial of amount of surcharge, Court imposed multi-million dollar surchage and double damages under Probate Code section 859 against defauding sibling and her spouse. Evidence retrieved by law firm was so compelling that DA obtain conviction for felony elder abuse with both defrading sibling and her spouse serving jail time. 

In re: James Ambrose Johnson (aka Rick James) Trust

Served as Court-appointed Evidence Code section 730 expert opinining on issues relating to breach of fiduciary duty by business manager/trustee for Trust of deceased performing artist and funk legend, Rick James.  Ultimately assisted parties in reaching global settlement including resignation of business manager as trustee.

In re Pasori Trust

Served as Court-appointed Evidence Code section 730 expert to opine, make recommendations and assist in settlement of case involving actions for removal of trustee of trust and estate with millions in assets and over $130,000,000.00 in creditors claims from financial institutions and individuals.

Estate Planning for Ultra High Net Worth Family

Lead attorney designing estate plan to take advantage of $5,120,000 gift tax exclusion before anticipated 2013 reduction to $1,000,000 by implementing two intentionally defective grantor trusts for the children, four qualified personal residence trust and five intentionally defective grantor trusts for the grandchildren.

Settlement High Net Worth Family thru Advanced Estate Planning

Represented sibling/trustee in disputes with other sibling/trustees in connection with administration of parents' Trusts.  Resolved case before litigation commenced by proposing and fashioning taxable gifts in December of 2012 to utilize parents $5,120,000 gift tax exemption before reduction in exemption to $1,000,000 would have made pre-settlement litigation impossible. 

Estate Planning for High Net Worth Family

Designed estate plan for ultra high net worth family that utilized irrevocable inter vivos QTIP Trust to prevent future entanglement of second spouse with children from prior marriage, and allows grantor to receive benefit of trust if spouse predeceased grantor by virtue of inclusion of QTIP Trust in spouse's estate and creation of bypass equivalent trust for grantor spouse.

In re Conservatorship of Chiang

Represented conservator in financial elder abuse recovery of approximately $9,000,000 from abusers.
 
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