Best Lawyers in California, United States for Litigation - Trusts and Estates
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Rodney Lee is a seasoned trial attorney focusing on private wealth and general business disputes for clients ranging from high net worth individuals, including professional athletes and entertainers, to entrepreneurs and startup companies. With more than 15 years of experience in general business and trust and estate matters, he navigates his clients through complex business and interpersonal issues obtaining favorable results in state, federal, and alternative dispute resolution forums. Rodn...
Ron Pearson focuses his practice on estate planning for high net worth individuals, owners of closely held businesses and in the administration of estates and trusts. His clients include prominent individuals in the entertainment industry and commerce. Ron's areas of practice include sophisticated tax planning techniques relating to high net worth individuals. His estate planning services include living trusts, gift and insurance trusts, continuing trusts for children and other beneficiaries ...
Shawn S. Kerendian is the founder and Managing Partner of Keystone Law Group, P.C., and is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law (State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization). Shawn founded Keystone to provide clients with specialized, focused and efficient legal services in probate, trust and estate matters. Shawn supervises and manages a team of probate attorneys in the administration and litigation of estates, trusts, conservatorships, and guardiansh...
Jeff Marvan is the lead attorney at MarvanLaw, A.P.C. MarvanLaw, A.P.C. is a boutique firm focused on probate litigation, trust litigation, estate planning, guardianships, and conservatorships. After graduating from UC Davis’ King Hall School of Law, Jeff began his legal career a public defender in Yolo County. Over the four years at the public defender office Jeff handled misdemeanors, felonies, juvenile delinquencies, dependencies, and LPS Conservatorships. This time period allowed Je...
Steven Ellenberg is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Trusts and Estates. Steven, who practices law in San Jose, California, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Steven is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Verlan Y. Kwan is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates. Verlan Y., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Verlan Y. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Cliff Melnick is a Partner at Keystone Law Group, P.C. where his practice focuses on trust, estate and conservatorship litigation. With more than 23 years of litigation experience overall, including the last 18 years in probate, Cliff has successfully represented a broad range of clients state-wide including trustees, beneficiaries, executors, administrators, conservators, guardians, private professional fiduciaries, life insurance companies, and non-profit organizations. Prior to joining Key...
Sean D. Muntz serves as Managing Partner of RMO LLP. Sean is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer, with litigation experience spanning a broad range of subject matters, including banking, general commercial, employment, probate, real estate, securities, intellectual property, maritime and environmental disputes. Sean has litigated matters in state and federal courts throughout California, and in alternative dispute resolution forums, including AAA and JAMS, and before the NASD/FINRA and ...
Jared A. Barry of Barry Law Group is a seasoned litigator with expertise in the areas of trusts & estates, business & real estate disputes, and personal injury. He represents clients throughout Southern California, which have included individuals, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies, during his long and successful career. Mr. Barry was named a Southern California Rising Star by SuperLawyers for seven years in row from 2009 to 2016 and a SuperLawyer for Southern California for t...
ROBERT C. EROEN is a partner at Hill, Farrer & Burill, LLP in downtown Los Angeles. Mr. Eroen has practiced primarily in the field of trust, estates and probate for over 25 years, and has been certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law since 2003. Mr. Eroen’s practice focuses primarily on litigation, including trust and will contests, fiduciary breaches and removal, and the increasingly important area...
John A. Hartog is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates. John A., who practices law in Orinda, California, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Lindsey F. Munyer, a Partner at Keystone Law Group, P.C., is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law (State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization), and has an LL.M. in Taxation. Lindsey has experience litigating trust and estate matters, and is adept at handling all stages of litigation, including discovery, mediation, law and motion and trials, as well as representing fiduciaries in the administration of estates and trusts. Lindsey has represented client...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.