Best Lawyers in California, United States for Trusts and Estates
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Paul is of counsel in the private client and tax team at Withers Bergman LLP. He has over 35 years’ experience focused on global planning matters. Paul is widely recognized for his practice in cross-border and entertainment tax planning. His clients have ranged broadly from high-net-worth individuals; foreign investors in U.S. real estate and other U.S.-situated assets; Americans with offshore investments, acquisitions and business activities; and actors, musicians, writers, producers, ...
Roee Kaufman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Roee, who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2027. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Roee is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Danielle Miller focuses her practice in the areas of estate planning; probate and trust administration; related income, gift, estate and property tax matters; and entity formation. Her clients include high net worth individuals and families, fiduciaries, and closely held businesses. She advises clients on the drafting of revocable and irrevocable trusts, business succession planning, charitable gift planning, and all aspects of estate administration and probate procedures. Recently, Danielle ...
Michelle Graham focuses her practice on estate planning and tax planning strategies for domestic and international clients. She advises U.S. and non-U.S. individuals on tax planning matters, including strategies to minimize global taxation and IRS compliance regarding foreign reporting. Michelle works with non-U.S. individuals investing in the United States and U.S. individuals residing abroad on their U.S. tax filings and global estate planning. Her cross-border experience spans Latin Americ...
Ellen I. Kahn is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Ellen I., who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2010. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ellen I. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Louis Mezzullo’s principal areas of practice are Taxation, Estate and Business Succession Planning, and Employee Benefits. He was on the faculty of the University of Miami School of Law Graduate Program in Estate Planning from 2004 to 2007 and on the faculty of the University of San Diego School of Law in 2009. He was an adjunct professor of law at the University of Richmond Law School from 1978 until 2006. He is listed in Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in Emerging Leaders and Who...
At Withers Bergman LLP, Steven focuses his practice on estate planning, trust and estate administration, charitable giving and representing tax-exempt organizations. He has designed and used computer modeling to show the economic consequences of various estate planning and charitable giving techniques. Steven is also experienced in the area of executive compensation, focusing on compensation and intermediate sanctions issues for tax-exempt organizations. Steven has represented exempt organiza...
Kirsten Wolff is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Kirsten, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kirsten is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Myron Sugarman concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning, deferred compensation, taxation of nonprofit and charitable institutions, and family and personal tax planning. His experience extends to all areas of federal and local taxation. Prior to entering private practice, Myron served in the Office of The Judge Advocate General, U.S. Army at the Pentagon. A former president of the San Francisco Tax Club, he is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the San ...
Helen is a partner in the private client and tax team at Withers Bergman LLP. She is a trusts and estates attorney who focuses on exempt organizations and international tax planning for inbound and outbound transactions. She assists clients in all aspects of estate planning, estate and trust administration and charitable planning. Helen brings a diversity of experience to her clients. After graduating from Stanford Law School, she practiced international corporate tax law in China and Califor...
Michael J. A. Karlin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Michael J. A., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael J. A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Erin Fraser focuses his practice on private client matters, advising global and domestic family offices and ultra-high net worth individuals on strategic planning around wealth transfer and preservation, the formation of trusts and new entities to hold real estate or investments, as well as advising on charitable entities and giving. Read full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/erin-l-fraser/
Sandra B. Price is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Sandra B., who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Sandra B. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Laurelle M. Gutierrez has a diverse practice representing high-net-worth individuals and their families with respect to all aspects of gift, estate and generation-skipping wealth-transfer tax planning, as well as trust and estate administration. Read full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/gutierrez-laurelle-m/
Lawrence H. Heller focuses his practice on counseling individuals and members of their families on matters relating to domestic and international estate and income tax planning. Many of his clients are high net worth individuals. Lawrence writes and lectures extensively on subjects relating to domestic and international wealth transfer techniques and has testified before the House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Oversight in 1995 on proposed legislation to tax U.S. citizens who renou...
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.