Best Lawyers Near You in Woodland Hills, California for Trusts and Estates
Leah Bishop focuses her practice on tax planning for high net worth individuals and closely held businesses and in the administration of estates and trusts. Her areas of focus cover a wide range of industries, including real estate, manufacturing, entertainment and professional services. Passionate about philanthropy, Leah also has extensive experience in the areas of charitable giving and tax-exempt organizations. Leah’s estate planning experience includes all matters pertaining to hig...
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 ...
Elizabeth is a partner in the private client and tax team at Withers Bergman LLP. She focuses her efforts on estate planning, planned giving and tax-exempt organizations. Elizabeth represents clients in matters related to family wealth transfers for large estates, sophisticated estate and gift tax saving techniques, charitable planned giving, and complex probate and trust administrations. She also regularly represents tax-exempt organizations in formation, organizational and operational issue...
Paul Frimmer focuses on estate planning, wills and trusts, probate and trust administration, postmortem tax planning, probate litigation, art law, charitable giving, and tax issues relating to these matters. Widely regarded as one of the top estate planning attorneys in the country, Paul has received numerous accolades for his work. He’s known for taking a collaborative approach with his clients and guiding them toward the best decisions tailored to meet their individual needs. Paul has...
Rachel Harris counsels clients in connection with all aspects of domestic and international estate planning for individuals and families, pre-immigration planning prior to arrival in the U.S., trust and estate administration, trust and estate income taxation, charitable giving, and operation of tax-exempt organizations. Her practice extends to all facets of estate and gift tax planning and encompasses multijurisdictional and international matters. Highly regarded for her breadth of experience...
Vivian Lee Thoreen chairs the firm's California Private Wealth Services Group. She is a litigator and experienced trial attorney whose practice – both in Superior Court and in the California Courts of Appeal – focuses on complex trust, estate, conservatorship and guardianship matters. She represents individuals, families, charities and financial institutions in cases including will and trust disputes, contested conservatorships and guardianships, breach of fiduciary duty matters, ...
Thomas Giordano-Lascari is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Thomas, who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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 ...
Linda Deitch's practice focuses on estate and tax planning for individual clients, the representation of fiduciaries, and the administration of estates and trusts. Her experience includes various aspects pertaining to such clients, including drafting revocable and irrevocable trusts, estate administration and probate proceedings, and diverse transfer tax techniques. Ms. Deitch also has experience in the area of charitable gift planning and exempt organizations.
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 Hil...
Stanley Heyman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Stanley, 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 Stanley is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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...
Scott Rahn is regarded as a top probate trial attorney, focusing on high-stakes private wealth disputes, fiduciary litigation, and contentious trust, probate estate and conservatorship cases. Mr. Rahn deftly helps guide clients - heirs, beneficiaries, trustees, executors, administrators, charities, creditors and conservators - through the emotional, legal and financial issues that arise when a loved one becomes compromised, is taken advantage of, and after they pass, whenever the theft, manip...
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 ...
Alan S. Watenmaker is the managing member of the Firm. He practices in the areas of tax, estate planning, trust administration and probate, and charitable planning. Mr. Watenmaker has twice been recognized as one of the “Top 100 Lawyers” in Southern California by “Super Lawyers” and has been selected as a “Southern California Super Lawyer” every year since 2004, when the list was first determined. He has also been listed in Best Lawyers in America every yea...
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.