Dulzura Estate Planning Lawyers

Sam McGovern is an attorney who was born and raised in San Diego, California. He obtained the degree of Juris Doctor Magna Cum Laude from California Western School of Law in San Diego, graduating in the top 2% of his class. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Sam McGovern worked as a police officer. The unexpected take-away from Sam's time in law enforcement was a unique expertise in problem solving and conflict resolution. Sam’s unique background lends itself to providing excellent representation to clients that results in peace of mind. He’s been there when individuals were first faced with seemingly insurmountable...

James F. Sexton first worked as an attorney for the insurance companies he now opposes. Having worked this side of personal injury and worker’s compensation cases, James understands the goals, motivation, and tactics employed by the insurance companies and the lawyers who protect their interests. He uses that knowledge to better serve and protect his clients’ interests. As CEO of a company and owner of his own law firm, James Sexton’s success reflects the positive experiences his clients have had and continue to have at The Sexton Law Firm. His expertise is extensive and includes California bankruptcy law, California...

Ms. Solomon began her legal career working at a mid-size law firm in downtown San Diego, where she had the opportunity to work as part of a sophisticated team of business lawyers. Ms. Solomon is a member of the Probate Attorneys of San Diego and currently serves on the Probate Handbook Committee. Passionate about efficiency in all things, Ms. Solomon co-founded Broaden Law LLP so she could combine her entrepreneurial spirit with the law business. Ms. Solomon is dedicated to identifying a variety of strategies based on the client’s situation and unique goals to ensure her clients are involved in the...

Giovanni A. Correa is an estate planning, probate, and trademark attorney with more than 10 years of legal experience, including 6+ years as a California licensed attorney. Giovanni has extensive experience in estate planning and trademark registrations. His passion for his profession is evident in his commitment to providing exceptional customer service while always keeping costs at the forefront.

My practice focuses on estate planning, trust administration, and probate and estate litigation. I have diverse experience in the areas of wills, trusts, business formation, federal and state taxation, and estate litigation. His litigation clients include individual and professional trustees, beneficiaries, surviving spouses, care givers, and omitted heirs. Prior to joining Albence and Associates, APC, I practiced at a major securities litigation firm headquartered in San Diego. I was involved in a variety of complex litigation cases, including mortgage backed securities cases and post-merger derivative suits. This diverse litigation experience in multi-party, national scale cases, blends...

Andrew A. Sexton began his career with a heavy focus in Consumer Bankruptcy Law.  While attending law school at San Diego's California Western School of Law, he was published for articles on Student Loans in Bankruptcy and also worked heavily with the U.S. Trustee Program, a department of the United States Department of Justice.  This component of the Department of Justice was responsible for overseeing the Bankruptcy process and enforcing the Bankruptcy Code to promote the integrity of the system and protect debtors and creditors from abuse. After graduating law school magna cum laude, he began working at The Sexton Law Firm...

Carolyn R. Brock graduated from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in December of 1994 where she was on the National Deans List from 1991 - 1993, and a member of the San Diego Justice Journal law review writing staff from 1992 - 1993. Ms. Brock is admitted to practice before the courts of California, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Carolyn was certified as a legal specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization on June...

Jennifer Duren is an estate planning attorney in La Mesa, California, serving clients throughout San Diego County.

She received her B.A. from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, then received her Juris Doctorate with a Child, Family, & Elder Law Concentration, with Honors, from California Western School of Law.

During her time at California Western School of Law, Jennifer was inducted into the Pro Bono Honor Society, was a Student of Distinction, and served as the Community Outreach Director on the Student Bar Association.

Previously, Jennifer worked for various family law firms as a family law litigation attorney. Jennifer sought a new environment that...

Lori Bolander is the owner and principal attorney of Bolander Law Group. A graduate of the University of California at San Diego and California Western School of Law, Lori was admitted to the bar in 2005. Prior to that, she worked for a trusts and estates attorney for five years. Shortly after graduation, Lori began practicing in trusts and estates and opened Bolander Law Group in 2006.

Hilary Vrem has been practicing law in San Diego for since 2005, joining the Bolander Law Group in 2010. Her practice focuses primarily on trust litigation, employment matters, adoptions, and estate planning. Like Lori, Hilary is adopted, so she, too, is passionate about this area of law and is honored to assist couples in starting and expanding their families.

An attorney at Bolander Law Group, Rebecca’s areas of practice include estate planning, probate, conservatorships, guardianships, and adoptions. She was admitted to the California Bar in 2010. Since being admitted, Rebecca has primarily practiced family law; she is a significant asset to Bolander Law Group’s estate planning, guardianship and adoption practice.

T.L. Brown Law Firm was awarded an A+ by the Better Business Bureau. Filing over 300 cases each year, Attorney Tristan Brown remains a leading bankruptcy attorney in San Diego and the Southern California area. Additionally, T.L. Brown’s estate planning and immigration law practices continue to grow. Attorney Tristan Brown obtained his Juris Doctor degree from UCLA School of Law and quickly earned recognition as a leader in bankruptcy law. He was awarded "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Armed with impressive qualifications from big law firms and an approachable demeanor you'd expect from a small firm, Owen uniquely bridges the often intertwining areas of Trusts, Estates, and Probates. Owen holds degrees in tax (LL.M.), law (J.D.), and business (M.B.A.), making him particularly well-equipped to guide you, whether you're crafting an estate plan for your loved ones or you're a trustee or beneficiary in need of expert counsel. At Opelon, we believe in more than just offering services - we're dedicated to building enduring relationships. With Owen, you'll find an attorney who is not just qualified but also approachable. We encourage...

RMO LLP resolves contests, disputes and litigation related to trusts, estates and conservatorships, creating a welcome peace of mind for clients. We represents heirs, beneficiaries, trustees and executors, utilizing our experience to develop and implement strategies that swiftly and cost-effectively address the financial issues, fiduciary duties and emotional complexities underlying trust contests, estates conflicts and probate litigation. Driven by a commitment to provide relief to people grieving the loss of a loved one, RMO collaborates closely with clients. We pursue and defend claims involving incapacity, incompetence, undue influence, breach of fiduciary duty, and other similar areas of dispute. Our advice and counsel...

Nikki Semanchik is the Founding Attorney of Semanchik Law Group. Nikki started out her legal career advising small businesses and individuals in need of estate planning. An interest in international law and her background in immigration led her to represent multi-national high-net worth individuals with business law, asset protection and tax planning. After assisting clients with tax planning through the formation of private foundations and charitable trusts, Nikki found herself drawn to nonprofit law. She now assists nonprofit organizations with formation, compliance and governance.

Nikki is passionate about nonprofit law and enjoys speaking about nonprofit formation and compliance. Her most recent...

Principal Owner
Jack E. Stephens J.D., LL.M. has been practicing law in San Diego since 1990, helping thousands of taxpayers reduce taxes and homeowners protect their property with Trust strategies. Jack Stephens has been designated as Top Lawyer by San Diego Magazine, Best of the Bar, and Avvo on a consistent basis. He has received annual awards including the AV Preeminent Attorney Rating by Martindell-Hubbell, representing the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards. As an active contributor to continuing education in Estate Planning, Jack Stephens has authored and edited quarterly newsletters, pamphlets, and contributed articles to the...

Mrs. Geiger’s practice is located in Carlsbad, California. Her practice focuses on Estate Planning, Asset Protection, Business Planning, Elder Law, Trust Administration, and Probate. She obtained her law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law where she served as an Editor for the San Diego International Law Journal and published a law review article. She has also authored multiple books on Trusts, Elder Law and Business Law topics and is an active member of the North County San Diego Bar Association, the North County Estate Planning Council and is a member of the editorial committee for the...

Nicole D'Ambrogi is a distinguished attorney based in San Diego. A “Rising Star” with just over four years of experience, Ms. D'Ambrogi has already built a name for herself in estate planning and probate law and has garnered a reputation as a staunch advocate for veterans. A former member of the U.S. Navy, her practice focuses on comprehensive estate planning, veteran benefits, and asset protection services. Among numerous other honors, Ms. D'Ambrogi has received the Women Resiliency Award by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs in 2015 and the Trailblazer Award from the California Department of Veteran Affairs in 2016.

Ruth Ryan-Cruz is an attorney in San Diego, California with Ryan-Cruz Law, APC. Attorney Ruth Ryan-Cruz practices in the areas of business and corporate law, intellectual property, estate planning, wills, trusts, copyrights, trademarks and more. Contact San Diego Attorney Ruth Ryan-Cruz for a consultation. Ruth is a fluent Spanish-speaking attorney providing counseling and transactional services in Spanish in the areas listed above. Ruth earned her Juris Doctor Degree from California Western School of Law and received a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in High Tech Management from California State...

What makes me unique is that I am both a Business Owner and a Corporate & Business Law Attorney. I actually started my first business at age 8 when I launched “Dan’s Bird Farm.” As the owner of the Kehr Business Law PC, I provide business, corporate general counsel, technology, Internet, e-commerce and tax law, as well as trust, will, estate and succession planning legal services. I founded, managed and have run my own law firm for over 17 years. My experience as a business owner makes me uniquely suited to approach legal representation from the business owner’s perspective. I...

As a former business owner myself, my goal is to help other business owners and entrepreneurs with their legal issues. It's important to have someone in your corner who understands what it's like to be in your shoes. Advice is only helpful if it makes sense in the real world, and my prior experience allows me to see the real world implications. Before law school, I opened a small coffee shop that I grew into a full-fledged restaurant within four years. In the beginning, I was able to use marketing to help grow the business over 200% from year to...

Tina has dissolved Gehres Law Group to focus on building a NFP organization, YesHope.org. She is no longer taking clients. Thank you for your patronage.

Practice Areas
Will and Living Trust drafting and review
Powers of Attorney and Advance Health Care Directives
Will and Trust Amendments and Updates
Estate, Gift, Income, and Property Tax planning Techniques for avoiding probate
Represent Executors and Administrators in Probate
Represent Trustee in Trust Administration
Advanced Estate Tax Planning: Irrevocable Trusts, Gifting Trusts, Grantor Retained Trusts (GRIT, GRAT, GRUT, QPRT), Life Insurance Trusts
Charitable Planning ? Charitable Trusts (CRAT, CRUT, CLT)

Education
University of San Diego School of Law ? Juris Doctorate in 1977
University of California, Irvine ? Bachelor of Arts in 1974
Personal Philosophy
Roberta helps families plan to transfer assets to the next generation while avoiding probate and miniming...

Mr. Kouretchian provides strategic counseling and customized legal service to individuals, families, entrepreneurs, estates and businesses. He specializes in the areas of Wills and Trusts and Corporate/Business Law (Formation, Governance, Finance).

Mr. O'Connell leads a small firm of professionals specializing in real estate issues, business, corporations, limited liability companies, estates, and trust administration. He has more than 30 years of experience in these areas and is fully equipped to advise clients regarding their options and risks in these troubling economic times.

Mr. O'Connell speaks frequently at continuing education seminars on topic including the emerging issues in limited liability companies and legal ethics.

Mr. O'Connell served in the U.S. Army Security Agency from 1968 to 1972, serving in Turkey and Germany.

Jeffrey Gaffney is a 30 year attorney and retired Navy Captain. Originally from New York, he moved to San Diego in 1985 and has remained here since, military duties permitting. An attorney since 1993, Jeff is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law. He began as a law clerk in 1991, helping aggrieved investors recover from unscrupulous stockbrokers. A former registered representative ("used stock salesman") and principal (licensed manager of registered representatives), he began his own law firm in the midst of a scandal involving Prudential Securities' sales of limited partnerships. Since then,...

Professional Life: California State Bar member, Asaph Abrams represents individuals, families and businesses in obtaining federal bankruptcy protection. He has filed over 650 successful bankruptcy cases in San Diego and has been co-chair of the San Diego County Bar's Bankruptcy Law Section. He has parted ways with the large law firm sector to focus personally on clients in need. He offers sliding-scale rates to make bankruptcy an affordable solution for all San Diegans. Asaph volunteers and is active in the legal community through the San Diego County Bar Association and the National Association of Consumer...

Dayn Holstrom, leading a distinguished family law firm in Orange County, Riverside, and San Bernardino, boasts a team of highly skilled attorneys committed to guiding clients with expertise and determination. His academic prowess at Western State University College of Law includes receiving the American Jurisprudence Award 17 times, serving as Editor in Chief of the Law Review, and graduating as Valedictorian with summa cum laude honors. Admitted to the bar in 1990, Dayn founded the Law Office of Dayn Holstrom, evolving into the renowned Holstrom, Block & Parke firm in 2008. Widely respected in Orange County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino...

May Harris (she/her) serves as CEO and Managing Attorney at FPLG. She chairs the firm’s transactional practice group, working with an outstanding team of FPLG attorneys and professionals in service to clients of all sizes, including museums, schools, churches, medical organizations and other charitable tax-exempt entities. Serving in the roles of nonprofit founder, board member, corporate counsel and executive director over the course of her career, Ms. Harris has been instrumental in the development of each of the organizations she has led, and she understands the challenges facing nonprofit executives every day. Over her two decades of legal practice, Ms. Harris has...

Paul Hilton is committed to the idea of “service to country” which translates into the work he does for his clients. After graduating from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Magna Cum Laude, Paul Hilton began his practice in the San Diego area and is licensed to practice law in California’s state and federal courts.

A retired Marine, Paul finds that his law career allows him to pair his passion with his purpose within his home community. During his time in law school, he was awarded the Veterans Assistance scholarship and served as the Executive Editor of Law Review. As a lawyer,...

Bill helps business owners achieve financial freedom through legal strategies that maximize and protect their assets. As Chief Counsel at Sollertis, Bill works with his clients in the preparation of a Master Asset Protection Plan™ and, once created, manages a team of strategically selected Private Practice Attorneys who work with him to implement the plan and ultimately, to help his clients protect their assets and obtain financial freedom. Bill brings a business perspective to everything he does. As co-founder and managing partner of San Diego Law Firm, he guided the firm in its ascent...

San Diego Attorney Joel Weissler (619-281-1888) has practiced law for over 25 yrs. Early on, his personal experiences focused his career on Estate Planning, Elder law, Asset Protection & Probate. Joel has been recognized for the past 3 years by Martindale-Hubble & Lawyers.com receiving their “Client Distinction” award as being in the top 1% of attorneys in client service & satisfaction. A 2008-2013 recipient of San Diego Magazine’s five star award program, in 2010, Attorney Weissler was selected through a peer nomination process as a "Top Attorney" in the Estate Planning Category by the San Diego Daily Transcript. Attorney...