Encinitas Estate Planning Lawyers

Mr. Ehson Salaami Mr. Salaami was born and raised in California. He graduated from San Diego State University (SDSU) with a business degree in personal financial planning. Before attending law school at California Western to pursue a legal education in the consumer and business fields, Mr. Salaami co-founded and operated two upscale residential care facilities for the elderly in La Jolla. Mr. Salaami has always had a passion for helping others. His unique business experience offers invaluable insight and creative approaches to the practice of law. Mr. Salaami enjoys advocating on behalf of consumers and...

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.

Blaine M. Brown is a co-founder of the OC Trial Group and acts as one of their primary trial attorneys. Mr. Brown is a highly awarded and reviewed trial attorney who has been named to Best Lawyers’ annual list of “Ones to Watch” and has also been rated by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star.” He has also earned an Avvo rating of “Superb 10/10” and recognition as a “Top 40 Under 40 Trial Layer” by the National Trial Lawyers. Mr. Brown represents clients in a variety of matters, including trust and estate matters (trust litigation and trust administration), financial elder...

Amy L. Gostanian Esq., Attorney and Founder of The Estate Lawyers, formerly known as Gostanian Law Group, PC. “Amy was able to take over handling my parent’s estate from another attorney and I am very grateful for all of her and her staff’s support and help. Amy is very kind and caring and helped me through some tough spots in the process. Billing was very fair and accurate. Communication was timely and greatly appreciated. I’ll be returning to have my own trust done. Thank you, Amy!” — Lisa

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...

Shadi Shaffer focuses her practice on Estate Planning, Trusts, Probate and Trust Administration. Prior to her legal career, Attorney Shaffer had an extensive and diverse work history, which helped her gain skills that have proven invaluable to her legal practice.

Attorney Shaffer opened her own firm so she could protect families, children, and businesses from the CA Probate system and serve as an advocate to prevent clients from the court system. She started the Asset Protection & Elder Law Center over 15 years ago with her best friend (25 years and counting!) Patrick P. Phancao. We wanted to build a...

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...

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.

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...

Consumer bankruptcy and estate planning attorney representing clients in Southern California.

Awarded "10 Best Attorneys - California 2017" for client satisfaction by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys, and "Top 40 Under 40" for civil plaintiff attorneys in 2016 by the National Trial Lawyers Association - Daniel W. Chudleigh gets results! Daniel W. Chudleigh is the founder of Chudleigh Law P.C. and focuses on personal injury law and civil litigation. Mr. Chudleigh holds a J.D./M.B.A. from Chapman University and is licensed to practice law in the state and federal courts of both California and Utah.

I practice family law which usually includes child custody, domestic violence, divorce, legal separation, child support and more. If you are in need of an attorney feel free to contact my office.

Christopher J.D. Gipe is the founder of Gipe Law, P.C., a boutique estate planning and probate firm based in Mission Viejo, California. He serves clients throughout Southern California, with a strong presence in Orange County communities including San Clemente, Dana Point, Rancho Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, San Juan Capistrano, and Laguna Niguel. Mr. Gipe is known for delivering thoughtful, personalized estate plans that go beyond documents—focusing on practical solutions that integrate legal, financial, and real-world considerations. His approach emphasizes clarity, family harmony, and long-term security, helping clients protect what they’ve built and ensure their wishes are honored. His practice includes estate planning,...

Joe Wojcik is a partner in Davis & Wojcik, APLC. Mr. Wojcik has over 25 years of litigation experience in state, federal and bankruptcy courts, and represents prominent corporate clients and executives in prosecuting and defending complex business litigation and transactional matters throughout Riverside County. He represents health care providers, real estate developers, and agricultural companies in a wide range of matters, including commercial, employment, real estate, and compliance claims. He also represents over 2,000 clients in preparing their wills, trusts, power of attorneys, and other matters for their estate planning needs.

If your situation requires experienced and knowledgeable representation from...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Lisa Frisella has been dedicated to working with clients, trustees, beneficiaries, conservators, guardians, and heirs, assisting with estate planning, litigating trust-related matters, handling heirship petitions and will contests, advising on trust administration, and pursuing financial elder abuse claims. Before founding Frisella Neilson, APC, she focused on civil litigation, including antitrust, consumer protection, and complex commercial cases, with a San Diego boutique law firm. She also has experience in estate planning, having worked with a firm that offered capital management, accounting, and real estate services. Ms. Frisella is a 2000 graduate of the Saint Louis University School of Law, where she also...

As a founding partner at the firm of Davis Wojcik Duarte, APLC, Riverside County attorney Robert A. Davis works on both criminal and civil cases. He has over 22 years of experience in the legal field. Mr. Davis has been involved with the boards of the Hemet Hospital Foundation, the Exchange Club, and the Education Foundation. He is a member of the California Society of Healthcare Attorneys, American Health Lawyers’ Association and Riverside County Bar Association. He received his Juris Doctor from Brigham Young University, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Law and Education. Contact his firm for...

I love what I do. I have the opportunity to work with you to make sure that everything you have worked for or will work for during your life does not end up in the hands of others or does not destroy your family. Over my 17 years of practicing law, I have discovered that there is a real need for personal and practical legal advice when creating your unique estate plan or helping you through probate after a loved one dies. I have discovered that words have meaning, interpretations differ, and memories fade. I can...

Leslie Daff, JD, MBA, is a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. Formerly with the law firms of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP, Best Best & Krieger LLP, and Palmieri, Tyler, Weiner, Wilhelm & Waldron LLP, she founded Estate Plan, Inc,, a professional law corporation with offices in Laguna Beach and Irvine in 2005. In 2010, she opened an Overland Park location in conjuntion with Randy Gardner, JD, LLM, MBA, CPA. Leslie received her JD degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where she served as an editor on the Loyola Law...

Juanita Guillen-Mellman is a co-founding partner of Mellman & Mellman LLP, a law firm that has represented clients in various legal matters, including estate planning and probate, family law, real property, civil litigation and estate litigation. As an attorney licensed to practice in all California state and federal courts, Ms. Guillen-Mellman has gained extensive litigation experience by conducting and successfully arguing hundreds of motions, trials, and other hearings. Attorney Guillen-Mellman is well versed in what it takes to obtain results, both in and out of court. At Mellman & Mellman, LLP attorney Juanita Guillen-Mellman is an integral part of the...

Richard Young is a Master lawyer with the Orange County Bar Association practicing in Family Law, Divorce Law, Custody, Support, Domestic Violence, Asset Division, Pre Nuptials, Divorce, Domestic Violence, Trusts, Wills, Bankruptcy. He graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1994 and immediately formed his firm. He has won awards from the Orange County Bar Association from the Judiciary and Pro Bono Publico as well as Graduating from the Pepperdine College of Advocacy. He has served as a Judge Pro Tem, Senior Mandatory Fee Arbitrator and has successfully handled thousands of Family law matters.

Deborah is a an Orange County, CA estate planning attorney who genuinely cares about each and every one of her clients. She has a special sensitivity for seniors and works diligently to ensure that their estate planning wishes are met. Deborah is the mother to two beautiful children and understands the desire of families to ensure that their hard earned assets are passed down to the next generation. She started her firm to make sure that her clients and their children are cared for should anything happen to them. Deborah is responsive, responsible, and committed to the needs of her...

Since 1974, The Gibbs Law Firm, APC has provided unparalleled service in a variety of legal matters throughout Southern California. Prospective clients can expect the same resources as many large firms, without sacrificing the personalized focus and attention that comes with a modest-sized staff. The Gibbs Law Firm, APC has forged many alliances across its long history, and will use all the tools at its disposal to obtain the results you seek. Whether you have residential, commercial or manufactured housing real estate problems, seek advice on any aspect of business operation, require representation in Bankruptcy proceedings or need assistance with...

I began my legal career at a mid-size law firm located in downtown San Diego, where I was part of a sophisticated team of business lawyers. Driven by a passion for efficiency, I co-founded Broaden Law LLP. This venture allowed me to merge my entrepreneurial spirit with my legal practice. I am committed to identifying a variety of strategies tailored to each client’s specific situation and goals, ensuring that my clients play a meaningful role in the decision-making process. I am a member of the Probate Attorneys of San Diego and currently serve on the Probate Handbook Committee.

Giovanni A. Correa is an estate planning, trusts, and probate attorney with more than 10 years of legal experience, including 8+ years as a California licensed attorney. Giovanni has extensive experience in estate planning and probate administration. His passion for his profession is evident in his commitment to providing exceptional customer service while always keeping costs at the forefront.

Matthew Schlau has an extensive background in civil litigation, which includes counseling private companies in hundreds of matters in all stages of litigation. His experience also includes advising companies in private joint venture arrangements and serving as outside general counsel to review, draft, and negotiate contracts and other documents relating to a wide range of exceptional and ordinary-course business transactions. He began his own practice so that he could permanently shift his focus from conflicts to building value. He now helps clients design, create, and grow by proactively addressing personal and business matters.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Arts in...