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Law Office of Andrew Kern

(48)

Efficient
Questions
Mail

“Whatever questions or worries we had, he was always relaxed, put us at ease, and helped us by answering our questions in a way that made sense to non-legal people such as ourselves.”

Featured

Most people have heard probate is something to avoid because it is a long involved court process that will usually cost much more money than creating a trust. People will ask me whether they need a will and a trust or just a will. If you own a home or other real property then you must have a trust with a will because California law mandates a probate for estate assets over $165,000 and almost all homes in California are valued at more than $165,000. If you don't have any real property but have other assets totaling more than $165,000 there are ways to avoid probate without a trust. Give me a call so we can discuss your situation. Andrew...

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Mackay Dressler Law Firm

(41)

Relationship
Trust
Continuing Education

“Bridget and the team at the Law Offices of Bridget Mackay: Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning will work closely with you to secure an exceptionally complete plan geared to your personal and financial wishes.”

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Baldwin, McGaughey & Co.

(1)

“I will be going to Dave for our tax matters for as long as he will have me.”

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Strickland Law Group

(4)

“Robert Strickland is impressively knowledgeable, thorough, highly competent and a skilled negotiator.”

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Marvin Pederson, Attorney

(6)

“Long story short, I was involved in a 3-car accident (two of the cars were totaled, one of which was mine) The 3rd car was barely damaged and was the responsible party.”

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Law Offices of Andrea L. Pierotti

(2)

“We would highly recommend them for the knowledge and professional handling of the probate.”

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The 24 firms listed for Petaluma, CA write wills, trusts and powers of attorney for clients. What each says about its planning packages and meeting options comes from its own website; ratings and quotes come from public reviews.

Area overview: Petaluma, CA

7 of the 24 firms we list are based in Petaluma; the other 17 serve Petaluma from towns including Santa Rosa (15 mi), Sonoma (10 mi) and Novato (11 mi). The firms on this page are rated from 4.0 to 5.0 across 364 reviews; 3 have 50 or more reviews and 21 are rated 4.5 or higher. When clients rate these firms on specific qualities, they most often praise professionalism (88%), responsiveness (84%) and quality (67%). 1 is open around the clock; 2 are open on Saturdays and 1 on Sundays. The practice areas the firms on this page list most often on their websites are estate planning (6), succession planning (2) and trust administration (2). 2 show a license on their websites and 1 has a BBB rating of A or A+. Domain records put 17 websites of the firms on this page at ten or more years old; the oldest dates from 1998. 1 offers urgent consultations; 1 offers remote or virtual consultations; 1 offers payment plans; 8 offer a free initial consultation and 2 are family- or locally-owned. We count these figures across the firms on this page; distances are straight-line, and hours and prices change, so confirm the details with the firm before you book a consultation.

Why are some listed estate planning firms outside Petaluma?

Of the 24 firms shown, 7 keep an office in Petaluma. The others come from other towns within 20 mi. Planning takes only a handful of meetings, so people often travel for the right fit. Distances are straight-line.

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Elzi Chris P

(1)

“Chris is efficient, bright, personable, humorous and professional.”

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Codi M. Dada Law Offices

(47)

Choice
Trust
Confidence

“He took the old documents, extracted the relevant information, discussed a number of points involving my recent marriage and step-children, successor Trustee upon incapacitation and/or death, etc.”

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Galanti & Copenhaver

(29)

Trust
Happy
Communication

“No one really wants to plan for dying, but at Galanti & Copenhaver, Erica and her staff help you put your mind at ease, so you can deal with some potentially difficult decisions that you will have to make.”

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Law Office of James A. Zakasky

(8)

“He is patient and intelligent and if by chance you are confused or scared he can put you at ease and makes you feel confident and safe knowing that you will receive the best help possible.”

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Law Office of Kevin T. O'Connor

(5)

“He was kind and thoughtful to my partner, answered all my questions, and had a natural way of interacting with my partner so he could be at ease and confident in what he had to understand and do.”

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Johnston & Associates, Attorneys at Law

(3)

“If you are currently running a non-profit organization or you are in the process of starting a new non-profit, then we would highly recommend contacting Daryl Reese of Johnston Thomas for your organization's legal needs.”

FAQs

What is Arbitration?

An arbitration is like a private trial before a judge (not a jury). The parties present their witnesses and evidence just like in a regular trial, and the arbitrator makes a decision. The decision is binding on the parties, except for one exception. If the arbitration was ordered by the court (judicial arbitration), the losing party may ask for a trial before a judge or jury. If the decision is binding, the decision of the arbitrator may be submitted to the court by the prevailing party and receive a court judgment. The prevailing party may then proceed to collect the judgment amount from the losing party as in any other type of civil case.

What is Discovery?

Discovery is the phase of litigation in which the parties gather information about the case. It is a generic term that includes: Document requests from the other party and 3rd party witnesses Written questions (called interrogatories) answered in writing under oath by the other party Requests for admissions from the other party Depositions of the other party as well as 3rd party witnesses

Why Do I Need a Fee Agreement?

For two reasons. First, California law requires a written fee agreement for any matter that is expected to require more than $1,000 in fees. But even more importantly, you need to understand exactly what you can expect of your lawyer and what he or she will expect of you. You should read your fee agreement carefully before signing it, preferably at home. You should sign the agreement only when you understand every clause in it. Fee agreements are negotiable. Thus you should not hesitate to ask the prospective attorney to change, delete, or add to the agreement until you are completely satisfied with it.

How Much Will My Transaction Matter Cost?

The cost for a transactional matter depends upon the type of transaction. For estate planning and some real estate transactions, we can quote a flat fee that is based upon the services desired. In addition, certain construction law transactions are payable on a flat fee. For these types of transactions, there is no charge for an initial consultation. After we have reviewed the matter with you during our meeting we can quote you a figure for the project. The quote does not normally include costs that are incurred on your behalf by us. Typical costs include filing fees, recording fees, photocopies and postage. Some transactions do not lend themselves to a flat fee. In those cases, our normal hourly rates apply, depending on the category of services.

What Do You Charge?

Except in a few limited situations, we work only on an hourly basis. That means that you pay the hourly rate for attorneys, research attorneys, paralegals, law clerks and clerical staff. In addition to the hourly fees, you will be responsible for costs incurred on your behalf by us. Typical costs include filing fees, recording fees, court reporter fees, photocopies and postage.

You'll find more information on the FAQ page of our website.

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Henderson Law

(16)

Team
Case
Questions

“He is very competent, got to the issues quickly, and listened to my concerns while offering solutions that helped me make decisions I can live with, which meant a lot to me.”

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Embolden Law

(9)

Divorce
Bankruptcy

“I have worked with hundreds of lawyers over my years in business, including some of the top law firms in New York City, such Sherman & Sterling, Sullivan & Cromwell, Arnold & Porter, and White & Case; and Clifford Chance in London.”

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Borba Frizzell Kerns

(3)

“He helped me win my eviction case in about a little over a month, and I got my Writ if Possession back on my house.”

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Gullotta Law Group

(19)

Questions
Knowledge
Mind

“After being very confused about a great number of things for a long while I finally just walked into a different place to get a "2nd opinion" glad I did; my needs were more urgent than I realized or had been previously been told.”

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Law Office of Ruby Steinbrecher

(13)

Trust
Will
The Future

“She has been friendly, punctual and reliable, and she has never requested an additional fee beyond our initial financial contract, even when resolving certain issues took longer than originally anticipated.”

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Tillem McNichol & Brown

(8)

“She has a big heart, knows what she is talking about, and gets straight to the heart of the matter without wasting your time or money...”

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The Campopiano Law Offices

(6)

“Heather Campopiano and her staff were so professional yet caring through a very hard family trust closure.”

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Law Offices of Christopher J. Cook

(5)

Estate Planning

“Chris is a man of character and integrity which is important and I admired his perception of the law and his diligence in his motions and the intuition that he has with his strategy.”

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Eberts Law Group

(1)

“Ann has helped me with more than one subject, she has given me direction related to my grandmothers trust and then again when my own mother passed away.”

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Bailey III Frank R

(4)

Estate
Counsel

“Bailey took care of everything, from officially dismissing the duplicitous real estate brokers, obtaining all the escrow papers, summoning a notary to his office to arrange for my final “walkthrough” the following day with the sellers.”

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Botz Cody Law

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Gardner Lauren Attorney At Law

(2)

“Lauren handled my mom's estate exactly to her specifications, often bringing up minute details that she'd overlooked that were extremely helpful.”

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Average Cost	$430
Minimum cost	$215
Maximum cost	$2790
Avg Per Hour Rates	$322

Best Estate Planning Attorneys in Petaluma, CA

Law Office of Andrew Kern

Mackay Dressler Law Firm

Baldwin, McGaughey & Co.

Strickland Law Group

Marvin Pederson, Attorney

Law Offices of Andrea L. Pierotti

Area overview: Petaluma, CA

Elzi Chris P

Codi M. Dada Law Offices

Galanti & Copenhaver

Law Office of James A. Zakasky

Law Office of Kevin T. O'Connor

Johnston & Associates, Attorneys at Law

Henderson Law

Embolden Law

Borba Frizzell Kerns

Gullotta Law Group

Law Office of Ruby Steinbrecher

Tillem McNichol & Brown

The Campopiano Law Offices

Law Offices of Christopher J. Cook

Eberts Law Group

Bailey III Frank R

Botz Cody Law

Gardner Lauren Attorney At Law

Estate Planning Legal Services in Petaluma, CA Cost Estimates

Why these companies made our list

Estate Planning Attorneys near Petaluma

Popular in Petaluma

Guides: Estate Planning Attorneys