About the Authors
LEONARD THOMAS ADAMIAK is the supervising probate investigator for Los Angeles County. Tom, as he is known to all, was born and raised in Los Angeles. He received his B.A. in sociology in 1969 from California State University, Northridge. He worked for the Department of Social Services from 1970–1989 as a case worker, administrative assistant, fraud investigator, and supervising fraud investigator. He transferred to the L.A. County Superior Court in 1990. He completed thousands of conservatorship and guardianship investigations before attaining his current position in 2003. He currently supervises a staff of ten full-time investigators, one part-time investigator, and seven office assistants.
DEE DEE BLACKWOOD received her B.A. in sociology in 1974 from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has been a probate investigator for the Superior Court in San Luis Obispo County since 1988, completing investigations in conservatorship, guardianship, and step-parent adoption matters. Her previous work experience was as a social worker in the areas of child protective services, adult protective services, and foster care licensing for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. She is a member of CASCI, California Association of Superior Court Investigators, has served on its board and numerous committees, and was chair of the Guardianship Task Force for many years. As chair during 2004, she was responsible for oversight of an extensive revision of the Court Investigator Guardianship Training Manual. She has also been a presenter at the Family Dispute Resolution Statewide Educational Institute and at CASCI conferences.
ALEX R. BORDEN established the Borden Law Office in Torrance and specializes in conservatorship, estate and trust administration, and litigation. Mr. Borden received his B.A. in economics with a business emphasis (cum laude) in 1991 from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and his J.D. in 1995 from Loyola University School of Law. Mr. Borden serves on and actively participates in the Los Angeles Superior Court Probate Volunteer Panel and Pro Per Guardianship Program of the South Bay Bar Association Estates and Trusts section and regularly serves as a court-appointed personal representative in decedents’ estates proceedings.
SUSANNE B. COHEN is an attorney with Hahn & Hahn LLP in Pasadena, and advises and represents clients in elder and dependent adult financial abuse cases; trusts and estates conflict resolution and litigation; conservatorships, trust and probate estate administration; and estate, special needs and long-term care planning, including public benefits planning. She received her B.A. from Vassar College and her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law. A former legal services attorney specializing in aging and disability issues, she has served as a staff attorney at Legal Assistance for Seniors in Oakland, California Rural Legal Assistance in Modesto, and The Arizona Center for Disability Law.
VICKI F. dE CASTRO is a Deputy County Counsel in Stanislaus County handling all probate, probate conservatorship, and mental health (including LPS) matters for the county. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and her J.D. from Armstrong College. From 1978 to 1998 she had a private practice with emphasis in probate, estate planning, and conservatorships. Her primary clients were private professional conservators. For 13 years she conducted mental health certification review hearings and medication hearings as a hearing officer for Alameda County. During that time she conducted trainings for new hearing officers and medical staff. She has been a speaker for county counsel association probate and mental health study group conferences and for CALPSHO, the mental health hearing officer organization.
LINDA S. DURSTON is an attorney in private practice in Berkeley. Her major practice areas are estate planning, conservatorships, guardianships, and special needs trusts. She formerly practiced Social Security disability law at a not-for-profit agency in Northern California. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, the Contra Costa County Bar Association, and the Alameda County Bar Association. She is past secretary of the California National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. She is principal author with Linda G. Mills of The Rhetoric, Politics, and Therapeutics of Opening Statements in Social Security Disability Hearings, 8 Yale J on Law and Feminism, 119–144 (no. 1, 1996). She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in rhetoric and where she also taught for many years before entering the legal profession.
MICHAEL J. GILL received his B.A. in 1966 from the University of Redlands and his J.D. in 1969 from Loyola University School of Law. Mr. Gill is a partner in the Los Angeles firm of Saver & Gill, LLP. He has practiced probate, estate, trust, and conservatorship law for the past 35 years, representing many individuals, private professional conservators, and corporate fiduciaries. He is a Probate Court Mediator, a former officer of both Los Angeles and Orange County Estate and Trust Sections, former member of the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Trust and Estate Section, and a former CEB lecturer. He has also served as a delegate to the State Bar Convention and was member of the Los Angeles County Resolutions Committee.
DON EDWARD GREEN received his B.A. in 1973 from California State University, Long Beach, and his J.D. in 1976 and LL.M. (Taxation) in 1983 from McGeorge Law School. He retired in 2010, having served as the Probate Commissioner, Contra Costa Superior Court, and formerly having served as probate staff attorney, Sacramento Superior Courts, from 1989 to 1998. Before working for the court, Mr. Green practiced law as a certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law (suspended while serving as a judicial officer). He is a former chair of the California State Bar Trusts and Estates Section, served as an Executive Committee member for 10 years, and served as Judicial Liaison to that section. He also served as a member of the Judicial Council of California Probate and Mental Health Advisory Committee. Mr. Green is a frequent lecturer and speaker for CEB, PLI, CJER, sections of the State Bar of California, county bar associations, and various community groups and charities. He was named Pro Bono Judge of the Year 2003 by the Contra Costa County Bar Association.
MARGARET M. HAND is an attorney in private practice in Oakland, specializing in estate planning, probate and trust administration, conservatorships and guardianships, and estate-related litigation. She received her B.A. (with honors) in 1989 from the University of California, San Diego, and her J.D. in 1993 from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. A certified specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law, Ms. Hand is a member of the Executive Committee of the Trust and Estates Section of the State Bar of California. She is immediate past chair of the Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Advisory Commission to the Board of Specialization of the California State Bar. She is a past chair of the Trust Committee of the Alameda County Bar Association Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section. Ms. Hand is a frequent panelist for CEB estate planning programs.
ANN M. HANSEN is a Deputy County Counsel in Alameda County. Ms. Hansen represents the Alameda County Public Guardian in LPS and Probate Conservatorship proceedings and related elder abuse litigation. Ms. Hansen received her B.A. (1st Class) in 1977 from the University of British Columbia and her J.D. in 1980 from Northeastern University School of Law. She is an active member of the Alameda County Bar Association Trusts and Estates Section.
ADRIENNE SAURO HECKMAN is a Senior Deputy County Counsel for the County of Orange. She received her B.A. from the College of Wooster, Ohio, and her J.D. from Case Western Reserve School of Law. Since 1986, she has represented the Public Guardian in LPS matters, and since 1990, has also represented and advised the Public Guardian and Public Administrator in probate conservatorships, decedents’ estates, trusts, guardianships, and related litigation. She is a member of the Orange County Bar Association Elder Law and Estate Planning and Probate sections and was chair of the latter section in 2000. She has lectured on a wide variety of conservatorship and estate issues for CEB, the Orange County Bar Association, the County Counsel’s Association LPS/Probate Study Section, the Orange County Fiduciary Abuse Specialist Team, the Orange County Designated Facilities, and state and regional Public Administrator/Guardian/Conservator’s conferences.
NEIL F. HORTON is a partner at Horton & Roberts LLP in Oakland. He limits his practice to litigation and mediation involving trusts and estates, estate planning, and trust and probate administration. Mr. Horton received his B.A. in 1958 from Grinnell College and his LL.B. in 1961 from Harvard Law School. He is a certified specialist in probate, estate planning and trust law (State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization), a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts & Estates Section of the State Bar of California, and a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. A past president of the Alameda County Bar Association, Mr. Horton chaired the Executive Committee of its Trusts & Estates Section in 2004–2005.
SAMUEL D. INGHAM III has a private practice in Beverly Hills limited to conservatorship, guardianship, and trust and probate matters. Mr. Ingham received his B.A. in Latin (summa cum laude) in 1972 from the University of California, Irvine, and his J.D. in 1975 from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law. He is a certified specialist in probate, estate planning and trust law (State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization) and has served on the Executive Committees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association sections on Trusts and Estates and Natural Resource Law. He participates actively in the Los Angeles Superior Court Probate Volunteer Panel and Probate Mediation Panel and regularly serves as a court-appointed referee or special master in litigated cases.
POLLY LEVIN is an associate with the Bohne Law Group, with offices in Walnut Creek. Her practice focuses on providing planning services for persons with disabilities and their family members. This encompasses estate planning, including special needs trusts, trust administration, and conservatorships. Ms. Levin also works with personal injury attorneys to establish special needs trusts for their minor or disabled clients. Ms. Levin received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and her J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law. She is a member of the California and New York bars, the Alameda County Bar Association, Wealth Counsel LLC, and the Northern California Planned Giving Council.
PATINA A. MADISON (Tina) graduated from California State University, Long Beach, in 1973 with a degree in psychology. While working toward a master’s degree in special education, she joined the California Probate Referee’s office in Long Beach. She received certification as a paralegal in 1982, having completed the paralegal studies program at the University of California, Irvine. Ms. Madison graduated in 1991 from Western State College of Law with an emphasis in taxation. Since her admission to the Bar she has been a sole practitioner, limiting her practice to probate, conservatorship, and estate planning matters. She has served as a Judge Pro Tem in the Probate Department of the Orange County Superior Court, lectured for CEB, and acted as an expert witness.
BETTIE BAKER MARSHALL has her own practice in Campbell (Santa Clara County), limited to conservatorship, elder law, estate planning, and probate. Ms. Marshall received her B.A. in 1985 from University of San Francisco and her J.D. (cum laude) in 1991 from Santa Clara University School of Law. She has lectured and written on elder law and conservatorships for fiduciary, legal, and civic organizations, is certified as a specialist by the California Board of Legal Specialization in estate planning, trust and probate law, and has been named as a top elder law attorney by San Jose Magazine for 6 years and as Northern California Super Lawyer in Elder Law by Law & Politics Magazine, Publishers of San Francisco Magazine, for 3 years. She is a court-appointed counsel for proposed conservatees, is a member of the executive committee of, and Newsletter Editor of, the Silicon Valley Bar Association, Trusts & Estates Section, and is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
MATTHEW P. MATIASEVICH practices in San Francisco, specializing in trust and estate litigation. He received his B.A. from Stanford University in 1989 and his J.D. from the University of California, Davis, School of Law in 1993. He joined Evans, Latham & Campisi in 1997 and became a shareholder in 2003. His reported cases include Conservatorship of Coombs (1998) 67 CA4th 1395.
WILLIAM MINGRAM is a principal with Bond Services of California, LLC. Mr. Mingram received a B.S. in Quantitative Economics and Decision Sciences from the University of California, San Diego. He began his career at Van Bokkelen Bonds & Insurance Agency and he established its Southern California office before partnering with Bond Services of California, LLC.
KATHRYN M. MURPHY has a private practice with offices in Berkeley and San Francisco. Her practice is limited to estate planning, estate and trust administration, conservatorships, and litigation involving estates, trusts, and conservatorships. She is a certified specialist in probate, estate planning and trust law (State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization). She received her B.A. (philosophy) from the University of San Francisco, her LL.B. from Lincoln University Law School, her M.S. (taxation) from Golden Gate University, and her M.S.W. (mental health) from California State University, Sacramento.
E. JOAN NELMS is in private practice in Redlands and limits her practice to conservatorship, guardianship, trust and probate matters, probate litigation, and elder law litigation. Ms. Nelms received her J.D. in 1989 from Western State University, Fullerton, and is a certified specialist in probate, estate planning and trust law (State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization). Prior to employment with Brown, White & Newhouse, Ms. Nelms was employed by San Bernardino County as a research attorney for the Probate Department and has taught elder law classes at University of California, Riverside, Extension. Ms. Nelms regularly serves as a court-appointed attorney for Riverside and San Bernardino counties on conservatorship and guardianship matters.
RUTH A. PHELPS received her undergraduate degree in mathematics from Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. She received her J.D. in 1975 and her LL.M. (taxation) in 2004 from Loyola University School of Law. Mrs. Phelps is a certified elder law attorney and a certified estate planning, trust and probate specialist. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, a member of the Executive Committee of the Trust and Estates Section of the State Bar of California, past President of the Southern California Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and a member of the Board of Overseers of Loyola University School of Law. She is a member of the adjunct faculty of Loyola University School of Law, teaching elder law. Mrs. Phelps serves as a member of the Probate Volunteer Panel of attorneys for the Los Angeles Superior Court. Her practice areas include long-term disability and care issues, Medi-Cal and Medicare planning, conservatorships, and guardianships. She prepares trusts, special needs trusts, wills, powers of attorney for asset management, and advance health care directives.
HOWARD SERBIN is a Supervising Deputy in the Office of the Orange County Counsel, in charge of the Probate/Mental Health Section. Mr. Serbin received his B.A. in 1974 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his J.D. in 1976 from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law. He has worked on probate matters since 1980 and has been lead attorney to the Public Administrator/Guardian and head of the Probate/Mental Health Section since 1991. Mr. Serbin has also served as lead attorney for the Orange County Counsel’s Juvenile Dependency Section. He is past chair of the Estate Planning and Trust Section of the Orange County Bar Association. Mr. Serbin has been a presenter at the California State Bar Association Annual Conference and at County Counsel Association Probate/Mental Health Conferences. He has served as judge pro tempore in Orange County Superior Court. He was instrumental in drafting Prob C §§7660(c) and 2920.5. Mr. Serbin currently serves on Orange County’s committee to revise the local procedures for capacity hearings.
PETER S. STERN is an attorney whose private practice in Palo Alto emphasizes estate planning, probate, and elder law. He received his J.D. in 1981 from Stanford University School of Law. He is a past chair of the executive committee of the Estate Planning, Probate, and Trust Section of the Santa Clara County Bar Association (1993) and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bar Association (1992–1994). He is certified as a specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law by the California Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California. He served as a member and chair of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the State Bar of California. He served on the Probate and Mental Health Committee of the Judicial Council of California. He is a member of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and currently chairs its Elder Law Committee. Mr. Stern holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Denison University and Princeton University. Prior to his work in law, he served as a member of the history departments at Stanford University and the University of Santa Clara. He has also served in the U.S. Department of State. His current practice deals with a broad spectrum of estate planning, conservatorships, probate, and elder law, including Medi-Cal planning and other legal assistance to families of persons suffering from incapacities. He has lectured on elder law, Medi-Cal planning, and special needs trusts for CEB, the Santa Clara County Bar Association, the Silicon Valley Bar Association, the National Business Institute, and California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.
JULIE R. WOODS is the co-author of chapter 1 and chapter 5. Ms. Woods is a Probate Attorney for the Los Angeles Superior Court and is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. She has worked in probate litigation as a private practitioner, court research attorney, and government attorney. She earned her J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School and B.A. degrees in English and Philosophy from the University of Southern California. She is an adjunct law professor, multi-published author of scholarly articles, frequent public speaker, and active member of the legal community. She has been a member of local bar associations, the Probate Curriculum Committee of the Center for Judicial Education and Research, and the Probate and Mental Health Advisory Committee of the Judicial Council of California.
About the 2022 Update Authors
LISA C. ALEXANDER, a partner with the firm of Jakle, Alexander & Patton, LLP in Santa Monica, is the update author of chapter 15 and an update co-author of chapter 20. Ms. Alexander received her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her J.D. from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law. She is a member and past co-chair of the Estate Counselors Forum of Los Angeles, and a member of the Trusts and Estates sections of the California State Bar, the Los Angeles County Bar, Beverly Hills Bar, and Santa Monica Bar associations.
BETI TSAI BERGMAN is an update co-author of chapter 22. Ms. Bergman is the founder and principal shareholder of the law firm, Peninsula Law, which specializes in probate, trusts, estates, conservatorships, and financial elder abuse. She is certified by the California State Bar as a specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law. She has completed the Mediating the Litigated Case program at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law; received her J.D. from University of California, Davis, School of Law; earned a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from Long Beach State; and also holds an active real estate broker’s license. Before specializing in probate, Ms. Bergman was a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles and was a business litigator in private practice.
SUSANNE B. COHEN is the update author of chapter 6. See the About the Authors section for her biography.
ALYSSA V. DAATIO is an update co-author of chapter 3. She is licensed to practice law in the State of California and has been an associate attorney at the law firm of Aaron, Riechert, Carpol & Riffle, APC since 2020. She received her B.A. in Sociology, Law, and Society from the University of California, Riverside, and her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She was a member of the University of San Francisco Law Review and the Moot Court Program.
OLIVER A. GREENWOOD is the principal of the Law Offices of Oliver Greenwood in Pleasant Hill, and is the update author of chapter 4. Mr. Greenwood received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and his J.D. from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He is a former member of the Judicial Council’s Probate & Mental Health Advisory Committee and has contributed to California Guardianship Practice (Cal CEB) and California Powers of Attorney and Health Care Directives (Cal CEB). Mr. Greenwood’s areas of practice include conservatorships, guardianships, and estate planning. Mr. Greenwood’s previous work experience was as a dishwasher, a magician, and an enlisted infantryman in the United States Marine Corps—all of which aid him in his current practice.
AMY HARRINGTON is an update co-author of chapter 22. Ms. Harrington is the managing partner of Harrington Law PC. She received her baccalaureate degree from the University of California, Davis, and her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Her practice focuses on all aspects of probate, including estate planning, estate administration, conservatorships, elder abuse, and will and trust contests. She is a California Probate Referee for San Francisco County and an adjunct professor of estate planning at San Francisco State University. She is the former Mayor of the City of Sonoma.
DUNCAN P. HROMADKA is an associate with the firm of Hromadka & Gaulke in Los Angeles. Mr. Hromadka is an update co-author of chapters 13 and 21. He received his B.A. in 2004 from the University of Michigan and his J.D. in 2007 from Pepperdine University. Mr. Hromadka is an active member of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and currently serves on the section’s executive board. He focuses his practice on probate, conservatorship, and trust matters.
SAMUEL D. INGHAM III is the update author of chapters 2 and 7 and an update co-author of chapter 9. His practice is now in downtown Los Angeles. See the About the Authors section for his biography.
MELISSA R. KARLSTEN is an update co-author of chapter 3. She is licensed to practice law in the State of California, certified by the California State Bar as a specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, and is a shareholder of the law firm of Aaron, Riechert, Carpol & Riffle, APC. Ms. Karlsten has been practicing in the area of probate, estate planning, and trust law since 2002. She received her B.A. in English (cum laude) from Santa Clara University and her J.D. (cum laude) from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She was a member of the McAuliffe Honor Society and served as the technical editor for the University of San Francisco Law Review. Ms. Karlsten served as the president of the San Mateo County Bar Association Barristers Section, the treasurer and chair of the San Mateo County Women Lawyers Section, and now serves on the Board of Directors for the San Mateo County Bar Association. She is a co-author of the article, When Death and Divorce Collide, published in the Spring 2005 issue of the Trusts and Estates Quarterly.
BETTIE BAKER MARSHALL is the update author of chapter 12 and an update co-author of chapter 20. See the About the Authors section for her biography.
WILLIAM MINGRAM is an update co-author of chapter 9. See the About the Authors section for his biography.
NICOLE M. MISNER is an update co-author of chapter 23 and is a Deputy County Counsel for Sacramento County handling probate, conservatorship, and mental health/LPS litigation. She served as the California County Counsels’ Association Probate/Mental Health Section Chair from 2013 through 2020 and represented Kern County from 2010 to 2018 as a deputy specializing in probate/LPS conservatorships, elder abuse litigation, mental health litigation and policy, general litigation, and tax. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Bakersfield Estate Planning Council (2016–2018). Prior to entering public service, Ms. Misner spent 13 years in private practice representing clients in bankruptcy, fraud, conservatorship, and disability law litigation. During that time, she also lectured at the University of California, Davis, and served as an adjunct professor at California State University, Long Beach (2006–2008). In 2008, she received the Kern Regional Center Community Advocacy Award. Ms. Misner received her B.S. from Texas A&M University and her J.D. from Drake University Law School.
HAROUN NABHAN is the update author of chapter 18. Mr. Nabhan is the founder and principal of Nabhan Law in Los Angeles County where his practice focuses on estate planning, probate and trust administration, conservatorships, and litigation. Prior to starting his own practice, Mr. Nabhan worked for an AV-rated law firm in the South Bay, where he handled estate planning, conservatorship, and special needs trust matters, and also represented clients in litigation disputes, including matters involving multimillion dollar trusts. Before that, he worked for a boutique firm in Pasadena specializing in probate and civil rights litigation, where he tried his first case (as second chair) just 6 months after receiving his license to practice law. In his spare time, he loves to travel, and has visited more than 30 countries throughout the world.
DAVID OH is the update author of chapter 14 and an update co-author of chapter 24 . Mr. Oh is Trust Counsel at Fiduciary Trust International where he focuses his practice on assisting high-net-worth individuals in all aspects of gift, estate, and philanthropic planning. He is certified as a specialist in both Taxation Law and Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He regularly lectures on these topics for continuing legal education programs and contributes to publications by CEB and the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyer’s Association. Mr. Oh received his B.A. in Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, his J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and an LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University School of Law.
COURTNEY COLE PATTON is the update author of chapter 10. Ms. Patton is a partner with the firm of Jakle, Alexander & Patton, LLP in Santa Monica. She received her B.A. in 2010 from the University of California, Irvine, and her J.D. in 2013 from Pepperdine University. Ms. Patton is an active member of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association and currently serves on the section’s executive committee. She focuses her practice on estate planning, probate, conservatorship, and trust matters.
WILLIAM SIAS is an update co-author of chapter 24. Mr. Sias is a Principal Deputy County Counsel with the County of Los Angeles. His practice focuses on Probate and LPS Conservatorships. Mr. Sias is member of TEXCOM, the Trust and Estate Executive Committee for the California Lawyers Association. He has handled numerous appeals regarding LPS conservatorships, including Conservatorship of K.P. (2021) 11 C5th 695; Conservatorship of P.C. (2019) 39 CA5th 487; Conservatorship of M.M. (2019) 39 CA5th 496 (petition for review denied November 13, 2019); and Conservatorship of Jose B. (2020) 50 CA5th 963. He was the author of the amicus curiae brief for the California County Counsel Association of Counties in Conservatorship of E.B. (review granted June 24, 2020, S261812; superseded opinion at 45 CA5th 986). For his work in Conservatorship of E.B., he was nominated for the Litigation Award for Deputy County Counsels. A certified legal specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate, he has an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of San Diego and a Graduate Certificate in Estate Planning and Taxation from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. He graduated with a B.A. in Political Studies from Pitzer College in Claremont, California. He earned his J.D. at University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law. He is an Eagle Scout.
GILLIAN SMITH is an update co-author of chapter 23 and is a Deputy County Counsel for Kern County, handling LPS conservatorships, probate conservatorships, and general advisory matters for the department of behavioral health and the system of involuntary care. She has been serving in this position since 2013. Before working in the public sector, Ms. Smith worked in construction defect litigation. She received her B.A. in political science from the University of California, Irvine, and her J.D. from Whittier College, School of Law.
PETER S. STERN is the update author of chapters 11 and 19. See the About the Authors section for his biography.
ADAM L. STRELTZER practices in the Century City area of Los Angeles, and is the update author of chapter 17. He received his B.A. from San Diego State University and his J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. Mr. Streltzer is a member of the Trust and Estates Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, a member of the Commercial Law League of America, and is a participant in the appointed counsel and guardian ad litem programs with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Mr. Streltzer’s practice focuses on litigation concerning the rights, duties, responsibilities, money, and property of the deceased, incompetent, spendthrift, and bankrupt.
SARAH TALEI, update co-author of chapter 16, is a partner with Oldman, Cooley, Sallus, Birnberg & Coleman LLP in Encino. Ms. Talei graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Business Administration and obtained her J.D. from Whittier Law School, where she specialized in children’s rights. She was an extern at the Children’s Law Center and the Probate Department of the Los Angeles Superior Court. She has served as the Secretary and Treasurer on the Barrister Board of the Beverly Hills Bar Association and is a 2005 recipient of the Barristers Lawrence J. Blake Award for dedicated service. She is also a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, and the Iranian Bar Association.
JULIE R. WOODS is the update author of chapters 1, 5, and 8. See the About the Authors section for her biography.
ERIC R. YAMAMOTO, of the Law Offices of Eric R. Yamamoto in West Los Angeles, is an update co-author of chapters 13, 16, and 21. Mr. Yamamoto focuses his practice on probate, conservatorship, and trust matters. He received his B.S. from the University of Southern California and his J.D. from Loyola University School of Law. He belongs to the Trusts and Estates Section of the Santa Monica Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the State Bar of California. He is a past co-chair of the Santa Monica Bar Association Probate, Trust and Estate Planning Section. Mr. Yamamoto has taught at the University of West Los Angeles School of Law and at UCLA Extension and has been a speaker at numerous seminars sponsored by the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He periodically acts as an interviewer for the California State Controller’s Advisory Probate Referee. Mr. Yamamoto is a frequent speaker at CEB programs and is also the author of California Decedent Estate Practice, chap 9 (2d ed Cal CEB).
