I had the most pleasant experience with these girls, I didn't know where to start, they guided me…read morethrough the entire process from start to finish. I have referred them to so many people and everyone had an equally wonderful experience. This is not a subject that most people like to talk about , trusts, Probate ,etc, and they made it easy, and were so informative. I would give 10 stars if I could.

Excellent service, had questions about our living trust. Shantal Assured us about our status if we…read moreneeded any updates . Highly recommend if you need to do any Estate planning . Shantal is friendly and Efficient.

As a single mom, I wanted to ensure that the small business I've worked hard for would be passed…read moreon smoothly, with everything clearly documented and easy for my son to navigate should anything happen to me. The legal process of estate planning felt overwhelming, but I was grateful to have Tara and Arielle address all my concerns and streamline the entire process. I appreciate their transparent pricing and the personalized attention of a small firm, which made me feel valued as a client. Thank you.

After comparing against 6 other law firms to do a trust, I settled on Shaw legal. The deciding…read morefactor was the transparent and competitive pricing on their website and stellar reviews here on Yelp. Although I did find another competitor that was cheaper, it was the bundled package and glowing reviews that sold me. After I made my choice and the deposit was made, Arielle was diligently following up via email after I submitted the online questionnaire. Filling out the questionnaire made the process so much easier! I picked the Basic package which included the trust, POAs, & pour over will in a nice and professional binder. Grant deed was received the next day! Definitely will recommend to family and friends! Thanks Tara and Arielle for a painless process!

I had a great experience while handling some very challenging times. Julia and her staff are very…read moreprofessional and explain everything so well. I can't thank her enough for handling my MAA's passing, my Aunt Joyce's Trust and our family trust!

I've had a great experience with Julia and her staff. They were professional, responsive and very…read morereasonably with their fees. They created my estate plan, my ex's estate plan and a trust for our son. I've recommended friends and clients and have received good feedback from them as well.

Miss Pinchman was a joy to meet with. On top of it in a great office. We put a pin in any project…read morewe had moving forward but would absolutely consider her for business should I need her moving forward.

In my experience, Maya Pinchman is an exceptional attorney. I found her to be thoroughly…read moreknowledgeable and directly involved. She is personable and her response time is excellent. Maya Pinchman was the attorney who executed the estate planning for a close friend of mine. This friend eventually moved to a nursing facility due to health and aging issues. When my friend became physically incapacitated, she asked if I would function as her advocate and POA. She instructed Maya to oversee the requisite paperwork. Since my appointment, my friend has had billing and/or funding issues arise with Medicare, Medicaid, and/or Medi-Cal, especially when temporarily hospitalized. This can be very disconcerting to lay people unfamiliar with the process. Maya has navigated us through rules and regulations relieving stress and providing assurance for financial security. Additionally, as regulations have changed regarding Trust and personal assets, Maya has timely advised us and professionally managed these changes to meet the requirements of the law. Maya has been a godsend providing invaluable legal service and a caring resource. I recommend her with the highest degree of confidence you will be equally as satisfied.

Milda helped me with Trust and other documents. She is very knowledgeable and explain everything…read moreclearly and helped us in areas beyond our initial ask. She even suggested additional aspects I could consider given my unique situations. She really has clients' best interest in mind. Now I full appreciate other glowing reviews that lead me to Milda in the first place. I know who to turn to in the future, and recommend if friends or coworkers need legal help in trust and tax in the future!

Initially, we were impressed with Milda's highly-rated reviews. Her office is part of the MetLife…read moreLegal network that is offered through our employer benefits, which made it more affordable for us. She made the whole process easy and was very thorough. Milda is very professional. We will definitely refer friends to her for Trusts, Wills, Advance Directive, and complete Estate Planning needs.

I worked with this firm two years ago to prepare my trust, based on a recommendation from my…read morefinancial advisor. At the time, the service was solid and I was satisfied. Recently, I've been trying to make minor updates to the trust. I reached out multiple times (1/12, 1/16, 1/28, and 1/30) and received little response from the paralegal who handled my file. Despite repeated follow-ups, there has been no communication or guidance on how to proceed. I then escalated the issue (2/4) and contacted the owner of the firm directly -- also with no response. Complete lack of communication from both the paralegal and firm leadership is unacceptable, especially for a straightforward request from an existing client. If timely communication matters to you, this is something to be aware of.

This office is what I am looking for! Responsibility as…read morefast as I need. They know what they are doing and help what I need with professional attitude! Material has their own value, but when I found what I need, the value scale of it is equally as much as the most beautiful materials also! And that what I found the services from this office! Thank you!

Christine was extremely caring and very thorough in assisting me with my father's financial and…read moremedical affairs. She walked us through each step and provided advice that best suited our needs. I highly recommend her and will continue to refer her to clients, family and friends! Thank you Christine!

I am a lawyer who practiced civil litigation for 44 years in Orange County. Then I retired and…read moremoved to San Diego County. I don't do wills trusts or Estates. I needed a professional. Here's what I didn't want. I did not want a lawyer from a big high priced firm. Frequently the work is done by brand new associates. I did not want a slick lawyer who is more concerned about making money then maintaining a reputation for competence and trustworthiness. After a lot of research I selected Christine Padilla. I made the right choice. Christine prepared a complicated will and trust for my wife and I. She did a very thorough and professional job at a very reasonable fee. Moreover she is a compassionate, caring, understanding individual who will give you all the time you need.

Working with Hoffman & Forde -- specifically Mike Dicks -- was one of the most frustrating…read moreprofessional experiences I've ever had. My sister and I hired the firm to represent us in a construction defect case involving our home. At first, our case was assigned to a junior attorney. When that attorney left the firm, Mike Dicks took over. From that point on, the entire process became far more stressful and chaotic than it needed to be. Instead of feeling like our attorney was advocating for us, it constantly felt like we were being pressured, dismissed, or talked down to. Any time we asked questions or pushed back on changes, we were treated as if we were the problem. One of the most maddening patterns was being told that parts of the settlement agreement were "final." We were repeatedly told we could not make further changes. Then the defense would make additional changes anyway, and suddenly those changes were allowed. When we asked questions about those changes, we were told we were jeopardizing the deal. This happened over and over again and created constant confusion about what was actually finalized and what wasn't. Another major issue was the lack of attention to detail. We provided extensive documentation of the problems with our house, including photos and written descriptions. Despite that, several critical issues were not properly addressed in the settlement scope. My sister repeatedly had to review and redline documents herself just to correct errors or omissions that should have been caught by our attorney. A perfect example involves two large floor-to-ceiling windows. Multiple experts who walked through the house suspected those windows were leaking, but we did not yet have clear documentation of water intrusion. Then, right around the time we were being pushed to sign earlier versions of the settlement agreement, a storm came through. During that storm my sister was able to record water visibly running down the inside of one of the windows. Despite that evidence, those windows were still not included in the final settlement scope, even though they were clearly part of the water intrusion issues affecting the property. The office also seemed extremely disorganized. We were asked multiple times for documents we had already provided. Outdated versions of the settlement agreement were circulated and referred to as the final version. At times it genuinely felt like no one was carefully reviewing the documents being sent to us. We were also repeatedly told the defendants were essentially insolvent and that we needed to accept the settlement because there was no money to pursue. When we asked how that determination had been made, the only documentation referenced was a financial disclosure sheet completed by the defendant himself listing limited assets. We were never informed if the actual business's financial records had been reviewed. Throughout all of this, the firm's partner, Daniel Forde, was copied on many of the communications but never stepped in to address the obvious problems. To be clear, the construction work that is now being completed at the property has addressed many of the defects. In fact, the damage turned out to be so extensive that the contractors ultimately ended up doing far more work than what was originally contemplated in the settlement. But that outcome came despite the legal representation, not because of it. What should have been professional legal guidance instead turned into months of unnecessary stress, confusion, and frustration. Far too often it felt like we were the ones doing the detailed review work while also paying legal fees. If you are considering hiring Hoffman & Forde, I strongly recommend asking very direct questions about who will actually handle your case and how closely documents will be reviewed before anything is finalized. Our experience with Mike Dicks was chaotic, exhausting, and deeply disappointing.

We hired Hoffman & Forde to represent us in a construction defect case involving our home…read more Initially, we were assigned a junior attorney. After that attorney left the firm, the senior attorney on the case, Mike Dicks, took over. From that point forward, the experience deteriorated significantly. My sister and I genuinely dreaded seeing Mike's name appear in our inbox. Interactions with him were consistently stressful, confusing, and unproductive. Instead of feeling like our attorney was advocating for us, we often felt pressured, dismissed, or talked down to. One of the biggest problems was communication and consistency. Mike frequently declared things "final" instead of asking for our input. Later, the defense would make additional changes and those changes would suddenly be allowed. When we asked questions or pushed back, we were told we were jeopardizing the deal or creating problems. This happened repeatedly and made an already stressful legal process even more frustrating. Another major issue was the lack of attention to detail and organization. Despite providing extensive documentation and photos of the defects in our home, several important items were not properly addressed in the settlement scope. We repeatedly had to review and redline documents ourselves to correct errors or omissions that should have been caught by our attorney. At one point, outdated versions of the settlement agreement kept being circulated and referred to as the final version. Despite raising concerns, the version that ultimately ended up executed still reflected earlier drafts that had known issues. In addition, two large floor-to-ceiling windows that we had documented leaking with video evidence were not included in the settlement scope. Repairing those windows could cost tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket, despite being verbally agreed upon during mediation. Another troubling issue involved the claim that the defendants were essentially insolvent. When we asked how that conclusion was reached, we were told that the defense provided a financial disclosure sheet completed by the defendant himself listing a house owned by his wife. Despite the defendant owning a construction business, our attorneys did not obtain the financial records or tax returns of the business owned by the defendant. That left us with serious questions about how the insolvency conclusion was reached. The office also appeared extremely disorganized. We were asked multiple times for documents we had already provided, including basic tax information, and there were frequent email exchanges correcting mistakes or clarifying issues that should have been handled internally. What made the experience especially concerning was that the firm's partner, Daniel Forde, was copied on many of these communications but never stepped in to address the issues. To be clear, the construction work that is now being completed at our house has ultimately addressed many of the defects. In fact, because the damage to the house turned out to be more extensive than anticipated, the defendants ended up doing significantly more work than what was originally contemplated in the settlement. That is one of the few silver linings in an otherwise extremely frustrating process. However, the legal representation itself was disappointing. We expected an attorney who would carefully review documents, communicate clearly, and advocate for our interests. Instead, we often felt like we were the ones doing the detailed review work ourselves while also paying for legal services. If you are considering hiring Hoffman & Forde, I would strongly encourage you to ask detailed questions about who will actually handle your case and how closely documents and settlement terms will be reviewed before anything is finalized. Our experience with Mike Dicks was disorganized, stressful, and far below the level of professionalism we expected when hiring legal counsel.