There is an "Ask John" option on one of Meissner Joseph Palley & Ruggles very educational/informational webpages concerning Probate. As I had a question, I gave it a try, thinking "John" was a para-legal or administrative assistant to one of the partners. I made it brief, so as to not take up staff's time, and figured I'd get a reply in a day or two. I was wrong. I received a reply from John the same day, not assistant to a partner "John", and not para-legal "John', but one of the Partners, Mr. John Palley "John" ! I did not mean to bother such a busy person with my question, but Mr. Palley's reply made me feel as if my question was valid and was not an imposition on his time. Really made my day! read more

I have received three letters from A. Thompson and two of them contained errors and inconsistencies and required updates. One filing with the court referred to a deceased entity that did not exist and the Judge refused the action pending correction for appropriateness. I can not refer this practice as time is money and wasting it would not happen if a true litigator was on the case. After two years no results just letters and billings. read more

Very professional thorough instructive friendly. And pretty. Haha. Amy Ruggles. I do highly recommend her services.

Amy Ruggles is truly a one-of-a-kind trust attorney. She has handled several multigenerational trusts for our family, one of which was quite complicated. Amy has that rare combination of superb expertise, the knowledge borne of years of experience, coupled with true empathy and warmth, and an uncommon dedication to working with great commitment toward an agreement that is fair and equitable for all concerned. In a difficult and emotionally challenging situation, we were so grateful for Amy's professionalism, her intelligence and her deep compassion. She is warm and engaging, and explains complicated terminology in lay terms very well. We felt her unwavering support through every step of the way. Her team, especially her wonderful assistant, Kevin Hanna, is extremely helpful, knowledgeable, friendly and responsive. Amy is an outstanding professional, singular in her expertise of trust law, deeply compassionate and sensitive after years of managing the dynamics and consequences of family losses, but we know her as our wonderfully caring attorney whom we trust with the most intimate details of our lives. She is a treasure and we have felt so very fortunate to have her help. read more

John Palley was highly recommended by a good friend. I hired him to help me with probate on my fathers estate. He was knowledgeable, helpful and responsive. (And the only reason for two stars) Then he passed my file to Dylan Hyatt. He wouldn't return my calls. I'd have to leave my questions with the assistant and the assistant would get back to me. I wanted a thorough answer but couldn't ever get one. When there was an issue, we would have to set up a conference call with all parties to resolve an issue and he wouldn't even participate. It was absolutely painful to pay the bill for the shoddy experience with this attorney. I had to constantly call and leave messages to get anything done. I'm so glad the process is over. I'll find a different company to help me with my estate planning. read more

We worked with attorney Angela C. Thompson, who has carved out a niche for herself in assisting families inherit property after the passage of Proposition 19 in 2020. Proposition 19 repealed Propositions 58 and 193 tax protections for heirs. There remains a complex pathway to retain the family tax benefits, but during our search there seemed to be few attorneys willing to go the extra mile to help us. We found Angela has done this more than once, and her expertise was invaluable in securing our rights. She and her associates at Meissner Joseph Ruggles are cordial and professional. read more

My experience with Amy Ruggles of Meissner Joseph Ruggles, Inc. was outstanding! She assisted me with my estate planning, and made it such a smooth, stress-free experience which is all I could hope for! Her Assistant, Kevin Hanna, was excellent too, what a team! Together they answered all my questions and gave me every confidence, and no worries throughout the entire process. So friendly, and efficient, I would recommend them to anyone looking to do estate planning and beyond. Many thanks! read more

I worked with Angela to secure access to Google properties for my brother, who lost his life in an act of violence. Throughout all of the logistics and grieving, Angela showed such incredible compassion, explaining things to me in simple terms and understanding the emotional weight inherent in such a process. I highly recommended her for her thoroughness, expertise, warmth, and compassion--qualities I think are must-haves when dealing with anything having to do with the loss of a loved one. read more

I was the executor of my parents, living trust and was referred to Meissner Joseph Palley & Ruggles by a friend. I met with Amy Ruggles and her assistant, Kevin. They were professional and guided me throughout the process. She gave me a list of things to do at each meeting, from taking care of banking and selling real estate. I was so satisfied; my husband and I did our living trust with Amy and would highly recommend her. What I appreciated was how simple they made the process read more

My husband and I, unfortunately, have had multiple experiences with various civil attorneys. This law firm is by far the worst! After my mother-in-law died, my husband discovered his sister, who had a power of attorney, had fraudulently transferred my MIL's house and all the money from her bank accounts into her own. My husband contacted John Palley after reading all the fabulous reviews throughout the internet. Mr. Palley said he didn't do probate trials but would transfer him to the firms complex lawsuit expert, Ed Smith. When we attempted to research Mr. Smith there was nothing available on the internet as to his professional ,history in a positive or negative light. Now we know different What a joke! This guy obviously has little background in probate and is so disorganized it's frightening. Right off, he misplaced our retainer check for 14 days, claiming he never received it yet it mysteriously then cleared our bank two days later. He has only called my husband by his given name twice, instead referring to him by another name. He has continued to email asking for documents that we either do not have in our possession or have already sent to him via US mail. Each time my husband explains that to Ed Smith. But the worst part is his lack of communication in a timely manner--if at all. It has been over 4 months since we started with him and my husband still has not been appointed personal representative for his mother's estate. Because of this, my husband as been unable to deal with the banks or mortgage companies and other matters concerning his mother's estate. It has become a true nightmare. This Ed Smith has no business practicing probate law,. He is far from being an 'expert' in financial elder abuse. We need our retainer back so we can find competent legal representation before the statute of limitations runs out.. read more

We have been so grateful for Angela Thompson in setting up our Family Trust. She has been available to us to make necessary changes over the years, and we trust her wise counsel. We recommend her to all of our friends and family for estate planning. read more

My father had multiple dealings with Irving Joseph since the late 1990s, and he also set up my own estate planning. He did an excellent job on everything. My father passed away this year, so I returned to the firm to settle the estate. Unfortunately Mr. Joseph retired and they assigned Jennifer Rouse. It took 10 days for her assistant to contact us for an appointment. When I expressed concern about the delay, he just said "I've been busy". During the first meeting she tried to tell us the Trump tax cuts would expire in 2024, which we knew was wrong. A fundamental error for an estate attorney. Additional errors were made, and the response times were generally poor. She said it would take two months, it took four. We paid monthly invoices, and after the fourth month there was an unexpected $1500 charge, a flat fee for the first meeting. I questioned it and she claimed she told us about it. However, all 4 family members in the meeting remembered she said she charged an hourly rate, nobody remembered a flat fee. The money was not the issue, I just don't like surprise charges, particularly 4 months after the fact. I paid the invoice in full. A month later we received another invoice. She billed us for questioning the previous bill. I cannot recommend Jennifer Rouse, and we will select another firm for future needs. read more

Highly recommend this law firm to handle creating or updating your trust. Amy Ruggles took the time to listen to all our needs and concerns so that we knew our estate would be handled just how we wanted it to be. Her team which includes Kevin Hanna was very professional and we received communication in a timely manner. We'll definitely be sharing her name with family and friends. read more

My husband and I worked with Jennifer Rouse on our joint family trust restatement back in 2019. It went well so when it came time for me to set up a separate second trust, I once again was pleased to work with Jennifer. She is so helpful! She even gave me tips on how to do a formal accounting for another family trust which is not an easy task to do. I highly recommend (as I did with friends) contacting Jennifer Rouse if you need any type of trust help. read more

Complete estate planning at a reasonable rate. We worked with Jennifer R recently for amending our trust. It was nice to be able to meet here locally in Roseville, as she was very accommodating. read more

I am very grateful for the professionalism and integrity of Angela, who took on an extremely complicated probate case that no other attorneys were willing to take on. My case took on a life of its own and resulted in multiple court hearings due to unexpected foreclosure/redemption deadlines. It was an extremely stressful and trying ordeal, but Angela's dedication and expertise was reassuring and we were able to prevail in court. read more

John Palley was Refered by my oldest friend who attended law school with John. After looking threw Johns profile I liked what he was offering as for how he guides the process concerning doing a trust as well as a high standard for trustees accounting to beneficiaries. My friend received prognosis of 3 months to live her feeling on doing a trust was, ""a waist of money". But did want to protect her home from going to family members. It was close during the last week of her life the trust got done. She signed off on Trust documents and 2 days later she passed away. The trustees administration of the estate was a nightmare but when trustee submitted the accounting to us,I couldn't understand how it was approved when it failed t o balance. In Trustees letter she states my distribution will be made upon signed and return of the waiver & release. It must be signed voluntary. I objected & denied the accounting & 5% fee she took, when the trust instructs no more then 1%. Trustee submitted to me a second accounting, time logs I requested to show her 561 hrs of trustee duty. Which is completelly fraudulent and insulting that trust council approved of it. Trustee refused my request for formal accounting and to provide supporting documents for her spending $11,050.. A week after I received this response she made full distributions to beneficiaries disregarding my disputes. Trustee is also one of 17 beneficiaries, 12 gifted under 7% trustee got 15%. But took 25%. I've now spent $5,000. On four emails my attorney has sent trust council in the attempt to get these issues corrected. I received a third accounting now from council, but this time $9000. Something, was found that the trustee needs to redistribute to all beneficiaries. And that was received by my attorney July 17,2018 and no further distribution has been made. So I am forced to take trust ee to court now if I expect anything to be done. I really hope trustee doest pay her attorney bill, if trust council Robin Diamond looked at the first accounting trustee submitted the $5000. Dollars I had to spend on forcing a third one to be done I could have gone to Hawaii like trustee has. So, Look else where for your estate planning needs...Because I understand the trust attorneys do not represent, talk too nor care about any beneficiaries and their disputes with trustees, but this is unacceptable business practices, and quite frankly negligence. read more

If you need the best Probate attorney in CA. Joseph Palley is the one, he is very professional, patient and he will explain the whole process. They are also bilingual in Spanish. read more

I hired Mauriah Conway on October 13, 2022 after a brief in person meeting. It felt positive. I got her all the paperwork right away. I knew it could take time, so I waited, & waited. After several weeks I checked in. She was away at a conference. I called again a week, or so later, & got another excuse, then another! She NEVER called back. On Dec. 5th I finally got a phone meeting. She was VERY curt. Gave no apology for her delinquency. Only said, "I'm here now, so what do you need?" I was SHOCKED. I decided then to decline any further involvement. I messaged Meissner's office manager, who DID call back, left a message, but I was upset about the whole thing I didn't follow up. It had been a trust issue following a family death & I was exhausted. NOW, Jan 27th I get a BILL for "services rendered" & I'm upset all over AGAIN. In my business if you don't COMPLETE the customer's need, you haven't serviced anyone. Leaving them hanging is NOT deserving payment. You've actually made the customers life MORE difficult. This is NOT how you treat customers. Shameful, really. I put my faith in her to handle a serious matter & all for nothing. (I can speak for anyone else at this law office, but this one lawyer, save yourself the dreadful upset.) read more

I appreciated the quick response, attention to detail, and guidance John Palley gave me and my family. We lost our father a few months ago and it's been a stressful process dealing with probate. We hired a lawyer, but he was too busy to handle our "little" case so I reached out to John through Yelp. He responded immediately with sage advice and actionable steps we could take to resolve our case. I wish we hired him outright, our case would've probably been resolved by now. Great guy and a very experienced lawyer. read more

OK! After posting on John Palley's page I FINALLY found the page for the Law Firm. I shall be re-posting the review that I originally posted on their web site. When my father died in 2008, I realized that since I was in Washington State, I was going to need a California attorney to probate his estate. So, I began browsing on the web and discovered John's excellent website. On that site, one can learn everything one needs to know to probate an estate in California. Because of all the excellent information on that site, I decided to email John. Several hours later -- about 7:00 pm on a Friday night, I received a phone call from John. He was at one of his children's swim meets, yet took the time to call me! On a Friday night!!! I was so impressed I just knew he was the right person for the job. He successfully probated my father's estate, and I was very pleased with the results. If anyone in the State of Washington, or any state, for that matter, needs a wonderful, caring attorney, please seriously consider John Palley read more

Our family spoke with Mr. Smith from this law firm regarding family trust issues after sending them $2,000 as a retainer. During our hour long conference call Mr. Smith either couldn't or wouldn't answer a single question, even though he charged us to review our trust in advance. In fact, the only take away from the meeting was his repeated advice ( at least 3-4 times) to hire legal representation. Mr. Smith didn't understand that this initial meeting was an interview and his indirect answers and constant selling was a turn off. After we notified him of our intentions to seek advise else where and requested the reminder of our retainer fees refunded, we were sent an additional bill for $12.50. We were very disappointed with Mr. Smith and would not recommend him to anyone. read more

John Palley was a tremendous help with an unfortunate situation. My father passed away unexpectedly and I found out shortly thereafter that he had not completed his trust. The whole probate process was a little overwhelming but John did a wonderful job of walking me through it, giving me advice and assistance when I needed it. I would highly recommend the services of Meissner, Joseph & Palley to anyone that may be going through the same situation that was bestowed upon me. read more

If you ever need a probate lawyer John Palley is the person to talk to. I contacted him early on a Monday morning and he responded right away. I don't live in California so I needed someone I could trust. From start to finish John and his team were dedicated. Very informative and a true blessing in an unfortunate situation. It did not matter when I emailed they would respond. Danielle was always willing to listen to me ask a million questions. I would go back to him time and time again. read more

I used Amy Ruggles for my trust and I can't say enough good things about her, but I will try. She is thorough and has an eye for detail. She crafted a trust for me that included some very complex requests. Ms. Ruggles walked me through the process and was never patronizing. Spend the money and get a trust. Don't go with the cheapest, go with the best. You should only have to do it once, so do it right and go with Ms.Ruggles. read more

Went for advice about tax impact of some family arrangements. Spent 15 minutes and I came up with the solutions. Not helpful. Was upcharged for time to nearly an hour. read more

Mr. John Palley contacted me within an hour and scheduled a free phone consultation. He was straight forward and extremely patient as well as answering all my questions in this difficult time. Although he was not able to personally assist us with our case if we decided to go forward with it, he did say that he could refer us to another attorney who could assist us. After speaking with him I felt confident with what our next step if any would be and as well as setting my mind at ease. A Personal Note: In matters where money comes into play and you think you know your sibling and the situation becomes confusing, do contact an attorney who can help you with your unanswered questions. You will find that peace of mind from a professional and their is no cost for a consultation. Many Blessings to John for his time.... read more

I am very grateful to Attorney John Palley for guiding me thorugh the probate process when my sister died unexpectedly in 2013. The referral came from our financial planner and I am so grateful for his recommendation. I live in San Diego and since John's office is in Sacramento all our communication was done by e-mail or phone conversations. In fact, I didn't have to appear in court because John represented me - that was a big relief! One of John's greatest assets is that he responded to my numerous questions immediately. It is wonderful to find someone like John Palley who will go the extra mile to assure peace of mind every step along the way. His availability, and most of all his professionalism, knowledge, generosity and kindness can't be matched. He took me under his wing and guided me thorugh every detail of the court process to completion. It took several months to do this mini-probate. I highly recommend John Palley and will continue to spread the word about my experience with him. If anyone needs help and guidance in his area of expertise - John is the BEST. I also want to thank John's paralegal, Danielle Swaim, for her assistance and help in this matter. She is a tremendous asset to the Meissner,Joseph & Palley firm.and is a great team member.. read more

You learn a lot about a guy when you play golf with him. You find out about his temperament, honesty, perseverance, etiquette and whether or not they possess any likability. Years ago, I had a few opportunities to play golf with John Palley, one of the partners at JFMJ&P. I was so impressed with him that I hired him to help my family with our estate planning. He was an excellent listener and took personal interest in our situation. During the process, we came to trust his sense of fairness so much that we named him executor of our estate. Weeks after the bill was paid and the documents were in order, he called me to offer some advice regarding a sensitive subject in the content of the will - with a great idea to smooth out a particular transaction. He made the slight (but emotionally significant) change for no additional cost. Highly recommended. read more

Extremely disappointed in the lack of assistance but the willingness to charge to provide help to someone dealing with a death of their spouse. This law firm was happy to help with creating a trust but when it came time to finalize the trust and dissolve it, John Palley advised "he didn't do that anymore and to talk to another lawyer." The front desk and others commenced to talking down to me as I sought to help them help my father. Would not recommend this firm to others. read more

Saw John Palley today for a free consultation to determine if my wife and I needed a Living Trust. He let me know that the Will we had was sufficient for our circumstances, even though this advice ran counter to his own monetary gain. He even looked at our current Will and suggested one minor adjustment that I could make on my own without any expense. This guy is knowledgeable, friendly, honest and informative. read more

We had a great experience working with Amy Ruggles to complete our family estate planning; revocable trust, wills, medical directives, certified extracts, and all related items. I realize that may seem like an exaggeration, but I do not always enjoy the details of adulting! My husband and I had put off these essential documents until we had a serious illness in the family, and Amy's staff and professionalism made this important chore easy and painless to complete. read more

My father passed away in 2012 and I needed a lawyer to handle probate. I didn't have any referrals so I went to yelp and chose John Palley. Thankfully Yelp didn't let me down! John was professional, personable, efficient and knowledgeable. He responded to all of my questions quickly and articulately. I never felt like he was annoyed with all of my questions or that he was too busy for me (I have had two other experiences with lawyers and that's exactly how I felt with them). Good guy - but even more importantly good lawyer! read more

I just wrapped up my Uncle's estate with the help of John Palley and his team, and I am very thankful for their knowledge, professionalism and responsiveness. My situation was complicated in that my deceased uncle resided in Sacramento and I live in North Carolina. John and his team guided me through the process smoothly and confidently. I was even impressed at how they often replied to my morning emails (Eastern Standard Time) well before the typical workday would begin in California! Highly recommended without reservation! read more

I found John Palley through yelp* when I needed a probate attorney in the Sacramento Area. John is hands down the most responsive, professional, knowledgeable, thorough, and helpful attorney I've worked with. John provides superb customer service and he is amazingly fast at responding to emails! His assistant, Danielle, is great at follow-up and a pleasure to work with as well. read more

I was referred to John Pelley by a work friend when I was seeking help with a somewhat complex probate situation after the passing of our mother. From the beginning John and his team clearly explained the process, what we should expect in terms of timing and outcome and estimated legal fees. After hiring the firm, they quickly filed all of the required court paperwork. As the process unfolded the team assigned to our case provided updates on status and clear instructions on any paperwork or actions required on our part. Now that the process has come to a successful and favorable conclusion, I can say this was as painless a legal process as I have ever witnessed. I am appreciative of the professionalism, responsiveness and attention to detail that this firm gave to our case. Highly recommend. read more

Specifically, this rating goes to Attorney Amy Ruggles at the law firm. I can't speak for any of the others there, as I've not met or dealt with them. But Amy is amazing. No BS arrogant lawyer crap. Straight forward, knowledgeable, and she went above and beyond to assist me when I had an urgent matter that needed doing as quick as possible. She prepared all my estate planning documents and offered referrals for tax and financial planning resources. If you are a member of ARAG legal services, they accept that. My entire package was covered under my plan. Can't say enough good things about her - go see her if you need estate planning!!! read more

John Palley has assisted multiple members of our family with their estate planning, probate issues, etc. Each time he has treated each individual as an individual, not just as another client. He has often gone above and beyond what we would expect from any other attorney. He always answers questions and resolves problems in a most thorough, courteous and respectful manner. He is diligent in his efforts to meet all of our needs and is a true professional in regard to communicating pertinent information in a timely manner. I have and will continue to recommend him to anyone who is in need of help in his area of expertise--even the most difficult members of our family (and we have quite a few of those with whom he has worked) feel comfortable and very satisfied working with John Palley. read more

My father needed help planning his estate this year. John Palley drafted a trust and other estate planning documents for my father. He answered our questions intelligently and was very open, understanding, and willing to help. He also answered our emails and phone calls in a timely, polite professional manner. John is capable and accessible, I feel confident that I could go to John in the future and my legal affairs would be done right. read more