We needed answers to questions about our house and are so very grateful to have been guided to James O'Neil. From the very beginning he listened carefully, asked pertinent questions, and answered in terms we could understand. He provided many options and encouraged us to make the choice that was right for us. He is honest, straightforward, passionate about his work and really cares about people. If you are concerned about your house or have other legal questions, I highly advise talking to Mr. O'Neil. He and his firm are a blessing and very reasonably priced. I thank the stars above that he took the time to help us. Because of his guidance, we now have fewer worries and brighter days ahead of us. Christine Konkol read more

I absolutely hate that I have to give a low-star review for James/Jay O'Neill. I have used him twice over the last 3 years, and was attempting to use him a 3rd time, but have given up. Positives: really nice and relatable; explains things so well and so thoroughly. I have absolute confidence that the job is done very well, WHEN it is done. He has drawn up and completed the trust documents for both me (with my husband) and for my mother. The negative is something that has happened with Mr. O'Neill more than once now. (And I see is a similar experience to another reviewer.) James is, sometimes, simply impossible to get ahold of. This time around, I have been trying to reach out to him to follow up on some trust documents for my mother for FOUR PLUS MONTHS. I am not joking. I have left numerous phone and e-mail messages over the past 2-3 weeks, with absolutely zero response. Nothing. I have no idea what the issue is. Does he not want to assist with these documents? If that's the case, have the decency to let us know and find someone else who can do it. It's really amazing, the lack of responsiveness. Again, this has happened before (about a year or so ago) where it took months of repeated phone calls and voicemails to get any sort of response from James. I don't get it. At all. As I said, I otherwise like James and what he produces in terms of our trusts, but ignoring clients? For weeks and months? It's inexcusable and unfortunate. read more

We have a legal plan through UCSF & John Rueppel was one of the attorneys in the plan. We needed an estate plan with a Living Trust, will & other appropriate documents. During our first meeting, John spent nearly 1-1/2 hours explaining the process of making a Living Trust (not to be confused with a Living Will, though that's included as part of the Trust) & all of the things we needed to consider in deciding how to set things up. There were so many things we'd never thought about & John was sensitive, calm, honest, & extremely helpful in giving us guidelines to make these decisions. During the process of getting information to John & making these decisions, he was great in answering all our questions promptly via both email & phone. We are totally happy with every stage of this complicated process & John really made it as smooth as it could be. We also found his rates to be very reasonable--even if we hadn't had the legal plan, the cost would still have been good. read more

I went to Jay O'Neil for my estate planning needs. He was incredibly thorough explaining everything to me. He really did an amazing job guiding me and making sure I understood the entire process. The entire process was smooth and organized. He gave me deadlines to come up with all my documents, which was SUPER helpful to keep things moving along on my end. He met all of his own deadlines and within a few weeks, we had everything taken care of. I now have a much better feeling about my life, since I took care of all the important things with Jay's firm. Thanks, Jay! read more

Can't say enough good things about Jay O'Neil. His ability to translate law and estate planning documents in an understandable fashion is a gift and talent. He is thorough, detailed and immensely qualified to draw up the trust paperwork and all the accompanying documents. Jay is also extremely patient, and great at returning all calls and answering questions. I definitely recommend Jay. Very easy to work with and an outstanding professional. read more

I've worked with James twice now over the last year to set up trusts for real estate and my family. In both instances, James was extremely thorough, responsive and was able to get our trusts in place within a matter of weeks. My wife and I are very happy knowing that our assets are safe and that if something ever happens to us, our kids and family will know how to handle everything. Thanks James! read more

After 25 years we decided to update our wills and John Rueppel was recommended to us. Everything went very smoothly. We wanted to prepare a trust but had no idea what to do or how to start. We wanted a simple trust, but didn't realize how simple John would make it for us. He sent us a questionnaire via dropbox which was easy to fill out and made those hard questions easy to think about. We met at John's office and reviewed the paperwork page by page. As everything was as we requested we signed it and were done within an hour! I highly recommend using John. Everything was made simple and the fear of signing a will was removed! Thank you John for all your help. read more

I had about and a half an hour conversation West John Rueppel about some family issues. He was extremely patient, and knowledgeable. He answered all the questions clearly and to my satisfaction. I don't know how things could have been any better. read more

My husband and I recently retained James to create our estate plan. We were very pleased with his professionalism and responsiveness. James was very thorough and willing to take the time to answer any questions we had to ensure we were comfortable with the whole process. James did a fantastic job and we would highly recommend working with him! read more

Today I had an introductory consultation with James O'Neil. I had a lot of questions about an estate that I am the executor for. James was generous with his knowledge. What I liked most about him was that even though the legal jargon is unfamiliar to me, he caught on right away to each question I asked, and he didn't make me feel that I knew as little as I really do. I went away feeling empowered to continue with the process. I would use James again in a heartbeat. read more

I was very grateful to work with O'Neil and Rueppel LLP recently when the time came for me to update my will and living trust with my evolving life/financial situation and the birth of my second child (who was 5 years old when I finally got around to this!). Both James O'Neil and John Rueppel were extremely kind, patient and helpful explaining the maze of choices and options in a low-key accessible manner. They did not at all rush or pressure me, and I was struck by their mindful grounded approach throughout the process. I was very happy with every stage of the work they did and with the final product. I am also immensely relieved that this longstanding item on my checklist is now done, and done so well. From what I understand, they handle a large and active caseload including some high-stakes litigation and landlord tenant cases, but they gave their work with me (a relatively small and straightforward piece of legal work) a great deal of care, intent listening and painstaking attention. Bottom Line: Work with this firm - you will be glad you chose them for any wills, trusts and estate planning matters. Both James and John are highly competent legal professionals who are honest, caring and family-oriented, and they understand the realities of working families in San Francisco. read more

This firm has a five star rating only because the reviews are old and no longer relevant. This current review will hopefully make you think twice about hiring them in the future. BEWARE! If I could give this firm, specifically James O'Neil, zero stars, I would. I came to Mr. O'Neil because my father had just died, and I needed legal help with administering his trust. I met him only once, and he was very fast and thorough in getting me to sign a representation agreement and to pay him the $2500 retainer fee. After that, it was extremely difficult and frustrating to get any updates from him on the status of the trust administration. After one month, he finally sent me a preliminary review of the documents that I gave him and scheduled a meeting for the following week to get started. Needless to say, the meeting never happened and I never heard from him again. After countless attempts to call him and email him I never received a response from him. I also never received the original documents I gave him, or the balance of the $2500 retainer. I had to hire another attorney to try and contact him and get my items back. He basically disappeared! In my opinion, this behavior is unethical and in violation of his oath as a licensed attorney. I hope that my new attorney can find him and get me at least some of my money back. I had to pay her a $2500 retainer fee, also. Now I'm out $5,000 with nothing to show for it! Is there an ethical and trustworthy attorney out there??? I've heard a lot of negative jokes about attorneys, but thought that they were just that- jokes. I realize now that there is some truth to them. read more

We had O'Neil & Rueppel draw up an estate trust for us and we are extremely happy with the results. They completed it very professionally, in a timely manner and made the process seem much easier than I had originally thought it would be. I highly recommend their services. read more