It was time to update our Will…read more Called EJ after a decade for an appointment for an updated Estate Plan & Will. She makes things so easy & really helps to make it easy for your heirs as most of us just do not know what a burden it is to close out an Estate when we "Depart". Enter EJ, smart as a whip and her former JAG Skills show in a heartbeat. I could go on & on & on.... But we are not waiting 10+ years again to do updates next time! If you want to make it easier on your family, see EJ for the best advice & Estate cordination ASAP!

My husband and I wanted to set up a trust and were recommended to EJ by our financial advisor. She…read morefirst set up a free phone consultation to walk us through the steps we'd need to take and give us an idea of pricing. We decided to go ahead and have her help us with estate planning. She is very knowledgeable, explains things in a clear manner, and really wants to help answer all your questions! EJ is not only professional but also very personable! We found her to be very easy to talk to, fun, and friendly. It is clear that she is passionate about her job. She also wants to get to know her clients as people, which we really appreciated. Don't hesitate to request a consultation with EJ!

Lauren was very thorough, knowledgeable, a great communicator with attention to detail. Very…read morepleased to work with her. Highly recommended.

Update: I have received a very courteous call from Lauren Rios after posting my review; she…read moreexplained their intake process and I suggested it would have been nice to hear something along the lines of "if your case can wait till the month of _________, we'd be happy to consider it at the time." Bumping my review by one star. After reading glorious reviews, Lauren Rios was my number one choice and the first attorney I contacted. The receptionist took down my personal details only to inform me right away that they are not accepting new clients at this time. I wasn't asked for any details of my situation to determine whether the firm has the expertise or the bandwidth to take on my case, now or in the future. This left me wondering whether my Jewish-sounding last name made them turn me away without any further consideration. After all, it would be enough to ask for a first name only in order to carry on a conversation.

We came to Golden State Trust with an idea of what we wanted but weren't entirely sure of the…read moreprocess. They guided us every step of the way, helped us think through scenarios we hadn't considered, and made everything easy to understand. They were incredibly responsive, personable, and made the entire process feel simple and stress-free. We highly recommend them!

Smooth and easy estate planning experience, with friendly and knowledgeable attorneys. Would…read moredefinitely recommend!

Our financial advisor referred us to John. It was time to seriously start thinking about a living…read moretrust and medical directive. Because we don't have children, we initially thought we wouldn't need such an instrument. We were wrong. There are multiple issues to consider, including taxes paid when the surviving spouse sells property. A living trust will also help us manage our assets if one or both become incapacitated or have a long-term illness. And many more considerations. While avoiding probate (which can be long and costly in California) for our heirs wasn't our primary consideration, it's certainly another good reason to create a living trust. We would like to choose where any remaining estate goes. During our initial consultation with John, it was clear that he is expert in this area. He answered our questions clearly, even if it didn't all sink in at first. This is complicated stuff. We will rely upon him to keep us updated on new laws that might affect us. At the last meeting, John went through page by page (lots of pages!) summarizing the points and patiently answering our questions. Finally, the signing. We feel we are in good hands, and that's a relief!

We had been intending to see an attorney to help with estate planning since our daughter was born,…read morebut kept procrastinating. We finally went to see John and he made the process incredibly easy, and the peace of mind we now have as a result is priceless. John is very knowledgeable and takes the time to understand each client's needs and wishes to draft a tailored plan. He guides you through a very efficient process to finalize everything in a matter of weeks. We highly recommend John and only regret we did not go see him sooner!

Don't believe all the good reviews. I did nothing wrong, and they were distrusting, rude, and…read morenon-responsive, making me have to follow up repeatedly. It's definitely my presumed ethnicity as well, though I'm American. I've noticed other people get treated way better all over the world, even if they're acting much worse. Staff there on salary don't care. They have 5 stars, so they have lots of business, and aren't eager to take cases with people they're discriminating against. Other BIPOC staff can be some of the worst. The rude office manager purposely gave me "referrals" to large firms in a completely different region. They caused me a lot of stress in my short interactions with them, and failed to make me feel comfortable. It was clear they didn't want to work with me. Avoid!

My family got a consultant from this firm and they were very thoughtful and gave her many resources…read moreWendy was very informative and helped my mom out a lot. Trust this firm

My mother went to one of their supposed free seminars. It was a heavy and hard sell. We left there…read moreconfused and overwhelmed. A week later she got a bill for $3,500. Not sure what it's for but she quietly paid it and enclosed a letter for them never to contact her again and to see some and desist any supposed work that they were doing. Maybe they've changed their leadership since then. Definitely would not recommend.

Outstanding legal counsel. Very personable and professional. Especially dealing with punishing…read moreconsequences of prop 19. Reach out to them now before it's too late for your family Highly recommended Alex Dzigurski

Marina is a pleasure to work with. She explains everything and has lots of contacts for other…read moreprofessional services that make this annoying process just so much easier. Her fees are in line with the average for her field and the Bay Area. What I am saying is yes, it's expensive, but I feel I got my money's worth.

Our decision to use Marina's services to restate our Trust was fairly easy to make after a free…read moreconsultation interview with her as well as reviewing her many short and informative videos on her website on subjects related to Estate Planning. Marina's skill of explaining legalese in layman's terms was invaluable in crystallizing our thoughts and very helpful in tailoring our restated Trust, Wills, and related documents such as Advanced Health Care Directives, and Durable Power of Attorneys just as we had intended, bringing us the needed peace of mind. With Marina's responsiveness and efficiency we were ready to sign off on the completed documents just after two 40 minutes zoom call meetings with her. The entire process was educational, streamlined, and stress-free. We would not hesitate to reach out to her in the future should there be a need to amend any of our estate planning documents.

Our experience with Mari started out great, but then communication became more and more sparse. We…read morewere SO close to completing paperwork when she simply stopped returning our messages. The last step was for her to send in the completed papers and that was 5 months ago. Very disappointed.

Update: I received…read moreMarizen's private message and her request to edit or remove my review--this request was notably left off her public comment as noted in the screenshot attached. Since the 2 stars (which equates to the "[service] could've been better") were due to the unprofessionalism and inattentiveness shown (not due to her being an LDA), I have no reason to change my rating or delete my review. TL;DR: Marizen is NOT a lawyer. She is a Legal Document Assistant that cannot provide you with legal advice. She is a significantly affordable option for a Living Trust but she is unprofessional and has poor attention to detail-- key characteristics that are paramount to detailing an important document. Details: I left a Living Trust inquiry via her site and Marizen emailed me back within 1 day to "text" her back for a scheduled over-the-phone consult. Upon speaking with Marizen it was clear she did not take the time to review the few questions I had sent her in my initial inquiry as she was confused as to what the consult would primarily be regarding. Her rates were significantly less than what other competing services were offering which raised an orange flag for me. Upon further research, I realized Marizen was NOT a lawyer, but rather a "Legal Document Assistant (LDA)." According to the CA Attorney General, LDAs cannot give legal advice. This was my first encounter with an LDA, which allowed me the opportunity to do the necessary research to make a more educated investment. Had Marizen gotten back to me with the necessary next steps and questionnaire as she had promised (it's been over 1.5 weeks), I may have considered her as a possible option to complete my Living Trust needs. But if you are looking for a more affordable option, perhaps Marizen is a good fit for you.

I can't recommend the office of Yael Rakib enough. One of the most professional, thorough, and…read moregenuinely caring offices I've ever worked with. Over the past few years, I've worked with many different attorneys and offices, and Yael's office truly stands out as one of the best out there. The level of attention to detail, care, effort, and professionalism is exceptional. You can genuinely feel that she truly wants to help and make difficult situations better for her clients.

Let me start off by saying this: if Yelp had an "EXCEPTIONAL" star rating I would give it to Yael…read morewithout hesitation. Yael is everything you could possible want in an attorney - extremely efficient, fast, intelligent, and thorough - yet what sets her apart is her emotional intelligence and genuine support during an incredibly stressful time. She doesn't just handle the legal work; she shows up for her clients as a steady, reassuring presence. She is impeccably professional always arriving to court prepared and dressed to the highest standard, projecting confidence and authority. Yael is strong, decisive, and clearly knows exactly what she's doing - which comes from decades of experience and mastery of her field. You feel protected with Yael. You feel heard. And most importantly, you fee confident knowing you are in exceptionally capable hands. I cannot recommend her highly enough - worth every penny.

I engaged the assistance of Laura Mazza in 2024 when I was terminated by my former employer and…read moreoffered a one sided severance agreement. I was concerned about finding an attorney online but could not have been more impressed and completely satisfied with her guidance and depth of knowledge. Laura Mazza guided me through the process which led to an extremely good agreement Fast forward, two years when I started to receive medical bills from 2024 which should have been paid. I posed a question to Laura Mazza about the agreement. Her response was quick and very helpful. I highly recommend Laura Mazza and this firm. I continue to be impressed.

Katie was responsive and answered all my questions in evaluating a new employee agreement. She…read morecalled out transparently what is out of her scope. Fees were communicated upfront which was helpful when compared other businesses. I recommend this firm.