20880 Redwood Rd., Castro Valley, CA                   Tel: 510.537.6200                    Fax: 510.537.6213       
Attorney Profile

Education and Background

I attended the University of Oklahoma, where I received my B.A. in 1969 with a tri-major in journalism, history and English. After a stint as a newspaper reporter and editor, I received my law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and have practiced in Alameda County, California, since my admission to the bar in 1979.

Practice

My practice over the years has covered a wide range of legal areas, including criminal and corporate law, conservatorships, real estate and contract law. Today it is limited to estate planning and probate and selected matters in family law and personal injury. For specific information about these areas of law, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Community Service

The San Francisco Bay Area has been good to me and I believe in giving back to my community. I have volunteered my services to the Hayward Area Recreation District (HARD) Senior Centers (monthly clinics offering free legal advice) for more than 25 years and have lectured at numerous elder law seminars. I have sat as a temporary judge in Alameda County traffic and small-claims courts, been an amateur lobbyist in Sacramento and was chairman of the campaign to incorporate the community of Castro Valley as a city in 2002.

Personal

I like my coffee served in a China cup, write with a fountain pen and love to wear a tux. But most weekends you can find me unshaven and up to my knees and elbows in dirt from working in the vegetable garden. I wear a diamond earring and grow orchids, but I repair my own computers and clean my own gutters. I believe that compromise is nearly always more productive than fighting, but when I absolutely must fight for my clients, I fight to win.

Selected Activities and Memberships

I am a member of Mensa, a vice president of the board of directors of the Castro Valley Chamber of Commerce, past president of San Leandro Community Counseling (a pre-cursor to the Davis Street Foundation) and am currently a vice president of the Castro Valley/Eden Area Chamber of Commerce.

Practicing Primarily In:

Estate Planning

Wills

Living Trusts

Probate

Durable Powers of Attorney

Health Care Directives

Expert Assistance In:

Minimizing estate taxes

Helping your loved ones in the orderly distribution of your estate

Also Practicing In:

Contracts

Pre- and post-nuptial agreements

Real estate matters

Personal injury law, including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip-and-falls