I have worked with Emily Buchbinder twice. First was to draft a Trust for my sister. This was…read morecomplicated because my sister had neglected much of her financial concerns for some time. Emily assembled the material she needed, met with us regularly and completed the work expeditiously. When I needed to return for updates, she was immediate in her responses and helped me clarify the best approach to the problems involved. Then, more recently, my wife and I revised our trusts, wills, and other legal documents. Again, Emily clarified issues we hadn't considered, led us through the complications, revised the trusts frequently as we made more firm decisions about our wishes--all with a smile and encouragement. We have worked with two other law firms in this area and Emily is by far the best attorney we have consulted about trusts and wills.

Great job by the team on both probate and trust administration. I wanted to wait and see what my…read morereassessment from the assessors office was before reviewing. They nailed it and got my Prop 19 Exclusion saving me a lot of taxes in the property transfer. It was worth the fees to have it done right.

Ms Bodmer is personable, efficient, organized, and patient with our many questions. Scotts Valley…read morelocation is easy to find and park.

Highly recommend! I was able to schedule a quick introduction zoom appointment and then I had a…read moresurvey to fill out with all of my information. Kathleen responds within 48 hours or less and I was able to get painlessly get all of my affairs in order for when the big show happens. Kathleen does a great job of translating legal jargon and explaining everything in plain language. I appreciated the fact she is available both in Scotts Valley and over the hill so I was able to meet in person to sign the documents without having to take time off work. She is available also via FaceTime or Zoom.

Ms. Malkin ran up very, very large fees of what is described as acceptable billing (because it is…read moredocumented) but I never received a single bill showing minutes and hours. In addition to legal hours, she charged the estate for unapproved expenses. If you go with Ms. Malkin, do your best to be sure you do not authorize her to charge any time or court fees without approval, though it's unlikely she will comply with your requests. In addition to financial lack of accountability, she seems to have difficulty sticking to a simple list of what has to be completed to close probate. 5 years in and probate is not closed. I would recommend finding another lawyer.

Debbie Malkin is the best. I've known her as a fellow adoptive mom for years. She's super smart,…read morehardworking, and has a big heart. It's a pleasure to work with her.

As it became clear that we could no longer avoid the need to address our family trust a good friend…read morerecommended attorney Lee Ann Shenkman in Soquel after she had solved some challenging problems for her family. The need to engage an attorney has never been something I would look forward to, however we were pleased to find that working Lee Ann felt more like we had a personal counselor who cared about us and our children's future. We live 120 miles away, so all of our communications were by phone and email, and it turned out to be very convenient and efficient. We had a very complicated situation as older parents with a grown daughter and a teen adopted daughter both with special needs. Lee Ann provided us with the names of some trusted professionals who could act as the trustee of a special needs trust if we were deceased or incapacitated and we found it easy to make a selection. The word "trust" appears again and again throughout this experience but that's the thing, we felt that we could "trust" Lee Ann's advice and counsel. She sought to thoroughly ensure that our daughters financial future would be secure. We cannot imagine that another attorney could do a better job and be more caring partner in dealing with this important issue.

From the owner: Lee Ann Shenkman Attorney at Law focuses on estate planning, long term care planning, special needs…read moretrusts, and wills.

Jenn did a fantastic job consulting with me on my divorce!…read more She helped validate what I wanted to do was fair and permanently legally binding, gave me the ammo to directly negotiate with my spouse (I did not want either attorney to do direct negotiations - my ex and I knew the parameters that needed to be negotiated and it took quite awhile - but we finally worked it out together). Jenn collaborated with me in a way that I wanted - and gave good advice every step of the process. She was extremely responsive and also very fair with her fees. Finally, she worked with me on a straightforward MSA that my ex and I used to document the agreed upon details to the court. I found Jen through a referral from my tax accountant. But anyone reading this review should know that Jenn is the real deal and will help you with your divorce in a straightforward, honorable, fair way! And now, happily as of last month - it is all over and approved by the court. I Highly Highly recommend Jenn!!

I had a very unpleasant experience working with Jennifer. she is definitely a "take your money and…read morerun" kind of attorney. I paid her $15,000-$20,000 to just... disappear. She did not advocate for me at all in court. She straight up left in the middle of my hearing because "She had another case." And never told me that she would have to leave, beforehand. If you are looking for a lawyer in the Santa Cruz area, I strongly urge you to choose someone else. And if you do go with Jenn, be aware that she either likes you as a client or doesn't. And when she doesn't, she will take your money and run. I have heard that she has done this to multiple other people, as well.

We wondered if giving regular passage permission across our property to a neighbor's 8-year-old…read moredaughter visiting her close friend would put us at risk for someone else claiming an easement. Ms. Levini answered my questions in the free consultation, which should make life better for all concerned. I'm paying that gift forward with this review. Work with a good person and knowledgeable professional.

Out of state LLC questions answered! Fantastic service. Concise, accurate, FRIENDLY! Call her!read more

We worked with Jill in a very difficult divorce case and she was great! She worked very hard to…read moremaintain a professional relationship with both of us and I know that it wasn't always easy. As far as the documentation and process of having everything done in a timely manner, she was extremely efficient and clear about everything that we needed to do. I would definitely recommend her to anyone else who would be going through this process.

there are no words how wonderful Jill was. I am blown away how fast easy and efficient this divorce…read morewas and it had a lot to do with her and her knowledge and professionalism. I'm so grateful thank you so much Jill and you are a five star recommendation

After struggling for over three months to get a response from my previous probate attorney, I…read morestarted searching for new representation and was referred to Nicki. I explained my situation and the unfinished business I was dealing with, and she immediately stepped in to help. She graciously offered to contact my former attorney herself to help move things along -- something she absolutely didn't have to do. Thanks to her call, he finally responded. I truly appreciated her kindness, professionalism, and willingness to go out of her way to support me. If my attorney doesn't ultimately follow through on completing the work, I would absolutely reach out to Nicki again for her help.

It's not easy to draft up a will...It's so final! I had a…read morelot of questions during the process but Nicolle Nelson was very patient and understanding...and guided me through. Everything straightforward , easy to follow instructions. Completed package delivered to my door within the timeframe promised. Would use this service again. At least I know my life is a little more protected. Thank you Nicki!! Amir.

This practice has been taken over by Nicolle Nelson. Ms. Nelson has been amazing assisting me with…read moremy aunt's estate. I highly recommend her.

I had a negative experience with Ms Des Jardins's office but before reading her yelp reviews I sent…read morethem an email to see if they care to respond. When they ignored me I came to yelp and saw the alarming review one reviewer had left so I decided to write about my experience. I called the office to make an appointment to set up a trust and and possibly conservatorship for my elderly neighbors who are having memory issues. I was asked by their family who are out of town and Adult Protective Services of Santa Cruz County to help. My neighbors had already gone to Ms Des Jardins before (APS had recommended her) but had forgotten to keep their follow up appointment. When I called the office the person who called herself a receptionist could not find the record of the previous meeting. Then she proceeded to grill me about my neighbors for a good half an hour without telling me whether or not she was going to schedule an appointment. At first she said she might be able to squeeze us in next week. As she asked more questions she said the lawyer will be on vacation next week. Then one week became one and a half weeks. She became more and more reluctant to give us an appointment and when I said if they have a problem they should talk to APS who recommended them she said oh no, we don't talk to APS! When I would ask her a question she would brush it off with "I'm just the receptionist." Some receptionist! She was clearly screening clients. I was very disappointed that first, the office had lost my neighbors' record. Second, as an office that claims to specialize in elder law they seemed unable and unwilling to deal with real issues of real older people. Third, they would not give me a straight answer. I kept saying will you give us an appointment, yes or no? And the "receptionist" would hem and haw about the attorney's vacation and speaking engagements and very busy schedule. By the time she offered me a reluctant appointment three weeks down the line I had lost all confidence in this office. As a previous reviewer mentioned when you are dealing with the needs of elderly people who need a lot of care and honesty, trust is very important. If a lawyer or her office does not inspire trust, forget it. I called APS and told them my experience and proceeded to find an attorney that inspires trust. They do exist out there, you know!