Most folks accumulate some nice things by their mid-40's. Eventually there's a time when you have to stare down your own mortality and decide where all your assets and pets will go when you're gone. Who will make all the decisions that you cannot for yourself should you become incapacitated? Opening this door is never going to be easy on your own. That is why my spouse and I chose Sarah Kern at Cunningham Legal to help us build a map for our loved ones should something happen to us. Sarah was absolutely wonderful at explaining all the things you need to do so the government doesn't take all your assets and leave your loved ones with a huge bill just to inherit what is left. Sarah made this process way easier than I was expecting. These decisions are not easy for anyone. Sarah is able to help you navigate even the most complicated estates and trusts with the utmost care and kindness. Cunningham Legal is very sensitive to the needs of their clients with clear boundaries and expertise. Give them a call today because death and accidents wait for no one, not even you. read more

We had oir Trust prepared by Sarah when she was with another firm which subsequently merged with Cunnimgham. When she made oir Trust she said making any changes would be easy. Now to make a change; she says we have to spend thousands to redo the Trust. Not so simple Sarah! read more

I called Cunningham Legal to inquire about the free consultation, my "free" consultation was going to be $895 for a zoom call. No thanks. We have a revocable living trust, however, due to prop 19 and a few other minor issues we are aware that we likely need more advanced estate planning such as an LLC or Irrevocable Trust. I'm more than happy to pay the money for proper estate planning. This just felt wrong from the start. Next... read more

Based on their YouTube content, which appeared very informative, I decided to take a chance and overlook one of the negative reviews and hired Cunningham to prepare my living trust. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the most expensive living trust experience I have ever encountered--and one that would likely deter most people. The assistant billed hourly and charged approximately $4,000-$5,000 to prepare what amounted to standard, boilerplate living trust documents that did not address my personal needs or specific situation. I contested the work, after which my case was transferred to another attorney who was significantly better. However, even with the improvement, the total cost exceeded $10,000. I would strongly caution others against using this firm unless you are fully prepared for very high fees. read more

It's weird I went to a seminar I thought was Cunningham Financial with the same photo but it doesn't come up in San Diego CA when I Google search. Very nice meal, but not worth locking up your wealth .. the best advice I've received from a colleague is to make as much money as you can and not worry about the taxes.. my take is just pay your taxes that you owe and use simple tax strategies. Every single financial advisor I have listened to wants you to convert to a Roth IRA from a Traditional IRA.. The fact is both Roth and traditional IRAs are part of your estate for IRS tax purposes. My strategy is do not do any conversions, just to pay the tax I owe on the traditional IRA, has she get older he required to withdraw more and pay tax and I will just reinvest what's left over in a regular brokerage account. I'm not going to voluntarily convert a traditional to a Roth, I'm going to let the IRS pry that money from my cold dead hands. One family I met at a Cunningham Financial seminar told me they sold this beautiful house over the ocean, her daughter was at the seminar and she'll never inherit that house.. I don't know if that was related to financial advice they received however they had already sold assets in exchange for losing assets called a DST to avoid taxes. DSTs are illiquid, you have no control over any decisions, are at the mercy of the plan sponsor, and there are fees you are somehow going to pay. Locking up your money, selling valuable assets and offsetting with losing asset you can't get out of to avoid taxes is a bad financial strategy, but it might make the wealth advisors wealthy. What happens to the IRS comes knocking demanding payment and challenge the tax avoidance tactic? When I explained the financial tactic to a colleague, he told me selling a winning asset for a losing asset is the dumbest thing he's ever heard. I did call Cunningham's office to provide an explanation and disclosure of the DST and never received it so please go ahead provide the link so I can do my due diligence if I missing something here. read more

Called left message no call returned. All employees I dealt with are gone since 2021. Attorney, assistant and receptionist Have to look for another attorney read more

We spent $700 for an hour with Diego to discuss how best to handle a property we will inherit and are currently managing. During the meeting, he took no notes. When I asked Diego if there would be any kind of follow up from him with written details of what he had discussed with us, he said yes, but we never received any follow up from him other than a forwarded paragraph from his administrative assistant stating that since he had not heard from us he was closing the file. After spending $700 for the initial consult, his solution was to say he could set up an LLC for us for $5000. I can do this myself. Unfortunately, we wasted both our time and our money coming to Cunningham legal and Diego for help. read more

They are good at helping to set up trust and estate planning, but lack communication and understanding in helping the family after the death. Not that I was expecting a wonderful relationship with them, but if we are paying $900/hr respect and compassion would be nice. We were made to feel like a little kid and being a bother to the attorney. When I voiced my frustration at being treated that way they dropped us and told us we were unprofessional. From my point of view if you can't take constructive criticism, you should not be in the business with dealing with people. They should have apologized for making us feel that way and asked how they could make it better. They didn't, they Just got an attitude. Save yourself the hassle and don't use them if your family has used them. We found out the hard way we could go to any attorney. We have a new attorney now and they are great to work with. They have open communication and make us feel like they have our best interest at heart. Never felt that from Cunningham Legal. read more

My husband and I had an extremely smooth time setting up a living trust at Cunningham Legal. I was initially super overwhelmed at the process but our attorney Lisa Mann was incredibly patient and so well versed in every little nuance, she could easily explain anything and everything. All our questions were answered immediately, and there were plenty of follow ups to make sure we didn't need any further help understanding any of the documents --which tend to be a little scary for those of us who don't speak legal-ese. 10/10, would trust with our trust again. read more

I chose Cunningham to get advice on Prop19 and how it would apply to me. I chose them because they have a very good write up about Prop13/19 on their website and they claim to have expertise in that field, I did this after working with a lawyer that suggested I find someone with Prop 19 expertise. I signed up for the introductory phone call and the woman asking the questions had no interest in assisting me with my questions and only wanted to talk about setting up my living trust as an LLC. I asked her what it would take to talk to a lawyer to answer my questions and she said she can put me in touch with a lawyer at $1000 per hour. I did not expect free answers nor did I reject to paying the $1000 but I felt like this firm did not want to be bothered with me and my questions about Prop 19 and only wanted to setup new trusts. Thanks but no thanks. read more

Don't even know where to start. I was excited to work with the firm, because (based in the website) they seemed to know what they were talking about, but was shocked by the initial poor communication of the intake process. I explained what I was looking for at the beginning of the conversation and the intake person apparently ignored it... then got incensed when she forgot. (Wtf!?) No idea if the whole firm is incompetent or just her. Unprofessional, inflexible and arrogant. Pick another firm. read more

I called to schedule their advertised "free consultation" and was told the fee would be $490. The original questioning for if their services would be appropriate were asked by a person who seemed to be a front desk person and my admittedly poor explanation of my needs were judged by this non-legal professional. No thank you. read more

Good company to help you with your trust setup and update. I just had my trust updated after 18 years. The lawyers were very helpful in explaining what updates were needed and why. I feel confident about the service that was provided. read more

The team was professional and responsive in helping me with my issue. Would use this firm again for estate and trust issues

My wife and I first went to Howard Neal a few years ago to set up a living trust for us. Over the past couple of years since then, we had two kids, so we needed to make amendments. Howard has done fantastic work for us and we highly recommend him! Howard did a great job in setting up the living trusts, wills, and healthcare directives for us. He is very knowledgeable, professional, and kind. Also, his prices are reasonable. It has been easy scheduling appointments and he has been fast in responding to emails and voicemails. After having each child, we asked him to make amendments. He was happy to do them for us! I highly recommend him to family, friends, and everyone else! read more

We worked with Neal & Associates back when our first child was born, when we had just purchased a house and were sleep deprived... in 2008. Set up a trust, took care of a will and all the basics. It was easy and we felt no pressure. Fast forward to additional child and other significant changes in our finances, we made an appointment in 2016 and all changes were updated easily with no additional charges. We liked the care and confidence with Mr. Neal and would recommend this office highly. read more

Did not have a good experience here. Mr. Neal was very nice and came up with a good plan of action for my situation. Follow through on the plan was non existent, but the bills arrived like clockwork read more

I needed a new attorney to update my will and trust before a long trip. Mr. Neal had the documents ready prepared and ready to sign in four days. We waited until the last minute and the office delivered. We were very pleased with the service. read more

i needed an attorney for a trust and was referred to howard by a friend. he was very professional, polite and took care of everything. to know that your investments are truly secure and peace of mind, i couldn't have been more pleased. read more