I wanted to create a comprehensive estate plan and trust. After researching attorneys in the East Bay, I found Stefanie and was impressed by her excellent reviews. From our very first meeting, I understood why. She made what initially felt like a complicated and somewhat overwhelming process remarkably simple. She walked me through everything step by step and helped me think through not only my trust, but my banking and brokerage accounts, health care directive, and all the other details that needed to be addressed. In the end, she provided me with a complete, well-organized binder that gives me tremendous peace of mind knowing my family will have the information and direction they need. What has impressed me just as much is the relationship didn't end when the trust was completed. Four years later, some things in my life had changed, and I contacted Stefanie to review and update my estate plan. She remembered me, knew my documents, and once again made the entire process easy and straightforward. We went through what had changed, she helped me understand what needed to be adjusted, and I walked away feeling completely confident that everything was in order. I trust Stefanie, I believe in her, and I am extremely grateful for the work she has done for me. If you are considering creating or updating a trust, will, health care directive, or simply want to make sure your affairs are properly organized for the people you love, I highly recommend Stefanie West. She combines legal expertise with a very personal, compassionate approach. I would not hesitate to recommend Stefanie to my family and friends. read more

After experiencing truly one of the most difficult times of my life, I cannot express how much I appreciated having Stefanie in my corner to help me navigate the process of trust administration of my late mother's estate. Early on I naively thought that my mother's estate was not so complicated and I should be able to manage the trust administration on my own. But even when the estate is seemingly simple, beware the "Bureaucracy of Death!" There were a lot of unexpected hoops to jump through in dealing with banks and other institutions, even when the estate is in a trust and not probate. I searched and met with a handful of Contra Costa County area trust attorneys before I found Stefanie. What stood out about Stefanie is that she is a kind human being, along with being very smart and knowledgeable. Whenever I talked to her, it felt like I was speaking with a person, not a "lawyer," and I really appreciated that during a difficult time. She was also very responsive whenever I reached out with a question. Without her, I would have likely made many errors in administering the trust, had so many more headaches, and gone down unnecessary paths. Her pricing is very fair and I felt so lucky to have worked with her! read more

Stefanie West is a knowledgeable, caring attorney who is handling our estate planning. She gave a free presentation at a senior center and was so impressive that we engaged her. She has helped us with our important planning and recently with an update. I would highly recommend her! read more

We found ourselves needing to move forward with estate planning during a difficult and uncertain time, and we honestly had no idea where to start. Stefanie's testimonials were what first drew us to her. She came across as knowledgeable, personable, and someone we would feel comfortable working with, and that turned out to be exactly right. Working with Stefanie made what could have felt like an overwhelming process feel clear, manageable, and straightforward. She was incredibly kind, understanding, and accommodating with our schedule, especially while we were juggling doctor's appointments and personal matters. She explained everything in a way that was easy to understand and made the entire process feel much less intimidating. Throughout the process, we felt supported, never rushed, and truly cared for. Stefanie is organized, patient, thorough, and genuinely compassionate. We would highly recommend her to anyone looking for an estate planning attorney who is not only knowledgeable, but also kind and understanding during life's more challenging moments. read more

Stefanie has been absolutely exceptional. This is the second time I have worked with her on my estate planning, and once again, she exceeded every expectation. After I got married, my estate situation became significantly more complex. Stefanie guided me through every detail with remarkable clarity and patience, ensuring that nothing was overlooked and that all documents were fully aligned with my new circumstances. Her ability to explain sophisticated legal issues in plain, understandable language made the entire process stress-free. What truly sets Stefanie apart is her combination of technical excellence and genuine care for her clients. She is meticulous, responsive, and deeply invested in delivering work of the highest quality. I felt completely confident that my family's future is protected because of her diligence. I would not trust my estate planning to anyone else. If you are looking for an attorney who is knowledgeable, thorough, and a pleasure to work with, I recommend Stefanie without hesitation. read more

Stephanie West took good care of our family when preparing our trust. Before that, she carefully explained all that is involved in a trust, its importance and its process. She is an experienced and very patient professional, and a friendly human being! I highly recommend her services to anyone who needs to understand the intricacies of a trust and get it done the correct way. read more

Stephanie was amazing to work with! We were looking to set up a new trust for our family and Stephanie was thorough and detailed in walking us through the process. Our conversations with her were informative and you could tell she truly had our best interests in mind and really wanted to make sure our trust reflected our needs as a family. We would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a trust lawyer. read more

There were plenty of estate planning attorneys my husband and I could have gone with to accomplish what we needed to accomplish (our estate planning is not complicated), but we chose Stefanie because we liked the approach she took to working with clients. We didn't really see this as a one and done relationship, so we wanted someone that we could rely on over the years. She did an excellent job helping us create our will and living trust and I've been hounding all my friends to get their estate planning in order just so I can refer them to her. She's super fair and reasonable, detail-oriented, extremely responsive (I've asked her so many random questions), and has a great personality to boot! Most people would see estate planning as an absolute chore (I mean, it is), but Stefanie somehow manages to make it enjoyable with her warm and engaging personality. It's kind of unfortunate that she's so efficient. It means I don't have more reasons to see her in person and she's super fun to talk to. HIGHLY recommend her. She's amazing! read more

Stefanie West is wonderful to work with. She is very intelligent and is extremely knowledgeable in the field of Trust and Estate law. In addition and very importantly, she communicates that knowledge in a way that we completely understand. She is kind and understanding and she doesn't overbill or punch the time clock the minute you have a conversation with her. I can't thank her enough for continuing to guide me through my complicated Estate plan. I highly recommend using Stefanie for all your Estate planning needs. read more

Stephanie is an absolute Godsend! It can be extremely overwhelming when looking into doing a Living Will and Trust. Stephanie takes her time and walks you through the entire process with ease. She's extremely professional, knowledgeable, caring, compassionate and very personable. She treats her clients with respect and with the utmost of care. Honestly, it didn't feel like I was meeting with an attorney but more like I'm catching up with a an old friend. When it comes to estate planning, Stephanie is a wealth of knowledge! She was very helpful in answering all my questions and concerns. Even when I was unsure of certain areas, she patiently walked me through each step to help me make an informative decision. Her videos, blog and newsletters are an added bonus! Her communication through it all was outstanding! Every text or email I sent, she responded in a professional and timely manner and she always followed up on her end with the next steps. Never once was I left in the dark and she continues to help with any questions I have after the fact. Her follow up and "To-Do" lists were extremely helpful at the end to insure you have everything in order. She was very transparent and very fair in price with the cost of everything. Definitely worth every penny and the peace of mind! All in all, Stephanie is a master at her craft, has a heart of gold and truly cares about the needs of her clients. She goes above and beyond and no stone is left unturned. I highly recommend Stephanie for all your estate planning needs. So much so, I've even recommended her to multiple family members and friends. read more

Stefanie West went above and beyond and beyond in helping my mom with establishing her trust. She is extremely knowledgable in estate planning. She provided comprehensive information on all relevant areas to be included and even pointed out all of the details to consider. Stefanie was extremely patient in both explanation and communication, as my mom, like many seniors, has limited technology know how. Stephanie is extremely genuine and was able to establish trust, which is critical in her role. Her credentials speak for themselves, but what we appreciated most is her warm, approachable personality. If you are in need of her services, we would highly recommend her. read more

Stefanie West - Wills, Trusts, & Probates Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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She was recommended to us. We didn't use her. She emailed several questions to make sure we were a good fit. Without even talking to us or knowing our situation she recommended an "easy fix" rather than what we wanted to do in setting up a non-profit - "takes too much time". She didn't understand nor did she take any time to understand where we were coming from. She came highly recommended, but we have run into attorneys that think they can decide our Trust rather than understanding our situation. She never contacted us after that...we are thinking we were asking too much of her. read more

My first meeting with Stefanie left me with a great deal of confidence that she could help me with some necessary completion and updating of my Family Trust. She was thorough, and even gave me specific homework to make sure things were accurate. She's very easy to work with and if I could give her more than 5 stars I would. I look forward to working with her for many more years. read more

Stefanie was wonderful to work with. She is easy to talk to and I felt very comfortable working with her. She made "check lists" of things I needed to do on my end and these lists were helpful. She is funny and personable. I really enjoyed working with her and highly recommended her for trust and estate planning. read more

I could not ask for a better Estate Attorney! Stefanie is so well versed in this field and goes the extra 100 miles to do things right. Our particular Will was especially complicated, and she went out of her way to find the answers where she had questions, which were few as she really knows this business and all the laws involved. I highly recommend Stefanie based on our experiences with her. In fact, she was recommended to us by a couple other people who are so happy with their entire experience with her. She has a heart of gold which is crucial when dealing with issues such as Estate Planning. We continue to go to Stefanie for any changes to our Estate Plan or questions we may have. She has always been there for us and does not hesitate to respond to any of our communications promptly. Overall, 5+ stars for everything we wanted with an Estate Planner and more. read more

I submitted a request to this attorney and it turned out that I would be better served with a subspecialty lawyer. Stefanie was very upfront about this, but she didn't just send me away after telling me. She took the time to give me some great recommendations so that my needs were taken care of. This is above and beyond in my book, and I really appreciate professionals like Stefanie who take the time to do this, despite being busy! Highly recommend for her demeanor and professionalism alone. read more

I recently had the pleasure of updating my Living Trust with Stefanie West. She is an extreme knowledgable, congenial, organized professional. Stefanie suggested several changes/additions to my prior trust. I appreciated her explaining why these changes would be a benefit though leaving the decision strictly up to me. Accommodating my schedule to make appointments was a breeze and she even offered to meet at my home. Stefanie is easy to talk with, patient and I also appreciated her sense of humor. Her flat fee without any hidden fees was much appreciated also. Without hesitation , I have recommended her to several friends and family read more

Are you concerned about creating a will and trust document but find the process daunting? Consider Stefanie. My husband and I had put this task off. Then we talked with Stefanie. She is warm and smart. Explains every step of the process clearly and calmly. She will help you walk through each decision. In the end, we received a well organized, clear set of documents. What a relief to have this task completed! read more

Really, are you really going to spend more time on your estate planning attorney search? Look no more and call Stefanie. Seriously. We knew it was time to get a family trust set-up but had no clue where to start - the whole process seemed incredibly overwhelming and really, just scary. After contacting a few other attorneys, we got a good sense about Stefanie. I am so glad we ended up picking Stefanie as our attorney. She is quick to respond, knowledgeable, experienced, detailed orientated, and a joy to work with. Yes, she is a great attorney, but she is also kind, compassionate, a good listener and she has a great sense of humor. I didn't expect to be laughing during our estate planning meeting, but we were! She's just an impressive person and professional. We are so appreciative for all her hard work and on going assistance. read more

Stefanie is smart, warm, thorough and kind. I highly recommend her for estate planning. She will make you feel instantly comfortable and working with her will protect your family's legacy in the future. You are in great hands with Stefanie! read more

I highly recommend Stefanie. She is professional, caring, courteous and knows the law. I needed to have a trust done and had many questions as to how to proceed. Stefanie listened to my concerns and explained all my options in a way that I could easily understand. Stefanie has always been there for me, answering concerns that have come up over the years. She is compassionate, competent and the very best. If you are looking for an estate planning attorney, call Stefanie. You won't be disappointed read more

I met Stefanie when she made a very interesting and informative presentation to my retirees group. I decided to have her prepare my trust, power of attorney, etc. There were some special issues in my situation and I had lots of questions. With Stefanie's vast knowledge, she very easily dealt with the issues, created my trust accordingly and did a great job. She is very caring and easy to talk to. I occasionally have a follow-up question or a new issue arises and I have found her to be quickly responsive and happy to help. Also, I feel her fees are reasonable. I am very happy she is my trust attorney and look forward to working with her in the future. She is the best and I highly recommend her! read more

Stefanie is a wonderful person and lawyer to help on estate planning. She always responded to our questions in an informative and quick manner. We were fortunate to have found her to help us. read more

My husband and I knew we had to figure out our wills and estate planning--we were in our 40s and had been putting it off for long enough. Through a close friend, Stefanie West had been recommended to us, and she was in the Bay Area. Stefanie was great: Warm, approachable, and took the time to simply explain things like "per stirpes" and provided (anonymous) examples of how to approach wills and bequeathing of assets. She also helped us figure out how to approach our investment accounts' configurations to ensure a solid plan for our families. To sign the final estate planning binder, we drove over to her and signed everything outside, observing social distancing protocols--she was so accommodating and safe. I think part of our procrastination was the result of such a dark task; Stefanie made it easy, light, and informative. We'd recommend her to anyone needing help planning out their estate and/or will. read more

I cannot say enough about how profesional, organized and simple it was to work with Stefanie. I saw her reviews on yelp and after contacting her, I immediately felt comfortable and confident that she could handle our living trust. I have four children and I wanted to make sure that I had a complete package of who should have guardianship in case something happened to both my spouse and I. In addition to a living trust, she did a will for my father being that we had so many family changes since my mothers passing last year. Stefanie helped with organizing my thoughts and important decisions so that I could ensure my family will be taken care of in case of the unexpected. read more

Stefanie was the best decision we made in getting someone to help us on our estate planning needs. She is patient, thorough and extremely smart. She makes you feel instantly at ease and comfortable answering all your questions and navigating you through all your concerns and worries. She communicates clearly, documents everything, and helps to determine the next steps in an understandable way for her clients, all while delivering with a smile and amazing energy throughout. I highly recommend Stefanie. She is professional, caring, courteous and knows the law. read more

Stefanie is an amazing professional and person. Stefanie has helped 3 generations of our family with estate planning over 18 years now. She is thorough, truly listens to us, and executes. We have had a wide assortment of estate needs over the years for our immediate family and for other relatives we help. We feel we are in the best of hands every time. She returns calls, communicates well, and is an intelligent advisor. She is always there for us when we need help or have a quick or not so quick question. We feel fortunate knowing Stefanie and fully recommend her! read more

I can't say enough good things about this lady. My father passed in 2013 and he worked with Stefanie to prepare for his passing. I believe he was introduced to her through Summerset in Brentwood. Not only did their immaculate preparation make such a terrible time so much easier for me. She has a heart of gold. 9 years later she's still answering questions for me with quick responses. She even remembered the car I drove. To anyone considering her services, I 1000% recommend her. read more

My wife and I recently had Stefanie help us update our Living Trust. The entire experience from beginning to end was flawless. She clearly knows her stuff, is extremely patient and answered all of our questions. Stefanie is also extremely personable and a delightful person to work with. We give her our highest recommendation. read more

Prior good ratings here on Yelp led us to call Stefanie West to prepare our family trust. We found our work and relationship with Stefanie to be outstanding. We would give her our highest praise for the family trust she created and the other advice she provided us. But in addition to the high quality work, it is also a pleasure to say that Stefanie is very kind, interested, empathetic, and of course, easy to work with. If you want to visit an attorney who will create a good working environment, communicate well, and show genuine interest in your relationships and assets, and deliver solid work product, Stefanie would be a great choice. read more

Stefanie is intelligent , thoughtful and always has my best interests in mind to ensure my trust captures completely my final wishes. I am honored to have Stefanie as a close trusted advisor for my estate's legal needs. Her grasp of the complexities of estate planning far exceeded my experiences with previous estate attorneys. Her guidance has been invaluable in assisting me in sorting through fiduciaries, creating the appropriate paperwork to create an endowment for my Alma matar's foundation, adding pet trusts for my surviving pets as well referring me to an attorney in another state to answer questions I had in locating a lost trust document from the 1980's for a deceased relative. I am grateful and honored to have Stefanie in my corner for all my estate needs. read more

We had been advised to update our living trust since it was so outdated. We chose Stefanie based on the many positive reviews we read and also from reviewing her website where she explained her approach to preparing a trust. She generally charges a flat fee which we felt was fair. When we met with Stefanie, we spent a considerable amount of time examining ways to set up our Healthcare directives, beneficiaries, and the actual trust. She was very patient and thorough and gave us some excellent advice. We met with her again to fine tune our document before signing off. Our Living Trust is now updated and much more detailed and stored in a beautiful binder. Stefanie also gave us a list of recommended actions we should take to secure our assets. We would highly recommend Stefanie. We know she will always be there if we need her. A true professional. read more

Stefanie is an amazing attorney and has helped us set up our family trust as well as my mom's trust. She is patient, thorough and extremely smart. She makes you feel instantly at ease and comfortable answering all your questions and navigating you through all your concerns and worries. There is no doubt that Stefanie truly cares and will be the support we need during the difficult times in our lives. Thank you Stefanie. You're the best! read more

Stefanie came well recommended from my financial advisor. Stefanie has great listening and interpersonal skills. She has the ability to thoroughly interview you about your individual needs in a seemingly casual conversation with a new friend. Based on my needs she provided and explained options until we both understood what was desired. She took copious and accurate notes. She then provided checklists for each of us. She kept me updated on the status of her work regarding various documents, filings, etc. After the trust was set up she provided me with a "personal to-do list" of "estate planning housekeeping" tasks including retitling bank accounts, adding the trust to appropriate insurance policy, etc. Her list explained how to accomplish each task. I found Stefanie to be knowledgeable, personable and professional. And a joy to work with. read more

Stefanie is an incredible resource, I'm so glad I contacted her! She is accessible, available, and informative. She was easy to talk to, quick to respond to my inquiries, and wonderfully honest about my current situation and available options. In a couple, relatively brief interactions, Stefanie was able to sift through the important details and provide sound, responsible, and honest advice on how to proceed. The piece that is sticking with me the most is her openness about communicating in advance to determine if her services are the best fit. When dealing wills, trusts, and probate it's important to find someone you feel comfortable with... I can tell Stefanie is someone I would be happy to work with and feel safe referring friends and family. I have worked with many attorneys in the past, from different sectors and, while I did not obtain formal services from Stefanie at this time, she will be first on my list when I need similar services in the future. read more

Informative, patient and listens well are descriptions that Stefanie West totally deserve. Referred by a professional friend, Stefanie took time to explain what I needed to create a living trust. She is very familiar with the processes of financial institutions and makes things happen quickly. She invites you to ask any questions or voice any concerns you have to be sure about everything. Stefanie is a true professional, and I have already recommended her services to many people that could use her estate planning help. Stefanie even took the time to speak to my investment group on a Saturday; the club loved her! Whenever I can or need to, I'll always work with Stefanie. read more

If you want a great attorney with excellent communication skills and a strong work ethic, you should contact Stefanie! Stefanie West made me feel like we know each other for a very long time, she has a unique personality. It was a great pleasure to work with Stefanie. I was able to have a high- quality consultation even after my trust was completed several years ago. Stefanie always finds time to answer, help and advice! I would highly recommend Stefanie West because of so many reasons! read more

Stefanie helped me make heads AND tails of my will and health care directives that were twenty-five years out of date. Believe me, she knows her stuff, and equally important is an absolute pleasure to work with. Your needs always come first, your questions answered, and she has the gift of explaining your options in layman's terms, translating the "legalese" in a practical and concise way... couldn't recommend her higher. Do yourself a favor and contact Ms. West for your estate needs... you WON'T be disappointed! read more

Stefanie is absolutely the best. So personable and kind, such a gem at heart. Two years ago, she made my living trust set up process extremely easy and walked me through everything that needed to be done. I am so glad to have found her and chosen to work with her. Now, she is again showing what a generous soul she is by providing easy answers to a power of attorney question I had for my offspring who is headed to college. Thank you so much for everything, Stefanie. (Imagine puffy hear emoji here.) read more

I felt so lucky to have Stephanie do our trust. We both were not sure what to expect but we knew we needed to get this done and she made it so easy. She went above and beyond to keep us on track and took care of every detail. She was always available anytime by email, phone or text . Even when we went to the bank to update some accounts the banker commented that we must have a great trust attorney that most people forget to do these things. She was absolutely the best I would recommend her to anyone. read more