Matthew Talbot was my lawyer in my Financial Elder Abuse case. After paying him over $80,000, he was disqualified by Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Virginia M. George. Mr. Talbot failed to disclose to me that he previously met with the person I was suing and discussed my case with her. Mr. Talbot said the he misspelled the other persons name and therefore, she did not show up on his client file. After Judge George looked at the evidence provided by the person I was suing, the Judge determined that Mr. Talbot did in fact discuss my case with her and therefore, she disqualified him. I hired another attorney, but after spending another $20,000 on the new attorney, I realized I did not have the funds to get the new attorney up to speed. Mr. Talbot did offer to only reimburse me for $20,000, but later rescinded his offer. Although my being a disabled first responder injured in the line of duty and a senior citizen, Mr. Talbot displayed no compassion or remorse for his error. Nor did he want to make things right. Please feel free to get Mr. Talbot's side of the story should you decide to interview him to represent you. My Contra Costa County Court case number is P22-01239. Mr. Talbot's disqualification is noted in the court records. read more

Matt represented my brother, who is now dead, on an estate matter that ultimately had a most satisfactory resolution. Good things come to those who are patient. Matt did great! read more

Matthew Talbot successfully helped me during a very dark time. My dad at 83, starting showing signs of decline and was being taken advantage of. From the moment I hired Matt, I knew I made the right call. He was the BEST lawyer for the job. He was realistic, but also deeply caring and reassuring. His knowledge of the court system, the judges, the regulatory requirements, civil procedures, and his prowess and legal acumen are stellar. Thank you for helping me and supporting me during a very troubling time. I deeply appreciate Matt and his team's help. read more

I would give 10 stars if I could. My brother & I were in a nightmare situation with a supposed reputable law firm that was handling our mothers trust. After 2+ years of incompetence & ignored phone calls we hired Talbot law firm. Mathew, Elizabeth & Emily were awesome!!! Not only did they help us clear up the mess & complete the trust, they did it in a very short period of time. They were all so nice, knowledgeable, professional & caring. I am now having them update my trust. Loosing a loved one is devastating & having a trusted firm with caring people makes all the difference. read more

Matt Talbot was wonderful! We mostly worked with him. Really liked his no nonsense approach. Was really effective in mediation and in court. He was able to wade through the opposing party's attempts to procrastinate and withhold in all of the back and forth communication going on. Very on time with all of the paperwork and filings. When they said they would do something they did. Emily Blake was wonderful too. Would hire them again! Made a really difficult time so much easier and so much less confusing. Thanks so much Talbot Law Group! read more

I brought Matthew Talbot into a personal injury case I was handling that had a probate issue that needed to be litigated. I was impressed with Matt's responsiveness and expertise. He clearly knows the ins-and-outs of estate law. I would not hesitate to retain his firm again for any kind of probate litigation matter. read more

TERRIBLE! First step you're reading the reviews, take the bad ones seriously! I wish we did!! I feel responsible for the 10k loss as I was the one that convinced my husband to hire Matthew Talbot to help/defend him in a Conservatorship matter. From the first meeting it was ALL ABOUT THE MONEY, before anything he wanted to know if we were going to pay his $10k retainer. During the meeting he bragged about himself sitting in as Judge (even showing us a picture), talked about similar cases that were successful and even claimed he is the "mentor" of our sons court appointed attorney. He seemed convincing so we hired him on May 13th. Within ONE month 5K was spent and by our July statement 10k was GONE and we hadn't even been to court yet!! Matthew is a terrible a listener and communicator. He failed to grasp our needs in the case though we provided him access to all information. his focus seemed to be on spending every penny of the retainer. He didn't seem to acknowledge me because I didn't pay the bill. His response to every email is "thank you for this information" $$Cha Ching$$! he never asked us questions or what was our end goal. We walked away with nothing, we took steps backwards and its all because of Matthew. He was a huge disappointment in every way. read more

I reached out to Talbot Law to have a Will drafted. Took about a month to get it done, but communication was good and I was pleased with the outcome. Elizabeth kept persisting at it despite my additional refinements. Thanks for the upfront, affordable pricing, too. read more

I hired Mathew Talbot back in 2020 - 2021 for a conservatorship issue. How I rue the day I EVER brought this man into my and my elderly parent's life! Like all conservatorship lawyers, he charges $500 per hour. Even top surgeons don't get paid this much. I signed his contract without understanding it - I thought, "he's now my lawyer and so cares about my interests, he won't bankrupt me or anything." How stupid I was! My father was a lawyer and was the kindest, gentlest man you ever met. This man was a two-headed snake. Without explaining it to me, he attached his services/fees to my parent's estate. To make a long story short, he charged my 86-year old parent $30,000 and got NOTHING ACCOMPLISHED for me. When I realized how bad he was, I tried to end his services. But here's the thing - If you read his contract carefully, you will see that You don't get to end your contract/relationship with him UNTIL HE DECIDES IT'S THE "RIGHT," TIME!!! I would have written this review sooner but I was afraid of him. I still am. read more

They didn't file in April like they were supposed to. Come on! What do they do for a living? They could drain the 10 grand in my account now without anything to do on my case. They have nothing to do after they file the papers in court but my 10 grand disappeared!!!! Court is Aug 11. Today, July 12 they tell me my last 1/2, 5 grand has disappeared! I really hate dishonest people. Especially dishonest Attorneys!! I hope they filed the paperwork for 10 grand! What a waste of 10 grand. Just for filling out $60.00 worth of paperwork. Go to "Help you File"! $60.00 I have to appear in court alone after 10 grand for paper filing!!! God I hope they did it right. I seriously doubt it since they couldn't even get it in on time. April was my first court date but my Attorney didn't get forms in on time! What is their job? My poor mom is stuck for 3 years!! She only has a little time left and has dementia but the Sacramento County and now the Attorney has really taking her golden years and turned them to trash! read more

As a clinical social worker in the Bay area and in my personal life I have dealt with a significant amount of death. After dealing with my father's estate and the complexities of probate, I was determined to set up my estate plan and make sure myself and my daughter were protected. Matthew Talbot was extremely knowledgeable, kind, and encouraging throughout the estate planning process. He has also given me extensive helpful advice relating to Conservatorship and the care of elders in our community, which is an issue that comes up frequently in my work. I highly recommend him and his team to anyone looking for a stellar estate plan or elder law attorney in the San Francisco Bay area. Mr. Talbot and his team made me feel welcoming and were extremely professional, I felt at ease during a very difficult and stressful time in my life. read more

Talbot Law Group is amazing to work with. They made a process that I thought was very daunting and unnerving so simple and straight forward. They walked me through the steps, clearly identified information I needed to provide, and made execution a breeze. The team is so kind and thoughtful, they are the best. read more

I cannot speak highly enough about Matt Talbot and Emily Nashban of the Talbot Law Group. Last year, my stepmother passed away. She had prepared a trust and will 20 years earlier indicating she wanted to leave her estate to me, but had never signed or executed it. She had shared her intentions, with her cousin, a friend, and a neighbor, but without a signed will or trust, the laws of the state of CA would likely leave everything to a nephew she despised and hadn't talked to in 30 years. I met with Matt in March 2020. He was confident he could resolve things in my favor, but also, to his credit, he kept my expectations real. I agreed to put things in his capable hands. As required, the nephew was notified of his aunt's passing. Of course, he felt he was entitled to her estate. Shortly after that, Emily Nashban took over my case. She was fantastic!!! She handled all the communication with the court and her nephew. Together, we built the case, getting statements from my stepmom's cousin, neighbor, and friend, along with other documents showing my stepmom's intent. On the surface a pretty good case, but the courts ultimately had to make the decision. Thanks to Emily's efforts, the entire estate was awarded to me!! What was seemingly an incredible uphill battle turned out in my favor thanks to the Talbot Law Firm. I'm certain my stepmom is smiling down on them, thanking them for taking care of things. If you have any estate planning needs, I highly recommend the Talbot Law Group. I can't say enough great things about them!!! Thank you again Matt & Emily!! read more

This is a wonderful family firm. My husband and I have both worked with them, and they are honest, hard working, and responsive. Matthew handles an extensive amount of trust and probate litigation in Contra Costa County and is well known to the judge and other counsel. We frequently refer friends, clients and colleagues to the Talbots. I highly recommend them. read more

Matt Talbot is a brilliant attorney and cares deeply for his clients. He also happens to be one of the most in Northern California, with a stellar reputation among jurists. My wife and I are setting up our will with him and couldn't be happier with the compassionate and thoughtful service we've received. read more

Matthew was able to help my wife and I come up with an estate plan that worked for our family. He patiently answered all of the questions we had about what would happen to our home, assets, and daughter if we were to pass and the whole process made us feel confident that our loved ones are taken care of if tragedy strikes. read more

I recently retained Mr. Talbot as my attorney to help produce trust documents and a will for myself. He was patient and helpful - throughly explaining my options and the reasoning behind why and how certain documents are written in a certain manner. His explanations were backed with personal experience and legal reasoning and they helped me to clarify my needs and requirements. read more

My husband needed someone to help in a very emotionally stressful time with my father in law. He put his trust in these people. Big mistake! Talbot is the kind of lawyer that gives all of them a bad name. He created complications. Made what problems that already existed worse and to top it off he tried to get him to sign a contract that would've let Talbot take what he thought he had "earned "off the top. And to top it all off his fiduciary (Talbots)decided she needed 3 different firms to run a business. Did I mention the overcharging and all the 'busy work 'he made for himself. What a rip off. What a waste of time. read more

Attorney Matthew Talbot has the extraordinary ability to combine his vast legal knowledge with common sense to resolving issues. When we first spoke, I was a long term, unappreciated family Trustee preparing to fight the unreasonable, baseless and ruthless complaints against me. On reviewing court documents Mr. Talbot agreed with me; I was correct in my sentiments of wrong doing by family members. Yet, he also directly and somewhat brashly advocated that a skirmish with thankless benefactors was not worth lost time and the emotional toll of a battle. Mr. Talbot's genuine concerned for my mental welfare, as his client, was continually forefront in his approach to resolving my legal issues. And, he was extremely clever, using his knowledge of Trust law, to reach a settlement and an end that was better than I ever imagined. Thank you Mr. Talbot. Dawn N. Ericson read more

I think I'm having the opposite of a mid-life crisis. I'm planning to do all sorts of responsible things. Things I never used to think about. I will be getting serious about boring things. I will be getting a more sensible car: less power, more safety. I will be getting my legal affairs in order. So I've picked out a lawyer I can trust to help me with this: Attorney Matthew Talbot. I've worked with Matt in the past when he was a part of a larger law firm that specialized in Elder Law. Back then he helped me look over some documents concerning a conservatorship. I met with him today to get his help in planning my mid-life (what's the opposite of a crisis?) and things are feeling good now. I'm in the state of mind where I feel good about my legal status and am ready to move on to some of the more challenging aspects of growing up. read more

I spent 4yrs in litigation with Matthew Talbot. When we finally went to trial and after hundreds of thousands of dollars spent Mr. Talbot refused to due conduct any depositions and only used one witness out of several witness I had provided him in writing. The other side had witness and had completed depositions even though they had only been on the case for 6 months. Mr. Talbot right before trial brought on another attorney without my consent to help him, even though he had been on the case for 4yrs! This attorney was out of Mr. Talbot's office. Mr. Talbot nor the second attorney Emily Collins could appropriately ask a question in court and Judge Fenstermacher had to help Mr. Talbot and Ms. Collins ask the appropriate questions. The Talbot Law Firm only cared about how much money they received and as soon as trial was over and we lost due to Mr. Talbot's and Ms. Collins acting like first year law students. The opposing attorney was amazing and did his job and was prepared and charged the same amount as the Talbot law firm. I would highly recommend Hartog, Baer & Hand in Lafayette. Also, be warned about Katherine Korn she is an extremely dishonest attorney. read more

Matthew and his team are knowledgeable, trustworthy and effective attorneys. I have worked with both Matthew and Emily over a decade, and have had nothing but a positive experience. Matthew gives straightforward, thoughtful advice and is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to Conservatorships and Estate Planning. He he is very patient and answers my questions in simple terms that I can understand. I highly recommend Matthew Talbot to anyone seeking a Trust and Estate Lawyer who puts their client's best interest first. read more

My wife and I had a great, personal experience from Matt and Elizabeth - they made a complicated feeling, intimidating process seem simple and straightforward. They did a great job explaining all of the complicated pieces for two completely law-illiterate people. Everything was done efficiently, with attention to detail, and they're both just friendly, outgoing and fun to spend time with. We couldn't ask for anything different - we're so appreciative. Thank you! read more

People like Matt and Elizabeth Talbot give lawyers a good name!!! They, along with Emily, handled my Dad's Probate Case. I found them all to be easy to work with and totally professional. I liked the fact that all my questions and concerns were responded to quickly. In my initial meeting Matt laid everything out for me including potential fees and other "speed bumps". He was completely transparent. The day I picked up the final Probate papers I jokingly told Elizabeth that I'd do a Commercial for them. Please consider this review as that Commercial. I highly recommend them. read more

My wife and I recently completed a restatement of our Living Trust and Wills with Matt Talbot. After 18 years, the Living Trust was woefully out of date. Matt is knowledgeable and patient, and was able to walk us through everything to make sure we were arriving at what we wanted. He took the time to fully answer any questions we had, some of which were fairly complex. We both feel completely confident that everything is now in order. We would highly recommend Matt to anyone in need of a trust or probate attorney. read more

Closely following a traumatic time in life, Matthew and Elizabeth made the process of setting up my will, advance health directive and living trust painless. Everything was handled flawlessly and with grace and professionalism. Any and all questions I had were answered complete and thoroughly. I'm grateful to them for handling my affairs with grace and tenderness following my sudden loss. I can't endorse and recommend them enough. read more

I have known Matthew for over a dozen years. I frequently recommend his serves to clients of mine who are looking for legal assistance on issues relating to trusts, estate planning, and elder law. I also use Matthew as an invaluable resource for myself and my family, including a question I recently with regard to a special needs trust. In all of our interactions, Matthew has been helpful, professional, and a pleasure to work with. I cannot recommend him highly enough! read more

Matthew advised me on a messy family estate matter last summer. From the first meeting, he struck me as an unusually honest, caring individual who was capable and willing to help me. Throughout our time together, I felt he was a strong advocate in my corner, keeping me informed and calm at every step. I appreciated his candor and rigorous honesty, and would recommend Matthew Talbot to anyone in my life. read more

Matthew recently helped me prepare an estate plan. He helped me create a trust, a will, a durable power of attorney and an advanced health care directive. He was extremely competent and also very caring in what could be an emotional endeavor. He worked with my financial planner to help get all documents and accounts in order. He is very professional and at the same time I felt very comfortable working with him. read more

My wife and I had a fantastic experience creating our will and trust with Matt and Elizabeth. They guided us through it with just the right measures of knowledge, encouragement and support. They know that this is a difficult process and were there to answer any and all questions along the way. Their efficiency and accuracy reflected their professionalism, and gave us comfort that the job was being done right. read more

An attorney friend of mine recommended MatthewTalbot when I was looking for advice on how to - or whether I could - sell my mother's home. Ten years ago, Mama followed advice, and she put her home in a Living Trust. That means the trust owned it -- not her, not me. If Mama died, I was the successor trustee, would own the home, and could sell it. Now, Mama is very much alive, but with dementia. We had to move her to assisted living after her stroke. Her home was empty and needed to be sold. But could I sell it? How? Matthew heard my plight, asked me to send him all the documents, then had a consultation with my husband and me by phone. He answered all our questions, and put us at ease. He told us how to proceed to where we needed to be to sell it, what documents would and would not be required. It was very simple, the way he explained it. When we asked, he also recommended real estate agents familiar with this process. We are in contract now, with a sale in progress, going very smoothly! I would highly recommend Matthew Talbot. He knows his business, and is patient with questions from the uninformed. He is kind, and made sure we were comfortable and understood everything. read more

I've recently had an experience that I am compelled to share with others so they can avoid the pain and cost caused me by Matt. I went to him with a serious estate matter and very specific goals. He said he was capable and willing to handle my matter. He did nothing for almost seven months - he did not formulate strategy, provide advice, or take any action whatsoever to protect my beloved elder, her estate or me as her trustee. Yet, his bills kept coming. He billed me for my efforts to get him to do something/anything! When I asked him point blank if he was ever going to do anything on my matter, he said he would send me a letter of substitution of attorney. His behavior towards me was uncaring and unprofessional. I allowed him a number of chances to perform but he chose to do nothing while a 91 year old was - and still is - in danger. read more

I am a practicing attorney and whenever I have a question about Estate, Trust, or Elder Law, either for my personal information or a case I am working on, Matt is the first person I ask. He is patient, inquisitive, quick thinking, and intelligent. He is the first attorney I recommend to friends and family seeking help in these areas and is a credit to his field. read more

I recently had the pleasure of working with Matt Talbot on a difficult family trust dispute. The client's needed a good legal advisor with litigation experience. ( I came in as agent and translator for the clients, who did not speak English.) Matt was immediately responsive, spent a long time discussing the matter in our first meeting, and then proceeded to handle it well all the way to a satisfactory settlement. He was professional, patient and flexible handling all the people (and languages) involved, communications with opposing counsel, timely filings in court, etc. Throughout the case he made himself available, responded to inquiries, explaining the process and details whenever asked. His strategies worked well and in the end the client's got the best result they could have hoped for. (There was some time pressure due to fears opposing party would flee the country. ) Matt worked fast and effectively in bringing the dispute to resolution. I would recommend him to anyone who needs a litigator a/o good counsel in his areas of expertise. read more