Estate Planning Attorneys in San Diego

Clark Allison LLP's San Diego office is located at 8880 Rio San Diego Drive, Suite 800, in Mission Valley. We serve families throughout San Diego, La Jolla, Chula Vista, La Mesa, El Cajon, Santee, Escondido, Carlsbad, Encinitas, and the greater San Diego area with estate planning and trust administration.

Our San Diego attorney Gabi Aboujaoudi focuses exclusively in estate planning and trust administration. Estate planning is not a side practice at Clark Allison LLP  - it is the only thing we do.

Why San Diego Families Need a Living Trust

San Diego has some of the highest home values in California. The median home price in San Diego County regularly exceeds $1,000,000, and in many neighborhoods it is significantly higher. For San Diego homeowners, California probate is not an abstract risk. Probate is an expensive, predictable consequence of dying without a properly funded living trust.

California probate fees are calculated on the gross value of your estate, not your equity. On a San Diego home worth $1,000,000, the combined statutory attorney and executor fees exceed $46,000. The process takes 12 to 18 months. It is public so anyone can look up what you owned and what you owed. And your family has no control over the timeline.

A revocable living trust eliminates all of this. Your successor trustee, the person you choose, handles the distribution of your assets without any court involvement, in a matter of weeks, in complete privacy. For San Diego homeowners, a living trust is not optional. It is essential.

Our San Diego Estate Planning Process

We complete most San Diego estate plans in two attorney meetings over about two weeks. The process is straightforward: a design meeting, a review meeting, and a signing with our notary. Flat fees, no hourly billing, free to contact us with questions once you're a client.

We offer in-person appointments at our Mission Valley office and virtual Zoom appointments from anywhere in California. Most San Diego clients are surprised by how efficient the process is and how different it feels from what they expected a law firm to be like.

We have more than 340 five-star Trustpilot reviews. Read them before you call — they'll tell you more about us than we can.

Services at Our San Diego Office

• Revocable Living Trust: the cornerstone of a complete California estate plan, designed to avoid probate.
  
  
• Will: including pour-over wills that work alongside your trust to catch any assets outside it.
  
  
• Durable Power of Attorney: designates a trusted person to manage your finances if you become incapacitated.
  
  
• Advance Health Care Directive: documents your medical wishes and names a health care decision-maker.
  
  
• Trust Administration: step-by-step guidance for San Diego successor trustees after a grantor dies.
  
  
• Living Trust Updates: reviewing and updating existing trusts to reflect law changes and life changes.

Frequently Asked Questions — San Diego

Do I need to come to the Mission Valley office?

No. We offer complete virtual estate planning via Zoom. You get the same attorneys, the same documents, and the same quality, but from your home, in your own time. If you prefer in-person, our Mission Valley office at 8880 Rio San Diego Dr. is centrally located.

How much does a living trust cost in San Diego?

We charge flat fees and publish our pricing on our website. No hourly billing, no surprise invoices.

I have a living trust from 10 years ago. Do I need to update it?

Probably yes. California law has changed significantly in the past decade:  Proposition 19, the Secure Act, new probate thresholds, and changes to trust amendment rules all affect existing trusts. If your trust hasn't been reviewed recently, schedule a review. An outdated estate plan can create serious problems for your family.

What if my situation is complicated: blended family, real estate in multiple states, a business?

We handle complex situations regularly. A free intro call is the right place to start. We'll help you sort out what you need.

What areas do you serve from San Diego?

Our San Diego office serves families throughout San Diego, Mission Valley, La Jolla, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Santee, Escondido, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside, and the broader San Diego region.

Call us at (858) 290-7202 or click here to schedule a free intro call with our San Diego estate planning attorney.