Areas of Practice
Estate Planning
At Soffer Law Group, we draft estate plans that address each client’s individual circumstances. A well-executed estate plan can help families avoid unwanted probate and conservatorships, protect clients from paying unnecessary taxes and elegantly address unique needs and objectives.
Our estate planning services begin with “foundational documents” that almost all of our clients benefit from: revocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney, advance health care directives, and a host of other documents that make for a thorough and complete plan. This is perfectly suited for clients that prefer to keep their affairs straightforward, regardless of their level of wealth.
For those clients that have complexity in their family dynamics, their wealth preservation goals, their specific assets, or otherwise, our team addresses each challenge as it is presented. Our founder has an advanced degree in taxation, which helps us guide clients when it comes to tax-mitigation strategies. And often, our clients wish to address management and control for their family-owned businesses, real estate, and other assets for subsequent generations. At Soffer Law Group, we strive to provide practical solutions to complex issues.
Administration
Much of our work at Soffer Law Group occurs after an individual’s death. In addition to the various obligations and requirements that arise as a result, our clients must make strategic decisions and manage expectations, all while dealing with the death of a loved one. Our firm provides clients with practical counsel and advice in these situations. We support our clients emotionally, while offering to take over much of the administrative burden.
Our approach always seeks to minimize clients’ exposure from both a tax and legal perspective. Soffer Law Group helps administer trusts and estate plans that our firm helped draft, as well as countless estates with which we had no prior involvement. Additionally, our firm routinely assists clients with California probate, representing them in probate court in counties throughout the state of California. While we strive to keep our clients out of court, we navigate the complexities when necessary or advantageous.
Soffer Law Group prepares clients’ Federal estate and generation-skipping tax returns. We see them through filing and defend the filings when called upon. Our firm also interfaces with local county assessors and the State of California on behalf of our clients.
Consequently, Soffer Law Group regularly represents clients with a range of experience: from first-time trustees and executors, with little-to-no prior experience, to professional fiduciaries, both institutional and private.