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Ginzburg & Bronshteyn, is excited to announce that Rachel Rosenfeld will join our team of dedicated professionals as Of Counsel. Rachel brings excellent experience as a Trust Litigator, Los Angeles incapacity and estate planning attorneys. She attend California State University, Long Beach, BA 2007 and Golden Gate University School of Law., 2013.

Attorney Rachel Rosenfeld represents individuals, trustees, fiduciaries, and administrators in estate and trust litigation matters. Rachel has experience practice including handling probate and trust administration matters. She has previous experience representing clients in civil, administrative, and family law proceedings. Rachel is a former corporate legal services senior manager for Charles Schwab and served as a law clerk for the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District.

If you or someone you know is dealing with a dispute over the administration or execution of trust or estate in California, you should contact an experienced trusts and estates litigation attorney to ensure your interests are represented.

Effective February 1, 2021, the Probate Division at the Los Angeles Superior Court – Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill Street, Los Angeles, will implement the following change:

  • Judge Jonathan L. Rosenbloom will be reassigned from Department F46 at the Chatsworth Courthouse, to Probate Department 79 (at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse). All cases assigned to Department 79 will be assigned to Judge Rosenbloom for all purposes.

On November 13, 2020, Yasha Bronshteyn, Ginzburg & Bronshteyn, APC partner and litigator attended the USC Gould School of Law Virtual 46th Annual Trust and Estate Conference. Mr. Bronshteyn has been named a Super Lawyer on several occasions and recognized by Best Lawyers in America©. Mr. Bronshteyn has handled several high profile cases involving overlapping Family Court and Probate Court issues and proceeding.

During these unprecedented and unsettling times, we at Ginzburg & Bronshteyn, APC are focused on ensuring the health and safety of our clients and our community. Despite the challenges associated with this pandemic, we will continue to operate and are fully accessible to our clients by electronic mail, telephone, and other remote options.

You can count on us to provide the same level of high quality, uninterrupted services we have in the past, while implementing the preventative health and safety measures recommended by the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control.  We are standing by to assist you and may be contacted via telephone, email, fax, and mail.  We also have the capability of conducting multi-user meetings by teleconference.

We remain fully committed to our clients and their needs, and we send our sincerest wishes that everyone in our community stays safe and healthy.

Looking forward to the March 19, 2019, Probate Judges Lunch presented by the Beverly Hills Bar association-Trust and Estates Section.  This annual event is always well attended and a terrific opportunity to get the Judges’ perspective on court issues and policy.   Judges of the Probate Court for Los Angeles County will discuss the current state of the Probate Court and will address issues and concerns affecting the Court, the courtroom transitions and any other questions submitted by members.  In addition, the Timothy Whitehouse Award will be presented to Justice Maria E. Stratton for her outstanding contribution to the Probate Department of the Los Angeles Superior Court.  Lastly the Lunch will be attended by Supervising Judge David J. Cowan  as well as Los Angeles Superior Court Probate Judges Judge Clifford Klein (Department 9), Judge Daniel Juarez (Dept. 67, Judge Brenda Penny (Department 3), Judge Barbara Johnson (Dept 11) and Judge Paul Suzuki (Dept 79).

On February 5, 2019, Yasha Bronshteyn of Ginzburg & Bronshteyn, APC attended the program present by the Beverly Hills Estate Planning Counsil entitled Conquering The Unique Challenges Of Trust, Conservatorship And Probate Real Property Sales.  Trustees and Conservators often require specialized skills required to navigate these complex real estate transactions, Probate Court Rules and Probate Code Laws, as well as appropriate  the marketing and tax expertise to maximize and optimize the value of these properties.  It is importation to hire the correct attorneys; accountants, and other professionals to properly fulfill the fiduciary obligations of a Trustee or Conservator.

On February 7, 2019, Yasha Bronshteyn, Litigator and Firm Partner at Ginzburg & Bronshteyn, APC attended the Los Angeles County Bar Association – Trust and Estates Law Section presentation entitled Solving the Mysteries of Accounting.  Mr Bronshteyn’s practice focuses on complex estate and trust  litigation, probate and trust administration, conservatorship and guardianship / family law matters.  His clients include individuals, families, the elderly, and private fiduciaries.

Firm partner, Yasha Bronshteyn, litigating Conservatorship, Trust Matters, and Accounting Matters attended the Los Angeles County Bar Association Presentation on September 13, 2018, at the Los Angeles Superior Court.  The presentation concerned different types of fiduciary accounts, including trust accounts, conservatorship accounts, and conservatorship accounts.  Turnout from our esteemed probate colleagues was excellent.  Also in attendance were Supervising Probate Judge David J. Cowan (Department 3) and probate Judge Paul T. Suzuki (Department 79).

If you or someone you know is dealing with a dispute over the administration or execution of trust or estate in California, you should contact an experienced trusts and estates litigation attorney to ensure your interests are represented.  Attorney Bronshteyn also serves on the probate volunteer panel of the Los Angeles Superior Court, and has represented beneficiaries, executors, administrators, trustees, conservators, and conservatees, in court proceedings.  Contact us by calling (310) 914-3222 in Los Angeles,  (818) 787-1011 in Westlake Village, (714) 465-6566 in Orange County, or by using our online contact form.

Recently the appellate court decided a very impactful case in the area of trust litigation.  The case is known as Barefoot v. Jennings, 2018 WL 4292450.  Appellant, Joan Mauri Barefoot, is one of six children of Joan Lee Maynord. Maynord and her former husband, who died in 1993, established the Maynord 1986 Family Trust and Maynord served as the sole trustor following her husband’s death. Starting in August 2013 and continuing through 2016, Maynord executed eight amendments to and restatements of the Family Trust, referred to as the 17th through the 24th Amendments, with the 24th Amendment being the final amendment prior to Maynord’s death. It is in these amendments and restatements in which Appellant’s share of the Family Trust, described in the 16th Amendment, was eliminated and Appellant was both expressly disinherited and removed as successor trustee.

By Ashley Taylor of disabledparents.org

The months and weeks that lead up to a baby’s delivery are filled with equal amounts of excitement and trepidation. All parents, from new ones to seasoned vets, fret over whether the home is ready for their new addition and if they bought the best stroller. For a disabled parent, these fears are multiplied. With a little planning and research on available resources, however, every parent can enjoy raising their newborn.

 It’s never too early to start planning

On March 4, 2017, firm partner Alexander R. Ginzburg attended the South Bay Bar Association Probate Section Luncheon with the Honorable Los Angeles Superior Court Judges: Hon. David J. Cowan (Department 79), Hon. Maria E. Stratton (Department 5), Hon. William P. Barry (Department 67). The focus of the Probate Luncheon was technological changes being incorporated by the Los Angeles Superior Court and its effect on the Probate Department, litigants, and attorneys.

Ginzbug & Bronshteyn, is also, proud to share that firm partner Yasha Bronshteyn recently obtained a favorable trial verdict in excess of $900,000.00 for the Petitioner and Conservator of the Person and Estate he represented. The theories of recovery were based on conversion of conservatee’s real property, Elder abuse, and the power of the court to adjudicate an estate’s claims against persons charged with embezzling, concealing, or otherwise wrongfully taking or retaining property belong to the estate. (Probate Code §850(a)(2)(D) & Probate Code §859). In addition, our offices were to show that the level of fraud, malice, and oppression was so high to sustain an award of punitive damages in addition to double damages under Probate Code §859.

Our offices have been successful in helping families with the Conservatorship Process when a loved one is declining in their abilities. The Standard of Proof for a Conservatorsip is as follows:

Effective February 1, 2016, Judge William Barry will be assigned to Dept. 67 of the Los Angeles Superior Court Central Probate Division at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles California, 90012.

All cases currently assigned to Judge David S. Cunningham are reassigned to Judge Barry as of the effective date. All matters currently on calendar in Department 67 shall remain scheduled on the dates and times previously set, unless otherwise notified.

Next, on a different note with insight from our colleague Attorney Michelle Lerman, of Lerman Law Partners, LLP and Certified Estate Planning Specialist

We are looking forward to attending the annual Los Angeles County Bar Association View From the Bench lunch. This year’s program will include a “State of the Court” address by the Hon. Maria E. Stratton and “Top Ten Tips on Addressing Probate Notes,” presented by Commissioner Brenda Penny. The Hon. Daniel S. Murphy, Hon. Clifford L. Klein, Hon. David S. Cunningham, Hon. Lesley C. Green, and Hon. David J. Cowan will also be joining the presentation for lunch.  The program will be presented at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Conference Center 555 West Temple Street Los Angeles, CA 90012.

At Ginzburg & Bronshteyn, LLP we are dedicated to providing efficient, effective, and affordable solutions to clients involved in conservatorship cases, trust and estate disputes, as well as other types of family law issues. We are here to help you and your loved ones. To discuss your needs and discover your options, consult the Los Angeles incapacity and estate planning attorneys at Ginzburg & Bronshteyn, LLP.

Our firm also handles disputes over the decedent’s intent. For example, when a person dies, they might have named only some, but not all of his or her children in a will. Most likely, the unnamed children would contest the validity of the will, and estate litigation may ensue to determine whether the decedent intended to omit certain children or whether the omission was unintentional. This is but one example of a dispute that can arise in the execution of an estate plan. If you or someone you know is dealing with a dispute over the administration or execution of trust or estate in California, you should contact an experienced trusts and estates litigation attorney to ensure your interests are represented.  Attorney Bronshteyn also serves on the probate volunteer panel of the Los Angeles Superior Court, and has represented executors, administrators, trustees, conservators, and conservatees, in court proceedings.

Just this month Ginzburg & Bronshteyn, LLP partner Yasha Bronshteyn, was given an “AV” rating from his peers, which means that he was deemed to have very high professional ethics and preeminent legal ability. Only lawyers with the highest ethical standards and professional ability receive a Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating.

The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings evaluates lawyers based on the anonymous opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary, including both those who are rated and those who are not. The first review to establish a lawyer’s rating usually occurs three years after his/her first admission to the Bar.

Martindale-Hubbell conducts secure online Peer Review Ratings surveys of lawyers across multiple jurisdictions and geographic locations, in similar areas of practice as the lawyer being rated. Reviewers are instructed to assess their colleagues’ general ethical standards and legal ability in a specific area of practice. Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings were created in 1887 as an objective tool that would attest to a lawyer’s ability and professional ethics, based on the confidential opinions of other lawyers and judges who have worked with the lawyers they are evaluating.

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