Senior Counsel

With more than 26 years of experience in estate planning and trust and estate litigation, Terese has cultivated a versatile skill set that enables her to perform as effectively in the courtroom as in the transactional setting. Terese’s roots are in probate court, having begun her career as a Research Attorney in San Mateo Superior Court’s probate division twenty-nine years ago.

In 1998, the Court appointed her to serve on its Independent Counsel Panel, through which she has represented conservatees in a wide variety of matters over the past fifteen years.

In addition to her estate planning and administration work, Terese is often called upon by the firm’s Trust, Estate + Fiduciary Litigation Group to handle a variety of disputes, including conservatorship proceedings, fiduciary removal actions, and accounting actions. As a result of her combined expertise in planning and probate matters, Terese serves as an invaluable asset to clients in all contexts.

• Tailor estate plans for family members through multiple generations and blended families
• Implemented new estate plans, and amended existing estate plans, for various conservatees to ensure appropriate distribution of estate upon conservatee’s death.
• Reviewed appropriateness of administering psychotropic drugs or placing conservatees diagnosed with dementia in a secure facility.
• San Mateo County Bar Association | Estate Planning/Probate Section, Member and Former Co-Chair
• San Mateo County Independent Counsel Panel
• State Bar of California | Trusts & Estates Section

200 Years of Combined Experience