Extensive Experience
Ed is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and former Chair of the Trust and Estates Section of the California State Bar (TEXCOM). He has extensive speaking experience on issues of estate and trust litigation and elder financial abuse with various organizations throughout the state. Ed has participated as a panelist for continuing legal education programs in CEB, including the following courses:
- Estate Planning and Administration
- Durable Powers of Attorney
- Litigating Will Contests
- Undue Influence and Capacity Cases
- Assessing Capacity and Undue Influence: Avoiding Will Contests
- Representing Fiduciaries
- Counseling Fiduciaries (Avoiding Minefields)
- Crisis in Conservatorships
- Fundamentals of Trust Administration
- Elder Law Litigation/Remedies for Financial Abuse
- Conducts trainings for Sacramento County Adult Protective Services
Elder Abuse Prevention Activities
Ed is a founding member and has served as Chair of Sac FAST (Sacramento Financial Abuse Specialty Team). He was honored as an outstanding volunteer by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on numerous occasions for his work on the Sacramento Financial Abuse Specialty Team.
Legislature
In addition to his legal work, Ed has testified before the California State Legislature and Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on issues of trusts, estates, and elder financial abuse and has assisted legislators and staff in drafting laws pertaining to elders and in matters relevant to trusts, estates, conservatorships, and suitability of annuity sales to seniors.
In 2005, among other legislation, Ed was involved in SB 1018, the Mandatory Bank Reporting Bill, which became effective on January 1, 2007. In 2006, he worked extensively on the Omnibus Conservatorship and Guardianship Reform Act of 2006. In 2007, Ed was appointed to the Judicial Council’s Probate and Mental Health Advisory Committee. The Committee’s primary duties were to make recommendations to the council for improving the administration of justice in proceedings involving decedents’ estates, trusts, conservatorships, guardianships, and mental health and developmental disability issues.
Publications/Blogs
Ed has authored and co-authored several articles on topics of trusts and estates matters, litigation, and attorney ethics, including, but not limited to:
- Co-authored an article published in the California Trusts and Estates Quarterly entitled “Crisis in Conservatorships.”
- Co-authored an article published in the California Trusts and Estates Quarterly entitled “Contractual Arbitration: Is it Binding on the Victims of Elder Abuse?”
- Co-authored article “Lickter v. Lickter: Taking the Legs from under Elder Abuse Standing,” for the California Trusts and Estates Quarterly
- Co-authored several articles on attorney malpractice and ethics, published in the Daily Journal, including:
- “When Is Actual Injury Triggered?”
- “The Repercussions of Ethical Violations”
- “Meeting the Standard of Care”
- “To Whom Do the Statutory Recoveries Belong?”
- “To Whom Does an Attorney Owe a Duty of Care?”
- “When Opposing Counsel Represents a Client’s Affiliate”
- “Fees for Defending Malpractice Actions by Corporations”