Top State Lawyers Near Me in Santa Barbara Area

We provide creative and comprehensive representation in all areas of private client services, including personal tax-driven estate planning, business succession and charitable planning, probate, complex estate and trust administration, estate and trust litigation, pre-residency planning, and charitable organization representation.. We prepare wills and trusts that help clients avoid probate, appoint guardians for their minor children, protect assets from creditors, manage wealth for beneficiaries to ensure that children and grandchildren inherit property in a manner that is consistent with the clients' wishes, and minimize the taxes incurred when transferring wealth to successive generations.

Virginia focuses on supporting individuals, families, and small business owners through financial and legal decisions (including employment decisions). My mission is to empower clients to reach their goals by using the best legal strategies available. My core competencies include estate planning, small business, employment law, human resources management, workplace investigations, sexual harassment and more. As part of my practice, I dedicate much of my time towards educating the community on issues related to family asset protection, Kids Protection Planning, “LIFT” (Legal, Insurance, Financial and Tax) issues related to running a small business, and creating and preserving a lasting Legacy that includes more than just money.

Travis C. Logue is a Partner of Rogers, Sheffield & Campbell, LLP. He leads the Firm’s real estate practice, and represents clients in a broad range of real estate transactions and high-stakes civil litigation matters. He is consistently rated a top attorney in the Santa Barbara community. Mr. Logue was recognized annually by his peers as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” from 2015-2018, an honor awarded to the top 2.5 percent of lawyers in Southern California under the age of 40. He holds an AVVO perfect “10” rating and was awarded 10 Best Real Estate Attorneys in California for 2018-2019.. Mr. Logue is lead counsel in the seminal case, Kracke v. City of Santa Barbara (2019), which successfully overturned the City’s controversial 2015 ban of short-term vacation rentals in the Coastal Zone. This landmark victory, in the face of a vigorous defense by the City, preserved important individual property rights and revived affordable accommodations. He is also counsel of record in numerous wrongful death, personal injury and property damage cases filed against Southern California Edison and various public entities stemming from the Thomas Fire and Montecito Mudslides. These “mass tort,” complex civil litigation cases are pending in Los Angeles Superior Court as the Southern California Fire Cases (Judicial Council Coordinated Proceeding No. 4965).. In addition, Mr. Logue is routinely engaged by ultra-high net worth clients with a variety of real estate holdings, from office buildings and apartments to ranches and luxury estates. Transactional clients appreciate his strong litigation practice and background in dispute resolution, along with his specific experience navigating challenges faced by real estate owners on the Central Coast. He has made numerous appearances in front of public agencies for land use issues and has handled dozens of mediations and arbitrations required under the California Association of Realtors contract. In 2018, he represented a client in the single sale of a portfolio of dozens of properties with a price in the mid-eight figures. During the same year, he represented a different client in the sale of its luxury, beachfront estate in the eight figures, a record for the region. He recently negotiated a long-term commercial lease exceeding 130,000 square feet to a Fortune 500 company. Moreover, in 2018, Mr. Logue represented the owner in the sale of over a dozen storage properties in California, Nevada, and Arizona to a private equity group and various individual buyers - one transaction involved the assumption of an existing commercial mortgage-backed securities loan, while another required navigation of the conduit loan defeasance process.. Furthermore, Mr. Logue is engaged by clients in litigation matters ranging from wrongful death and civil extortion to the California Coastal Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. He commonly handles real estate litigation matters, including disputes over easements, purchase agreements, leases, sellers’ misrepresentations, and quieting title. He has acted as counsel for Sotheby’s International Realty and has successfully represented real estate agents in front of the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors’ ethics committee and fee arbitration panel.. As a member of the Hollister Ranch Owners’ Association for over 20 years and having served on its Board of Directors, Mr. Logue has a unique expertise in handling Hollister Ranch real estate and partnership transactions.. He is a fourth-generation Santa Barbara-area local. Before returning to Santa Barbara to establish his practice, Mr. Logue worked in several challenging, dynamic environments, including London, Los Angeles and Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.. Mr. Logue earned his J.D. from the University of Pepperdine School of Law. He is a member of the State Bar of California and the District of Columbia Bar. Mr. Logue graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Government from Claremont McKenna College. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Marymount School of Santa Barbara. When not assisting his clients, Mr. Logue enjoys spending time with his family, and is an avid surfer and snowboarder.

Tim Buynak combines an extensive legal and business background to provide his clients with sound yet innovative strategies that help them succeed. He is a trusted advisor to a wide range of clients, including individuals, partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies, associations, foreign entities, and non-profit organizations. Utilizing practical business and litigation experience, Mr. Buynak is able to analyze complex situations and offer efficient, economical resolutions or strategies consistent with a client’s business or project objectives. His litigation background produces significant advantages in negotiations, business strategies, and resolutions.

Olivia K. Marr represents developers, land owners, investors and municipal governments in all aspects of real estate, land use and entitlements matters, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Subdivision Map Act, and Planning and Zoning Law compliance, development agreements, due diligence review, and transactional issues. She has extensive experience in the navigation of land use regulations and obtaining entitlements for a wide range of projects, from urban infill, to residential and mixed-use Master Planned Communities.. Ms. Marr’s work has focused on compliance with land use laws and regulations at the state and local levels, with particular emphasis on California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance and the preparation of Environmental Impact Reports and related documents.. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Marr was an associate at the downtown Los Angeles office of Paul Hastings and it was there that Ms. Marr gained significant experience in the planning and implementation of all necessary steps involved in guiding Master Plan Communities from original design to completion, including challenges to project approvals.. Ms. Marr is happy to be back in her hometown of Santa Barbara. She is fortunate her children will grow up in such a wonderful community and is excited to contribute to the growth and development of Santa Barbara County as a whole.

NOTE: My civil litigation practice is located in the Central Coast of California (Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo counties), although I sometimes handle cases in Los Angeles, San Diego and Kern Counties.. Mark's practice focuses on business, construction, real estate, and personal injury litigation. His clients include property owners, businesses, contractors, manufacturers and individuals that he has successfully represented in trials involving contract claims, property disputes, jobsite accidents, product liability and professional liability litigation. Mark has obtained numerous favorable verdicts for his clients in trials and arbitration proceedings.. Mark is admitted to practice in all California courts and the U.S. District Court, Central District of California.  He regularly speaks and publishes on various legal topics, and frequently serves as a mediator and Judge Pro Tem for the Santa Barbara Superior Court.. Mark received his B.S. from the University of Southern California, his M.S. from the American Graduate School of Business Management, and his J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.. Mark currently serves on the board of directors of the Santa Barbara AIA and the Montecito YMCA, and he is a past director of the Santa Barbara Bar Association and Barristers’ Club. Away from work, Mark enjoys family life in Santa Barbara with his wife and three growing children. He is a jazz aficionado and enjoys travelling.

My name is Lorraine Woodwark . I am a licensed Attorney, certified Mediator, and Arbitrator (private judge) in the state of California.. With over 18 years of legal, arbitration and mediation experience, I handle a variety of issues, including business, construction disputes, land use, employment, business, federal, constitutional law, personal injury, real estate, etc.. My legal practice is located in Santa Barbara, California (between San Francisco and Los Angeles), while my mediation services are available anywhere needed.. I can also arbitrate as a private judge between parties. Parties often prefer private judges as less expensive and time consuming. The date, time and location is also flexible to meet the needs of the parties and their attorneys. The rules are also less formal but still structured to ensure fairness.. I am originally from Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada but currently live in Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A.

Mr. David is one of the top tax and estate planning attorneys on the Central Coast. He also has substantial experience and expertise advising U.S. clients on wealth preservation, trust and estate administration and real estate, finance and business transactions, and advising foreign clients on structuring inbound purchases and investments and U.S. estate and gift tax planning.Mr. David is well versed in all aspects of advanced estate and gift tax planning. The primary focus of his estate planning practice, however, is advising clients on personal family issues, including assisting with clients' philanthropic goals, helping to educate heirs about legal and financial matters, establishing trusts to create incentives for heirs to be self-sufficient, protecting family assets from heirs' creditors (including potential future ex-spouses) and providing tools to trustees to deal with substance abuse issues.. Before moving to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles in 1999, Mr. David's practice included representing clients in real estate and corporate equity and debt financings. As a result of his knowledge of finance and capital markets, Mr. David has a unique ability to work with clients' money managers to ensure that financial risk is being adequately assessed and addressed.Mr. David's career accomplishments include acting as California counsel for the Commercial Lending Division of Bank of New York, and, in 2006, requiring changes to the standard escrow terms under the Master Derivatives Agreement then used by investment banks in diversification transactions involving concentrated stock positions. These changes avoided the risk of losing over $70 million of a client’s stock from investment bank bankruptcies during the 2008-2009 financial crisis.. Mr. David received his B.A. with High Honors and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia. He went on to receive his law degree in 1983 from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall). He started practicing law as a tax attorney in the Tax Department of the international law firm of Loeb and Loeb, which was at the time one of the preeminent Tax Departments in the country.

Mr. Dana F. Longo graduated from U.C. Santa Cruz in 1993 with degrees in biology and legal studies, and earned his law degree from California Western School of Law in 1997. Initially employed with the Office of the District Attorney for the County of San Diego, Bureau of Child Support Enforcement, Mr. Longo joined the firm in 1998. His practice now focuses on Wills, Trusts, and other aspects of Estate Planning, Trust Administration, Trust Litigation, Real Estate Transactional and Litigation Matters, and the formation of Corporations, Limited Liability Companies and other business entities.. Mr. Longo has been an active member of the local legal community. He served on the Board of Directors of the Barrister’s Club from 1998 through 2000, acting as President for the year 2000. He was also active in the Santa Barbara Inns of Court from 1999 through 2001, serving on the Board of Directors in 2001. Further, he served on the Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara County Bar Association from 2001 through 2006, and remains active with the Bar Association. Mr. Longo also serves on the executive committee of the Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara Semana Nautica Association, as well as being a founding member, Director, and Legal Counsel for the Channel Islands Park Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization formed to benefit the Channel Islands National Park. Mr. Longo is also fluent in Spanish and regularly represents Spanish speaking clients.

Julianna Malis is a nationally recognized estate planning and elder law attorney focusing on traditional estate planning, special needs planning and estate administration. As the founder of Santa Barbara Estate Planning Law Group, she brings a family-centered approach to planning, with a focus on practical solutions for those going through life transitions. She is also a Certified Dementia Practitioner and a frequent speaker to  groups on issues of estate planning, elder law, and special needs planning.. Julianna earned her law degree from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and has an advanced law degree (LL.M) in Taxation and Estate Planning.  She was selected to Super Lawyers for 2021 as a Top Rated Elder Law Attorney. This peer designation is awarded only to a select number of accomplished attorneys in each state.

Jeremiah is an estate, trust and tax attorney. He has extensive experience providing sophisticated estate and tax planning advise to high net worth individuals, families and closely held businesses.

Independent and resourceful, I will provide you with better solutions leaving you with more money in your pocket and a greater appreciation of the legal process. For over 22 years as a Santa Barbara attorney I have served hundreds of clients providing a wide range of services from drafting estate plans with wills and trusts to effectively arguing family law, business, and real property cases before a judge. All legal tasks are approached with a cost benefit analysis and an attentive ear to my clients particular needs.

I have practiced law for 37 years and was a trial attorney from 1989 to 2019. I am now a full-time mediator. My experience in the court system leads me to believe that mediation is often a better alternative than court action.. By mediating early in the process, the parties can save a great deal in attorney’s fees, and be spared prolonged anguish and frustration. My goal is to help you resolve your legal disputes in the most cost-effective and satisfying way possible.. My philosophy:   Chances are your case will settle. Over 90% of them do. You might as well try before you and your money are exhausted.

I currently focus my practice in the areas of Estate Planning, including wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, and advanced health care directives; Estate Administration, including probate, trust administration, and trust litigation; Property Law, including property tax reassessment and exemption issues; Contracts; and Business and Corporate law. My clients will tell you I have a strong attention to detail, exceptional client care, and provide straightforward legal advice.. I joined a boutique Santa Barbara law firm in 2005, while studying estate planning at UC Santa Barbara’s paralegal program, and continued studying law at Santa Barbara College of Law while working as a paralegal. I graduated from Santa Barbara College of Law in December of 2011 earning a specialization in business law. After being admitted to the bar in 2012, I focused my practice in estate planning and administration issues.. My extensive experience as in all roles of a law firm gives me a unique perspective on client needs, service, and case management.  In March 2020 I opened my own practice and continue to serve the Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley.

I am the owner of the Law Office of Eric A. Woosley. We are located in Santa Barbara California. We specialize in all types of litigation including:. Will & Trust Contests. Employment Discrimination. Wrongful Termination. Securities Arbitration. Business Litigation. Personal Injury. I am a member of:. The Santa Barbara County Bar Association. The Santa Barbara County Bar Foundation. American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Public Investors Arbitration Bar Assocation (PIABA). Consumer Attorneys Assocation of Los Angeles (CAALA). California Trial Lawyers Assocation. Federal Bar Association

Evan T. Pickering received his Juris Doctor in 2010 from the University of Michigan Law School, where he graduated cum laude and served as a contributing editor on the Michigan Law Review. Mr. Pickering received his Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University in 2003.. Mr. Pickering’s practice encompasses a range of corporate matters, including venture capital, entity formation, debt, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance. He has represented both start-up and established companies in equity offerings, corporate reorganizations, secured and unsecured credit financings, asset sales, and various other transactions. Mr. Pickering has also spent significant time counseling clients with respect to regulatory compliance and reporting issues.

Dallas Atkins is an elder care and estate planning attorney.  She helps seniors and their loved ones plan for long term care, quality of life, autonomy, and asset preservation.  Her work includes Medi-Cal estate planning, Medi-Cal applications for nursing home benefits, court petitions to preserve the assets and income of couples with a spouse in a nursing home, VA pensions for Aid and Attendance benefits for home care and assisted living care, estate planning documents geared towards  long term care planning, revocable and irrevocable trusts, protection of the home without endangering public benefits, nursing home admissions and contracts, and special needs trusts.. Dallas assists seniors, elders, persons with disabilities, and their families prepare for and meet the challenges of aging, disability, and incapacity.  The focus of her practice is planning and problem solving to maximize legal and financial options for quality care at home, in the community, in assisted living facilities, and in skilled nursing facilities. Aging well in place by finding, getting, and paying for quality care is a major goal of her work.  She values ensuring quality care across the life span, not protecting wealth to the exclusion of the elder’s quality of life.. The Section Head of the Elder Law Section of the Santa Barbara County Bar Association in 2003 and 2004, Dallas is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the Academy of Special Needs Planners, and ElderCounsel.  She is a frequent contributor to professional journals and other publications. A dynamic and popular speaker, she has presented seminars before community groups, elder care organizations, UCSB, the Omega Program of SBCC Adult Education Department, the Santa Barbara County Bar Association, law firms, training conferences for tax professionals and lawyers, and other public and private organizations and events.. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College (A.B. 1970), Villanova University School of Law (J.D. 1975), and University of California, Santa Barbara (M.A. in Counseling Psychology 1988), she was admitted to the California State Bar in 1977.  She practiced as a legal aid attorney and then a private adoption attorney prior to finding elder law in 1999.  She became licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 1991 and continues to enjoy the integration of psychology and law through her elder law and special needs practice.

Braden R. Leck focuses on advising individuals and businesses on real estate and business transactions, intellectual property matters, estate planning and trust administration.. Prior to joining Rogers, Sheffield & Campbell, LLP, Mr. Leck was a partner at the Santa Barbara law firm of Seed Mackall LLP. Mr. Leck began his legal career in Los Angeles at the international law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP. Mr. Leck received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara and his law degree from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law.. Real Estate. Mr. Leck routinely counsels clients with respect to the acquisition, financing, leasing and disposition of residential and commercial real estate, real estate syndications, property tax issues, easements, and co-ownership arrangements.. Business and Corporate Transactions. He frequently works on business entity selection and formation matters, including corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and general partnerships, in addition to advising clients with respect to financings, mergers, sales and acquisitions of businesses.. Estate Planning and Trust and Estate Administration. Mr. Leck also assists clients with the preparation of wills, trusts and related estate planning documents, and with the administration of trusts.