The RegistryLos Angeles · California

Estate Planning Lawyers in Santa Monica, California

Every estate planning attorney and estate planning lawyer listing on this page traces back to the State Bar of California's official roll, filtered to estate planning matters in Santa Monica. Verification describes profile identity, not quality or outcomes.

Santa Monica is a city of roughly 91,000, and its estate planning matters are heard at the Los Angeles County Superior Court: Santa Monica Courthouse. Westside civil matters are heard at the Santa Monica Courthouse on Main Street; the city administers its own rent control charter amendment, one of the strictest in California, which drives a distinctive landlord–tenant docket.

Before comparing counsel, note the clock. Under Cal. Prob. Code § 16061.8, the governing period is 120 days to contest a trust after the trustee's statutory notice. A trustee's notification under Prob. Code § 16061.7 starts a 120-day contest window. Creditor claims in probate are generally barred one year after death (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 366.2).

This page is the Santa Monica chapter of the registry's statewide record · Estate Planning Lawyers in California collects every county and city.

The clock & the court

Statute of limitations

120 days to contest a trust after the trustee's statutory notice.

Cal. Prob. Code § 16061.8

A trustee's notification under Prob. Code § 16061.7 starts a 120-day contest window. Creditor claims in probate are generally barred one year after death (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 366.2).

Court of record · Los Angeles County

Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.

Courthouse at the county seat: Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

For Santa Monica: Los Angeles County Superior Court: Santa Monica Courthouse.

Court website · Self-help center · Source: The court's official website, read 2026-09-27. Venue depends on the case; legal information, not legal advice.

Estate Planning · Santa Monica roster

76 active attorneys with an address of record in Santa Monica list estate planning among their practice areas on the registry, out of 1,957 active attorneys whose address of record is in Santa Monica.

By count, the practice areas most often listed by Santa Monica attorneys are business law (517), litigation (324), employment (207), real estate (198) and intellectual property (197). A count of listings, not a measure of skill.

2 of the 1,957 have claimed and verified their record here; every other listing is the official record as published.

For 65 of the 1,957 active attorneys in Santa Monica, the registry holds a firm website published in a language other than English; by count, Spanish (55), Chinese (28), Arabic (22) and French (21). That describes the website, not the attorney's own ability; an attorney's profile says when they have confirmed a language themselves.

Reading the roster in Santa Monica. For planning, look for attorneys who practice estate law day in and day out; ask whether the fee is flat, what the package includes (trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney, health care directive, deed work to fund the trust), and how updates are handled after marriages, births, or moves. For probate or trust administration, ask about experience in the county's probate department, statutory fees under Prob. Code § 10810, and expected timelines.

Address of record in Santa Monica