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LAURA R. SPEASE, Principal
Laura is certified by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization, as a Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. She brings over 30 years of experience in these fields of practice. Her practice is now primarily focused on all aspects of estate planning, in addition to handling probates, trust administration, and conservatorship matters. Laura received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1977, and earned her Bachelor's degree from California State University, East Bay. She is licensed to practice before all the Courts of the State of California. Laura is a member of the Alameda County Bar Association, Trusts & Estates Section, the East Bay Trusts & Estates Lawyers, and is on the board of the East Oakland Rotary Club. EMAIL LAURA.
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MICHELLE T. DUVAL, Associate
Michelle's practice is focused on counseling fiduciaries in trust and probate administration and conservatorships; estate planning; elder law; and related litigation. Michelle is licensed to practice before all the Courts of the State of California, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She is on the board of the East Bay Trusts & Estates Lawyers (EBTEL), is a member of California Women Lawyers and the Alameda County Bar Association, and a fee arbitrator for the State Bar's Mandatory Fee Arbitration Program.
Michelle previously practiced at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, where she litigated a range of cases, including complex business disputes, financial and securities fraud, professional negligence, and breach of fiduciary duty actions. Michelle also has appellate experience, including a published opinion (Ontiveros v. DHL Express (2008) 164 Cal.App.4th 494). She recently obtained a full reversal on appeal of a lower court's order to distribute a trust gift to a residual beneficiary ahead of a deceased beneficiary's family under the antilapse statute. (Children's Hosp. & Research Ctr. Found. v. Knowles, 2010 Cal.App.Unpub. LEXIS 4383).
Michelle received her J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law (King Hall) in 2005. At King Hall she was awarded a Public Interest Law Certificate, served as Senior Articles Editor for Environs: The Journal of Environmental Law & Policy, and served as a judicial extern under Justice Maria Rivera of the California Court of Appeal. She received her Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and a Master of Arts in journalism/public relations from Ball State University in Indiana. EMAIL MICHELLE.
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