Bay Area Estate Attorneys

Your Trusted Advisors

Estate Planning. Trust Administration. Retirement Division

Estate Planning

Estate Planning

Estate planning doesn’t have to be daunting—let us help you avoid probate, protect your beneficiaries, and save money on taxes

Trust Administration

Trust Administration

Get legal protection for the trustee(s), and guidance with the terms of the trust, and enforce your rights as a beneficiary

Retirement Division (QDRO)

Retirement Division (QDRO)

Avoid penalties, analyze tax implications, and emerge from your divorce in the most beneficial financial position. Reach out to us today!

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Personalized Experience

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Seasoned Professionals

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Excellent
Based on 48 reviews
Sunny Hy
Sunny Hy
2024-01-29
Working with Julie Ann was a great experience. We had her help us with our trust and tailored it to what we needed/wanted and followed up quickly and promptly, giving us peace of mind throughout the process. It was done within a reasonable time and cost. I would highly recommend her and her team if you were looking to get a trust for you and your family.
Chris Johnson
Chris Johnson
2024-01-13
Julie has helped me both personally and professionally for more than a decade. During those years Julie has shown herself as a great listener while presenting intelligent options and sound legal advice for both my family and my clients in their estate planning process. She has never disappointed. I'll continue to refer my friends, family and clients for a great experience!
Andy B
Andy B
2024-01-11
Julie helped my wife and I secure our future with a Living Trust as well as a Post-Nuptial agreement. Julie was thoughtful and thorough in gaining an understanding of our specific needs and interests; was effective at translating complex legal-ese into something we understood; and was prompt and efficient in providing the final product. Kelsey supported this process as a legal assistant and was proactively communicative; ensured we had all necessary files, forms, and ephemera necessary to successfully complete what would otherwise be a confusing process. They are an great team and are highly recommended.
Ryan Lam
Ryan Lam
2024-01-11
Julie and her team were great to work with throughout the entire estate planning process. They were very understanding of our goals and always took the time to guide us through the complex information. After sharing my experience with friends and family, I have already had people asking for an introduction to Julie and her team!
Richard Ho
Richard Ho
2023-11-25
Julie handled our estate planning needs very professionally. She has a lot of knowledge and experience and helped us understand the changes to the law that have happened since we last looked at estate planning. She is so calming and very patient to answer questions and make sure we understood everything. Her staff are super helpful and very friendly and accommodating. Highly recommended!
Barry
Barry
2023-10-30
I engaged the services of Ms. Sowards in July of 2022 for the purpose of drawing up my will and establishing my living trust. She carried these out to the highest standards, thus relieving me of a major concern. I highly recommend her to my friends, acquaintances, and anyone else who need this done.
Jerry Young
Jerry Young
2023-10-30
Julie was phenomenal in helping me administer my great grandfathers trust. Her steps were easy to follow and I look forward to forming my own trust with her.
Terry F
Terry F
2023-10-23
By Terry F... Having grown up as an only child I never felt a sense of urgency to address my parent's trust when they passed since I didn't have any siblings to complicate matters - boy was I wrong! When I finally got around to it, I was surprised to learn that the assumption that they had a trust plus Prop 13 on my side was going to make it easy was waaay off base. From the time my parents passed away and my addressing their estate, you can imagine my shock when I learned that Prop 13 was not a guarantee of a smooth transfer of assets due to a multitude of legislation including Prop 58 and Prop 19. A reassessment of property values and corresponding tax bills can easily be triggered by how applications are submitted. (e.g. Parent to Child Exclusion, Death of a Cotenant, etc. ). Fortunately, I had Team Julie on my side and they knew when to "zig" and when to "zag". From the outset I knew that if we were to battle the county and state, Julie would go to war for me. She successfully navigated properties with different circumstances around obstacles that could have easily resulted in reassessment. If someone has what you deem to be a simple transfer (like I did) or a complicated one, I strongly urge you to meet with Julie. I trust Team Julie because she is genuinely concerned for my family's best interests. Her office is also quick to respond to questions - she is not part of a big conglomerate, she is part of the community! Best~Terry F
Linda Barnes
Linda Barnes
2023-10-02
Julie is so knowledgable and nice to work with. The office staff are friendly and very efficient.
Legal Advice
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Our Philosophy

Our mission is to ensure that we put our clients in the most advantageous position possible. Julie uses advanced estate planning and taxation strategies to turn this aspiration into a reality for every single client.

At Bay Area Estate Attorneys, we know that cookie-cutter legal advice and poor schedule management often yield ineffective results. That’s why our boutique firm strives to offer personalized solutions based on your unique situation.

Julie prides herself on being a concierge attorney who provides quality services in an attentive, detailed, and thorough manner. She often travels to see remote clients and provides them a personalized experience at home or in the hospital. Communication is a fundamental precept of Bay Area Estate Attorneys.

Anybody looking to contact us can expect same-day responses to their inquiries. Clients can also expect a transparent and straightforward approach with billing. As a client of Julie Ann Sowards, you will be a priority. Reach out to us today!