Home > California > San Francisco > Freedman Law Firm, A Professional Corporation > Michael E. Freedman
Michael E. Freedman
Top Rated Family Law Attorney with 39 years of experience
Estate Planning, Elder Law, Trusts, Wills, Real Estate
580 California Street, Suite 1200, San Francisco, CA 94104
About Michael E. Freedman
Practice Areas
- Estate Planning
- Elder Law
- Trusts
- Wills
- Real Estate
Education
- Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1984
- State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, 1979B.A.
- Honors: magna cum laude
- Honors: Phi Beta Kappa
Languages
- English
- Cantonese Chinese
- Mandarin Chinese
Representative Cases
- Darla Jean Dykier v. Richard A. Cox, Platte River Insurance Company, PR14010 (Tehama County Superior Court) C077006 (Third Appellate District California Court of Appeal)
- Kindred Nursing Centers West, LLC, dba Nob Hill Health Center v. Judith Davis, CGC-04-434772 (San Francisco County Superior Court )
- In Re: The John J. Curran Survivor's Trust, VP 07-314009 (Alameda County Superior Court )
- Bergland v. Isch, (2017) California Court of Appeals 3rd Appellate District: C077965, In an unpublished decision, the Freedman Law Firm won an appeal for his client the trustee in the matter Bergland v. Isch, C077965. In this trust matter, Freedman Law Firm represents the successor trustee, Harry Bergland, of a trust which distributed the trust assets in equal shares to three children of the settlors. The beneficiaries sued the former trustee for breach of fiduciary duty and surcharge damages resulting in a settlement and judgment. The former trustee brought a motion to set aside the judgment which was denied. The former trustee appealed the denial of the motion. The 3rd District Court of Appeals affirmed the Sacramento County Superior Court decision
- The Zamlich Family Trust UTD 4/20/2005, (2016) Sonoma County Superior Court: (87261), Defense verdict for our client, the Respondent in a petition for interpretation, reformation, accounting, and removal of trustee in Sonoma County Superior Court February 26, 2016 after four-day trial in Probate Court, Hon. Judge Rene Auguste Chouteau presiding. Published Jury Verdicts Alert, 2016
- In re: The Matter of the Russell Family Trust, created June 30, 1992, and Amendments (2012) Tehama County Superior Court: PR14010, $280,000 verdict against professional trustee who mishandled family trust fund. Professional trustee used funds of clients for his own investment company. Published Jury Verdicts Alert, 2012
- In Re: The Restatement of The Olga Smirnov Trust Agreement dated December 2, 2003, (2012) San Mateo County Superior Court: 121797 , Prior to trial, we settled a litigated trust matter for our clients, the grandchildren of an elderly Russian woman who spoke little to no English. Our clients commenced an action to invalidate the trust and for financial elder abuse
- In re: The John C Survivor’s Trust, (2007) Alameda County Superior Court: VP07-314009, Prior to trial, we settled a litigated trust matter for our client for a seven-figure amount. Sometime in the fall of 2002, John C made an appointment to visit an estate planning attorney. John C made handwritten notes he wanted to make to his trust and also drafted a handwritten holographic codicil to his will. In accordance with John C's wishes, the attorney prepared the trust instruments, and forwarded these documents to John C by mail. However, John C did not sign the documents. Our client, the intended beneficiary, argued that the handwritten changes were a valid amendment to the trust
- Estate of Melvin Ward, (2004) San Francisco County Superior Court: PES-00-281052, We represented trust beneficiaries of the Trust of Elizabeth Ward. The beneficiaries made a claim under Probate Code Section 850 to set aside and cancel a Grant Deed, drafted, and executed by the son of Elizabeth Ward, transferring to himself the trust real property. Prior to trial, the parties settled, and the Deed was set aside
- Estate of Lorenzo Ferneil, (1991) Superior Court of California, County of Alameda: 234724-4, We won a trial verdict for our client, John C. Taylor, Jr in a will contest matter which commenced on April 8, 1991. Rosie Lee Williams, the sister of the decedent, Lorenzo Ferneil, was the proponent of a will which left the estate of over $227,000.00 to her. Our client, Mr. Taylor proved that the will was presumed revoke, and that Mr. Taylor was the stepchild of Lorenzo Ferneil under the Uniform Parentage Act of the California Family Code. Judgment was in favor of Mr. Taylor entitling him to inherit the estate of Lorenzo Ferneil by intestate succession
Classes and Seminars
- Presenter, Probate Litigation, Probate Boot Camp, NBI, 2017, 2018, 2019. Presentation of topics including: The Ability of the Estate to Sue or Be Sued; Causes of Action; Procedural Rules and Evidentiary Provisions; Lost and Contested Wills; Deed Contests; Fiduciary Misconduct, Liability, Disputes with Beneficiaries
- State Bar of California, Educating Seniors Program. Presentation on Estate Planning, Financial Elder Abuse at the Bernal Heights Senior Center, May 2009, Speaker, State Bar of California, 2009
Qualifications
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania, 1984
- California, 1986
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1986
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 2019
Other Affiliations
- State Bar Trusts and Estates Section
- Bar Association of San Francisco
- BASF Probate Experience Panel
- BASF Estate Planning Trust and Probate Section
Past Positions
- San Francisco County Superior Court, Court Appointed Judicial Arbitrator
- Green & Freedman, Partner, 1998 - 2003
- U.S. Nursing Corporation, Fastaff Inc., General Counsel
- Law Offices of Michael E. Freedman, San Francisco, California, 1987 - 1998
Fees
- Offers Free Initial Consultation
- Accepts Credit Cards
Office Info
Nearby Lawyers
- Estate Planning
- Elder Law
- Trusts
- Wills
- 0.2 mile away
- 0.6 mile away
- 0.1 mile away
- 0.6 mile away
The power of the lawyer is in the uncertainty of the law.