Phil Shekerlian

About

My Areas of Law
Our firm practices Estate & Tax Planning, Business Formation & Planning, Asset Protection, Probate, Trust Administration, contract creation and review, and real estate; however, we can assist in any field of law.  We create legacies through charitable giving.  We can create estate plans that will reduce or even eliminate probate costs and estate taxes. We do: wills, trusts, power of attorneys, health care directives, deed transfers, guardianships, Corps & LLC's.  We can maximize your income, capital gains, gift, royalty, & business tax strategies.
Proper planning involves protecting and increasing your cash flow.  If you own a home, have children, own a business, want to maximize your tax savings, or have been recently married/divorced, then this applies to you.  Our planning attorneys have over 30 years experience between us.  There is no estate too small or too large for us to handle.  If you have a business or rental properties, we can limit your liability and possibly save you money on your insurance costs.
Proper planning also includes making sure that when you die, all of your assets go to your intended family members, and not to the government or an unwelcome family member. This will also potentially save your heirs tens of thousands of dollars in probate fees.  We can help you create wills, trusts, power of attorneys, health care directives (living wills), deed transfers, guardianships, and LLC's.
Finally, proper planning also includes charitable contributions.  This is a great way to leave a legacy and feel good that you made a difference.  As if that is not enough, you will also be entitled to significant tax benefits from charitable donations.  These donations can be made to a number of charities and given in many forms, but it generally goes hand in hand with legacy planning.
Asset protection is a process of using business entities and trusts to protect your assets from future creditors or anyone who may want to sue you.  This is a common issue for anyone who is in a serious auto accident, anyone who owns rental properties, or anyone who owns a business.  Asset protection also allows people who receive government benefits, or plan on receiving government subsidies in the future, to keep their assets without disqualifying them from any government benefits they may be entitled to.  This is common for special needs individuals, the elderly, and anyone who may need Medi-Cal.
Additionally, we work with other attorneys that can handle many other types of cases so contact us if you have a case or a question about any field of law.  This includes cases where you believe you have been taken advantage of by an unethical attorney; we can review what they have done for you and advise you on how to proceed.
About Me
I enjoy the practice of law because it gives me an opportunity to help people who are being taken advantage of by the government.  Whether it is abuse by the police on a criminal charge, or keeping you from over paying taxes to the IRS; it is my pleasure to help you.  This translates into the way I run my practice: built with customer service as a top priority.  Many attorneys will charge you to speak to them, email them, etc.; which is assuming you can get a hold of them in the first place.  That is not the way I operate.
What sets me apart from other attorneys is that I offer a MORE PERSONALIZED ATTORNEY EXPERIENCE.  In 2012 I decided to start my own law firm because I did not like the way other law firms treated their clients.  The top complaints from clients at those firms were that the attorney did not listen to them or return their calls.  I do not think that is an appropriate way to run a business, no matter what type of business you have.  Therefore, I started my practice with the idea that every client, and even potential clients, should be treated as if they matter.  I promise to answer your calls, texts, and emails.  I will listen to your concerns and treat you like a human being.  I believe that questions are a natural part of the process and I will not charge you to answer relevant questions.  This business model has given me a great deal of satisfaction, and has resulted in many happy clients (you can see some of their reviews on my Yelp page at: http://www.yelp.com/biz/law-office-of-phil-shekerlian-irvine).
If you or anyone you know has any legal questions or concerns, please contact me.  My initial consultation is free.  After that I charged a fixed fee, so you will know what you are getting into from the start.