Jane K Penhaligen

As a retired attorney myself, I know that the most important qualities to look for in hiring an attorney are integrity and competence. Jane Penhaligen demonstrated ample amounts of both throughout the process of setting up our family trust. Right off the top she assessed whether we even needed a trust unlike other attorneys I’ve known who will sell you professional services you really don’t need. My husband is not an attorney and had no experience or knowledge of estate planning. Jane was able to talk at both of our levels without leaving either one of us confused. She informed us of our options but allowed us to make all of the decisions and respected our choices. She completed the paperwork on time, under budget and followed up with us to make sure that we had properly completed the process of transferring our assets to the trust. I would recommend Jane Penhaligen without hesitation for reliable, honest and affordable estate planning advice.

I got her contact information from the Nolo Press web page.
Her ad;
«I charge per hour to review documents generated by Nolo products. If the will and/​or trust is simple and the circumstances are typical, it should not take more than an hour and quite possibly less. Hourly Rates $ 300.00.»
At her office;
We were there less than one half hour. More than half of those thirty minutes were used by her to give us a hard sell sales pitch to hire her to start from scratch making a new Living Trust. None of those minutes were used to review the Nolo document as she promised in her advertisement.
She showed us a loose leaf binder that she said would cost us a minimum of $ 1,600.00 plus the $ 400.00 we supposedly already owed her. More if there were any questions that needed answering.
I explained that I had hired her to review the Nolo Press document. She stated «I do not like working on someone else’s Living Trust document.» I again explained that I did not hire her to draft a Living Trust for us but simply review the Nolo Press document as she advertised.
I asked her if it would stand up against a legal challenge. She answered «I do not know».
She demanded cash or check payment before we left. My wife could not believe her behavior. When I told her I was going to write a Unilocal review, she lowered the price from $ 400.00 to $ 300.00, and accepting a credit card.
Yes, I wrote a written complaint to the California State Bar. False and misleading advertising.
$ 300.00 wasted.

I always refer my clients to Jane Penhaligen, whenever they have estate planning need, like trusts and wills. My clients are always pleased with her, and refer their friends to her. I guess that is about the highest compliment a professional can get.