Trusts and Estates Associate Attorney

Overview

An established Northern California law firm is seeking an Associate Attorney with expertise in probate, trust administration, and estate planning. This is a remote position requiring active admission to the California State Bar. The role offers a base salary ranging from $130,000 to $160,000 depending on experience, plus production bonuses and benefits.

Responsibilities

• Manage probate cases from petition through discharge, including client intake, conflict resolution, fee planning, petition drafting, court appearances, notices, inventory and appraisal coordination, creditor claims, accountings, and final distribution across multiple Northern California counties and statewide as needed.
• Administer trusts by providing trustee guidance, beneficiary notices, asset inventory and valuation, sub-trust funding for A/B and A/B/C structures, ongoing accountings, distributions, and final closure. Handle both routine and complex matters, including sub-trust splits requiring tax allocation and basis decisions, with support from CPA and finance partners.
• Handle estate administration matters that fall between probate and trust administration, such as affidavits of small-estate transfer, spousal property petitions, and summary procedures.
• Manage estate planning matters, dedicating approximately 25-33% of time to running design meetings, reviewing and finalizing documents, and leading signing meetings with support from the legal team.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from a California-accredited or ABA-accredited law school.
• Active California State Bar license in good standing.
• Minimum of three years of substantive trusts and estates experience, with depth in at least two of the following areas: estate planning, trust administration, and probate, plus meaningful exposure to the third.
• Working knowledge of the California Probate Code, California Revenue and Taxation Code, California Rules of Court, and California Code of Civil Procedure as they apply to probate and trust administration, including Proposition 19 and Medi-Cal recovery.
• Experience in direct client communication, able to explain complex legal concepts compassionately.
• Comfort with contemporaneous time tracking, flat-fee matter management, and modern case management software.
• Ability to meet a 1,500-hour annual billable target with task-based, value-conveying time entries.
• Strong initiative, excellent interpersonal skills, technological fluency, and a collaborative, collegial approach.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish (written and verbal).
• Experience with WealthCounsel and Clio Draft drafting software.
• Familiarity with MyCase, DecisionVault, Lawmatics, Slack, and Microsoft 365.
• Working knowledge of finance, investments, and taxation as they relate to estate administration.

Additional Desirable Qualifications

• Experience serving first-generation families, mixed-status households, and undocumented clients.
• Specialist certification in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law by the California Board of Legal Specialization.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary: $130,000 to $160,000, commensurate with experience.
• Production bonus based on matters handled and value delivered.
• Flexible time off policy encouraging 2-4 weeks of leave annually.
• Health insurance coverage.
• Payment of California State Bar dues and malpractice insurance premium.
• MCLE reimbursement.
• Professional development budget for CLE, memberships, conferences, and tools.
• Access to comprehensive legal technology and research resources including CEB, LexisNexis, WealthCounsel, MyCase, Lawmatics, Clio Draft, DecisionVault, Microsoft 365, and others.
• Firm-supported travel for court appearances and in-person matters.

Location

This is a remote position with occasional travel to Chico, California, for court hearings or in-person client matters as required.