Ivette Santaella | San Ramon Estate Lawyer

My client who lives in Europe had an elderly relative who lives only in the states. Unfortunately the elder was "befriended" by an opportunist who literally took physical control of the elder and her assets. The elder was suffering from some dementia and the opportunist was able to get the elder to sign a POA. When the family came to visit from Europe the opportunist attempted to keep them away from the elder and was attempting to alienate the elder from her family as well. They retained me to obtained a conservatorship which I was able to do, even though there was a pandemic.

A lot of hard work - networking, presentations in libraries and senior centers, blogging & referral from clients. At the end of the day the quality of your work and how you treat your clients will always raise your profile and business.

First someone experienced in their area. Also someone who returns calls and takes the extra time to explain things to their clients and tries to build a long term relationship due to the nature of the work - estate planning, elder law.

Very important to be a participating member in your community so that people get to know about you and your services. Giving to the community is important as it is being an active member in activities.

I listen carefully to the client's situation and get all the facts & information I need to be able to provide them advice and options. I also am proactive in assisting them in avoiding potential future issues.

I need information about themselves, their families, their worries. What is the result they are looking for. I set realistic expectations and insure that they understand the topic of discussion. If they are doing any type of estate planning, I want them to understand the documents in their plan.

I take the extra step of really getting to know the client's situation. I provide legal services in Spanish and English.

Bringing peace of mind to my clients through the plans or protecting their family members from potential opportunists.

I am on the Board of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman insures that nursing homes are abiding by the rules and are advocates for the patients. I enjoy reading, walking with my pets and working out.

Yes, church activities, rallies re BLM and getting children out of cages. Volunteering to prepare habeus corpus documents when muslim americans were not allowed in the country.

• Collaborative Law | Member | 2019 - Present
  Ombudsman of Contra Costa and Solano County | Board of Directors | 2018 - Present
  National Association of Elder Law Attorneys | Member | 2016 - Present
  Small Business Enterprise Certified | Member | 2014 - Present
  CANHR | Member | 2014 - Present
  Contra Costa Senior Legal Services | Volunteer Attorney | 2014 - Present
  Minority Business Enterprise | Affiliate Member | 2014 - Present
  East Bay Trust & Estates Lawyer | Member | 2013 - Present
  ElderCounsel | Member | 2013 - Present
  South Asian Bar Association of Northern California | Member | 2012 - Present
  Department of Veteran's Affairs | Attorney | 2011 - Present
  Advisors Forum | Member | 2011 - Present
  Wealth Counsel | Member | 2011 - Present
  Lawyer in the Library | Attorney Member | 2010 - Present
  La Raza Bar Association | Member | 2010 - Present
  Contra Costa County Bar Association | Solo Practice and Small Firm Section | Member | 2010 - Present
  Contra Costa County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce | Member | 2008 - Present
  State Bar of California | Member | 1989 - Present

• Top Contributor | AVVO | 2014 - 2020
  Practicing and Endorsing Diversity in the Legal Profession | Contra Costa Bar Association | 2019
  Special Commendation | Sun Microsystems | 2003
  HP Diamond Award for Excellence | Hewlett Packard | 1999

• Contra Costa County Bar Association Magazine | Using Social Media For Your Law Office | 2012

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