My husband and I highly recommend Gilfix & LaPoll Associates for all your estate planning needs. We were very pleased to work with Mike Gilfix, who helped us with our living trust, wills, and health care directives. He was very personable, professional, and knowledgeable, and he walked us through the whole process, taking quite a lot of time to review and explain different options. At no time did we feel rushed or pressured.

After getting married, having two kids, and buying/selling two homes in the SF Bay Area, my husband and I finally turned our attention to getting our legal and financial affairs in order this past summer… and preparing for our children's future - especially to provide the structure to our wishes for our children's care and well-being in the event something should happen to us. Mike helped us do just that and more by asking us questions that encouraged us to not limit our creativity in the planning process. And, we had a good many hearty laughs along the way as we talked openly about some of the stickier issues of life. It was a great experience and we are so glad/relieved to have completed the initial planning phase for what we hope will be an enduring family legacy.

Beyond Mike, we were also impressed by the friendly, capable lawyers, and support staff at Gilfix & LaPoll Associates. The presentation/trust creation appointment and the signing off experience were smooth and easy. The office was professional & efficient, but not “stuffy.” They made a challenging endeavor so much easier to complete than we ever imagined. In fact, we would have done this sooner if I had known how helpful the people in this office would be!

Nicholas Klingenberg, attorney at Gilfix, Lapoll and Associates was terrific to work with. He was thorough, patient to answer our many questions and a super wonderful person to work with. I would recommend him to everyone needing to develop a Trust and related documents feeling well protected and well served.

Great attorneys, very thorough and very kind. They opened their home to my family and I when we came to establish our family trust.

The best estate planning attorneys in CA. Highly recommend!

The peace that has come from the completion of our special needs trust is unprecedented. I first attended the seminar offered by Gilfix and La Poll about 4 years ago and was very impressed – I knew then that the only way to really offer my medically dynamic young son and his young brother true security after we have passed was through the implementation of a special needs trust. Navigating the details was easy with the help of Mark Gilfix who walked us through the entire process with patience and respect, we asked many questions and were met with great intelligence and experiencial solutions. These matters are very personal and sometimes emotionally dynamic so having the right team is of great importance.. There were many nueances with our circumstances and Mark and the team really did an incredible job securing our wishes and interests. We are truly grateful for the peace of mind we now have with the help of Gilfix and La Poll. Not only do I recommend them as a valued member of your team but I encourage anyone who is on the fence with the development of a trust to dive in and get it going – it is the adult thing to do. Thanks Mark and staff for EVERYTHING and treating us like family along the way.

Sincerely,

Nicole and family

Our family has been using the firm of Gilfix and La Poll since 2013 when we decided we were not satisfied with our previous trust attorney. It is probably the best financial/legal decision we have ever made. Michael reworked our trusts giving us much better planning and Francis created a complex, yet financially beneficial real estate plan. Not only are they exceedingly skilled at what they do, they are a warm and welcoming law firm that truly cares about their clients. Recently we had to make some changes to our trust and Nick Klingenberg was our attorney of record. Add another outstanding lawyer to this firm! He has been simply fantastic in every area from communication to legal expertise. If you are thinking of making a trust or want to improve the one you have - look no further than Gilfix and La Poll. You will be very happy that you chose them.

We recently did a trust and pour-over will with Gilfix & La Poll and the process couldn’t have been better. My wife was pregnant with our second child, and we realized that we really, really needed to have a plan for both the unexpected and the inevitable. We’d been planning to do it for years, but the second baby made us realize that we couldn’t put it off any longer.
There seemed to be an overwhelming number of things to consider when planning for the future, but the great lawyers at Gilfix & LaPoll really made it all so easy for us. Mark, in particular, patiently spent time with us walking through all our wishes for childcare, health directives, trust disbursement, administration, etc. We had a ton of questions (you don’t know what you don’t know in this area), and he was always available to answer them. He went beyond the basics and we talked about asset protection and other tools I didn’t even know existed. In the end, the process was painless and quick, and we have so much more peace of mind just knowing that our family will be taken care of when we’re no longer around.

Very knowledgeable. They provide free seminars for estate planning.

Gilfix & La Poll Associates helped make the confusing process of creating a special needs trust within our living trust extremely easy. They were very patient, explained all options in a clear, concise manner and created a sophisticated plan. I rest easier knowing that my family will be taken care of, should something happen to me.

I highly recommend Gilfix and La Poll Associates. I worked with Mark and his team for family estate planning and they did an excellent job. I was very grateful and impressed with their high quality of work and felt at ease and like my family was in good hands. I appreciated that they were patient and caring and were very nice and easy to work with.

I've known these folks for a number of years. Mark is a great listener and knows how to ask good questions and get right to the heart of the matter.

If you are looking for a legal firm to assist you in all areas of estate planning, you need look no further than Gilfix and La Poll. Over that past few years our family went through an extensive restructuring of our trusts in order to have our assets protected and at some point, dispersed in a manner aligned with our wishes. Michael Gilfix expertly guided us in the process, not only with his extensive knowledge, but with an understanding and compassion for us as individuals making some challenging choices. Francis La Poll handled the complex real estate issues also with great expertise. Add to this, very reasonable rates as well as their Peace of Mind program and I guarantee you will completely satisfied with what they can do for you. If there was a rating higher than five stars, I would certainly use it!

We have been clients of Gilfix & La Poll since 2007. Our living trust (created in 1989) needed to be updated since our family dynamic had changed considerably. Our first meeting with Michael Gilfix was most pleasant. Our questions and concerns were addressed in a professional, competent, and "easy to understand English" manner. We left the office convinced that our affairs are in very good hands. Recently, we had another meeting with Mark Gilfix. Again, Mark was most helpful and the desired document changes were executed with great diligence. All the people in the office are friendly, polite, and very professional. We highly recommend the Gilfix & La Poll Law Firm for all your living trusts needs.

Wonderful firm. Everyone I know at the firm is friendly and kind. They have a breadth and depth of knowledge about estate planning and long term care planning that no other law firm in the area (and maybe the country) can match. They build lasting relationships with clients - as they have with me, and I completely recommend them for estate planning or long term care planning.

What separates this firm from others I've worked with is the depth and generational (grandparent, child, grandchild) nature of their approach. Their attorneys are friendly and easy to talk to, and they help identify issues that I didn't even know existed, like "dynasty trusts" or advanced tax planning. Very helpful for both basic estate planning and in identifying, and solving, more complex issues that span generations. They have been a great resource to me and my family.

"I totally recommend the entire team at Gilfix La poll. I like them personally and trust them professionally for any estate planning needs. Incredible experience in the field. No one better."

"A great firm run by great people. The Gilfix's care about you as a person as well as a client. They handle all types of estate planning and related legal issues. They are expert, trustworthy and work hard for you. I highly recommend their services and firm.

We had a great experience with Gilfix & La Poll Associates. Far more than figuring out how to protect our home and assets, the team gave us unique tools like the Family Protection Trust to ensure that our wishes for the future would be honored. This addressed important protections for our daughter, who is in her mid-twenties. As a result, we don't have to worry if future partners or legal claims will erode what we've worked so diligently to earn. This is priceless peace of mind for us and for her.

In my experience as a consultant to top trusts and estates firms around the country, I've seen none better than this firm. Gilfix La Poll developed this field and continues to lead it. It's clear to me that making a careful choice of a planning firm is important. If you reside in California, this is my recommendation for the best value in terms of creative yet practical strategies and quality of service delivered in an extraordinarily caring and effective way.

This is a great family firm with a very friendly staff. They really took the time to listen and help us make some important estate planning decisions that we didn't even know were possible. I have recommended them to my family and friends - several have gone on to use Gilfix and La Poll, and they've had the same great experience and personal attention, so I continue to highly recommend them.

I've worked with Mr. Gilfix for several years and Gilfix and La Poll is, hands down, the best estate planning firm in the bay area. They explained my options in plain English and listened to my concerns. I recommend them for any estate planning issues.

I am personally familiar with the work of Gilfix and La Poll. Their expertise and advice regarding medi-cal, long term care, and special needs trusts is, in my opinion, the best in the bay area. They know the right questions to ask and immediately get right to the real issues, something that can take years to hone. They do excellent work, with a long track record to prove it. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone seeking legal services in these areas.