Unlike other probate Attorney's, who make you wait for an appointment, John immediately takes charge and is interested in giving you the best service he can beginning with the first call to him.
I called a lot of Attorney's and none of them jumped in and took charge like he did.
All I can say is, "Don't wait , call him right now, he will get the ball rolling from first contact." "He is a Great Attorney."

I have dealt with a lot of attorneys over the years and John and his team are at the top of the list. Very professional organization and he is also incredibly personable which is very much appreciated. We have a tremendous working relationship and I have and will continue to refer him to my real estate clients, friends and family.

Where do you get such great help and input through email? Also, quick response?? I am blown away of how amazing John Palley is. Send him a message, see for yourself how great he is.

Probate is never a happy experience, so as a client, I would appreciate more communication. Most people have never been through probate so not having a empathetic person to ask questions or direct your concerns (even if I to ask more than once) please don't act annoyed or impatient with your future clients. It's hurtful. Fyi, probate takes a long time from beginning to end, be prepared to wait. I appreciate John Palley and his co council Joe.

John Palley and Danielle Swain guided me through the long and arduous process of closing my fathers estate. Working through probate is never quick or easy, and I would consider my situation to be particularly difficult. John and Danielle were always knowledgeable, professional and prompt to respond. They provided clear guidance of what to do and when. I'm grateful for the help they gave me.

Reluctantly I was the administrator for my mothers' estate and quickly discovered the California probate court system is an intricate legal process. I don't write reviews, but wanted others to know, how much we relied on the knowledge, and guidance of Probate Attorney John Palley, and his team. Dealing with the complexity of settling a family members' estate, while coping with grief is overwhelming. John Palley's legal advise and actions taken to protect the administrator of the estate, his continuous prompt communication with any questions or concerns we had, the clear explanations for each process we needed to perform, the timely filing of documents, appearances in court, and professional dealings with non-cooperative heirs, while supervising the legal documents to finalize the estate, enabled us to close my mothers' estate in a timely manner and move forward with our lives. If you find yourself in a probate situation, I'd strongly suggest Mr. Palley to guide you through the legalities of probate. It is rare to find an individual that is trustworthy and has such vast legal knowledge of the probate system. You're the best John! Thank you! Rhonda Lovell

I would not recommend them. The trust I brought them was not read thus needed documents were not filed.

Great law firm and very knowledgeable

I was told early on by an elderly kind attorney, that the probate process in California is no joke. As a matter of fact he indicated he no longer had the energy to do a full Probate & suggested that I find someone that specializes in that area. So since the fees in California are statutory I set out to find the very best. And the best I found! I can't say enough about John Palley and his paralegal Danielle; actually everyone in that office who I had an interaction with. Words that come to mind........ caring, efficient, responsive, knowledgeable, dynamic. He is totally on your team and steers you in the best direction for your situation. I had some other issues (probate related) come up during the process and John helped me with those as well. It was like being treated as a family member...in some instances better than a family member. I could go on and on and on. So I will just end this review by
saying YOU ROCK JOHN PALLEY!!! You really do! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

We are retired college professors who hired John Palley to create a family trust. Although we hit a couple of rough spots, looking back on the experience overall, he is one of the best lawyers we have ever hired.
First, right from the get-go we saw he is genuine authority on trust law with many years of experience, no doubt about it. Then, we were surprised when he encouraged us to email our questions to him, and he answered right away. Remarkable! I soon learned to email at dawn about 6:30 AM, when he appears to be glued to his computer. Needless to say, we were impressed by this behavior, so far above the industry standard.
But would he charge us extra for all his time? The fee for the trust we paid at the outset seemed reasonable at first. However, our trust was far more complex and time-consuming than any of us had anticipated, requiring extra consultations. And, of course, more emails. I was worried about a huge supplemental fee. But John held to his initial fee and didn't charge us an extra dime. So we got our money's worth and then some.
I admit we had some uncomfortable moments. When I interrupted him during a tense interchange he almost bit my head off and threatened to terminate his services. Also, he sometimes answers emails in red typeface, which is annoying.But all things considered,these are caveats. The main thing is he did a great job for us. We've all heard horror stories about estate attorneys, but John is one of the good guys.

I am very grateful to Attorney John Palley for guiding me thorugh the probate process when my sister died unexpectedly in 2013. The referral came from our financial planner and I am so grateful for his recommendation.

I live in San Diego and since John’s office is in Sacramento all our communication was done by e-mail or phone conversations. In fact, I didn’t have to appear in court because John represented me – that was a big relief! One of John’s greatest assets is that he responded to my numerous questions immediately.

It is wonderful to find someone like John Palley who will go the extra mile to assure peace of mind every step along the way. His availability, and most of all his professionalism, knowledge, generosity and kindness can’t be matched. He took me under his wing and guided me thorugh every detail of the court process to completion.

I highly recommend John Palley and will continue to spread the word about my experience with him. If anyone needs help and guidance in his area of expertise – John is the BEST.

Danielle Swaim, paralegal to John, was a great help too. John and Danielle are a great team and an asset to the Messner Joseph & Palley Firm.

I've worked with a few attorney's over the years... never fun... When I found out I was next of kin in a complicated and difficult probate in CA, I turned to John who helped me through this probate the entire 4 years it took to clear. Throughout that entire time, he was an absolute pleasure to work with- always pleasant and professional, very knowledgable and patient, and willing to help at every turn. Even though I'm out of state, I would very gladly refer John Palley to anyone in need of his firm's legal services. First rate! Thanks for everything John!