Jerilyn Paik

Attorney

Jerilyn Paik is certified as a specialist in her principal areas of practice, which are estate planning, probate and trust administration. Her certification is by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization, and she is regarded as one of the top experts in her field. She is “AV” rated with the national directory, Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating offered. In addition to preparing estate plans (Wills, Trusts, Durable Powers of Attorney, Property Agreements) and representing clients in the probate process, Ms. Paik also serves as a mediator/neutral and represents clients in trust and probate litigation. Recently, she successfully defended a trustee at trial, which was upheld in a published opinion by the Third District Court of Appeal.

Before opening her own law firm in January 1994, Ms. Paik was a partner in a major Sacramento law firm. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School Los Angeles in 1979, graduating with honors, and was a member of the Loyola Law Review. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California.

Ms. Paik has long been active in civic and professional affairs. She served as President of Women Lawyers of Sacramento and chaired the Probate and Estate Planning section of the Sacramento County Bar Association (SCBA). She is currently the CFO of the ABAS Law Foundation, a non-profit corporation which she established in 1997. Ms. Paik has been an active member of ABAS (Asian-Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento) since its inception in 1981, and on the board of the SCBA Diversity Hiring & Retention Committee since its formation in 1990.

Ms. Paik has lectured at several colleges and law schools and is a frequent presenter on probate, estate planning and trust administration for continuing education programs for attorneys and other professionals. She has been designated as an expert witness in court cases involving her areas of expertise. She serves as a Temporary Judge and is an approved Mediator for the Sacramento County Superior Court.

Jeri is an avid golfer and is married to a law school professor (and columnist). They have two sons. Keith received his MFA from Parsons The New School for Design, and is currently writing and directing in Berlin, Germany. Phil, a Harvard Law School graduate, co-founded the non-profit civil rights organization Equal Justice Under Law in 2014, after working for the US Dept. of Justice, and is based in Washington, D.C.

Areas of Practice

Provides comprehensive services for all aspects of probate, trust administration, and estateplanning, including preparation of revocable and irrevocable trusts
Handles complex trust and probate litigation, including appointment of special administrators, determination of title and ownership issues and court accountings
Counsels on Estate and Gift taxes
Represents conservators, conservatees, guardians, executors, administrators, trustees, probate and trust beneficiaries, heirs and creditors
Designated as expert in trust and estate planning cases
Approved Mediator by the Sacramento County Superior Court

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

Courts

All California state courts – admitted 1979
Federal District Court – admitted 1981
United States Supreme Court – admitted 1987

Organizations

State Bar of California, since 1979
- State Bar Convention, Delegate, 1982-1996
- Estates, Trusts and Real Property Committees, Chair

Sacramento County Bar Association, since 1980
- Bar Council, 1987-1989 term
- Chair, Estate Planning and Probate Section, 1990
- Diversity Hiring & Retention Committee (and Summer Fellowship Program), since 1991; Founding Member

ABAS (Asian Bar Association of Sacramento), since 1981
- Charter Member (1981), Treasurer (1999), Scholarship Chair (1995-1998)

ABAS Law Foundation, a non-profit charitable and educational corporation, since 1998
- Incorporator (1997), CFO/Treasurer (1998-current), Chair: Scholarship (2000-2006);
- Wine Tasting (2004-2006); Golf Invitational (2006-current);
- Fiscal Agent, National Park Service Grant for Tule Lake Project (2014 – )

Women Lawyers of Sacramento, since 1980
- President (1986), Treasurer (1984), Board Member (2005 Past President)

Sacramento Area Law Center, Extra-Judicial Dispute Resolution, 1988-1989
- Director and Vice President

Sacramento Symphony Association, 1991-1993 term

California State University, Sacramento, Planned Giving Advisory Council, 1991
- Charter Member

Sacramento Estate Planning Council, since 1986

Milton L. Schwartz American Inn of Court (U.C. Davis Law School), Davis, CA, 1992-1994

Girl Scouts of Tierra del Oro, 1988-2003, Counsel to Board

Anthony M. Kennedy American Inn of Court (Pacific McGeorge School of Law), Sacramento, CA,
- Barrister, 2005-2008

Publications & Presentations

Basic Probate Procedures and Practice in California, NBI,Inc.(National Business Institute), Eau Claire, WI, 1994 and 1996 (co-author, Robin Klomparens, Esq.)

California Probate: Beyond the Basics, NBI, Inc., Eau Claire, WI
- 1995 (co-authors, Barbara J. Bender, Esq. and Steve C. Benton, Esq.)
- 1997 (co-authors, Robin Klomparens, Esq. and Leland J. Ellison, Esq.)
- 2000 (co-authors, Steve C. Benton, Esq. and Donald L. Drozd, Esq.)
- 2003 (co-author, Jennifer Miller Moss, Esq.)

Complete Plans for Small and Mid-Size Estates, Chapter 9, CEB, Oakland, CA, 2006; 2d Ed., 2007 (co-author, Catherine Raye-Wong, Esq.); 3d Ed., 2008; Chapter updates 2009 – 2015

Drafting California Revocable Living Trusts, CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar), Berkeley, CA, 3d Ed., Consultant, 1994-1995

Estate Administration From Start to Finish, NBI,Inc.,Eau Claire, WI, Chapter V (Complex Issues in Estate Administration), 2017

Estate Planning and Administration: The Complete Guide, NBI,Inc.,Eau Claire, WI, Day 1, Chapters III (Testamentary Documents) and IV (Common Trust Structures), 2015

Oddities and Challenges in California Probate Law, NBI, Inc., Eau Claire, WI, 2004 (co-author, Jennifer Miller Moss, Esq.)

Planning the Smaller Estate, CEB, Audiotape, Oct 1999 (co-presenters, Robert J. Granucci, Esq. and Jennifer M. Grange, Esq.)

Practical Guide to Estate Administration, NBI,Inc., Eau Claire, WI 1993 (co-author, John Goralka, Esq.)

Probate Boot Camp, NBI,Inc., Eau Claire, WI, Chapters XI (Ancillary Probate and Other Problem Areas) and XII (Closing the Estate), 2016

The Probate Process from Start to Finish For Paralegals, Institute for Paralegal Education, Altoona, WI, Chapters VII (Intestacy) and VIII (Closing the Estate), 2013; Chapters V (Dealing with Spouse’s Elective Shares), VI (Intestacy), and VII (Closing the Estate), 2016

The Probate Process from Start to Finish, NBI, Inc., Eau Claire, WI,Chapters I, VII, and IX, 2006; 2009; Chapters I, VII (Part II) and IX, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014; Chapters VIII (Final Accounting and Closing the Estate) and IX (Probate Disputes and Litigation), 2015

The Probate Process from Start to Finish, McQuillan Education, Altoona, WI, 2008
- (co-authors, John B. Palley, Esq., M. Jane Pearce, Esq., Daniel I. Spector, Esq.)

Rule 10b-5 in the Ninth Circuit – Materiality, Scienter and Damages: Nelson v. Serwold, Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review, Vol. 12, Dec. 1978, No. 1.

Faculty Member, Moderator and Lecturer, NBI, Inc. (National Business Institute): Estate and Probate Administration, 1993; Probate Procedures and Practice, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2008; California Probate: Beyond the Basics, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2003; Oddities and Challenges in California Probate Law, 2004; The Probate Process from Start to Finish, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015; The Probate Process From Start to Finish for Paralegals, 2013, 2016; Estate Planning and Administration: The Complete Guide, 2015; Probate Boot Camp, 2016; Estate Administration From Start to Finish, 2017.

Guest lecturer on estates and trusts: Lincoln Law School; University of Northern California School of Law; California State University, Sacramento; Sacramento City College; Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

Guest speaker: Far West Regional Conference on Women and the Law; American Society of Women Accountants; California Teachers Association; Sacramento Estate Planning Council; Women Lawyer of Sacramento; California Legal Secretaries Association.

Moderator/Speaker, CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar): Estates and Trust Litigation and Dispute Resolution, 1989, 1991, 1994; Fundamentals of Estate Planning, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008; Planning the Smaller Estate, 1998, 1999, 2000; Assessing Capacity and Undue Influence: Avoid Will Contests, 2002; Litigating Will Contests, Undue Influence and Capacity Cases, 2002.

Participant, Science and the Law Symposium, Regional Meeting; Hon. Ming W. Chin, Chair, Sacramento, CA, 2006.

Speaker, International Assoc. for Financial Planning (IAFP), Sacramento Chapter, “Capitalizing on Change,” January 1997; Panelist, Money Counts ‘99, presented by the Sacramento Bee and IAFP, Sacramento, 1999; Speaker, “Death and Taxes,” Florin JACL 10th Annual Women’s Day Forum, Sacramento, 2000; Speaker, Yolo County Employee Health Fair, West Sacramento, 2002; Panelist, American River College Foundation Planned Giving Forum, Sacramento, 2002; Speaker, “Your Cabin and Your Estate,” National Forest Homeowners Sacramento Convention 2004.

Speaker, Statewide Minority Attorneys’ Conference, The State Bar of California, Los Angeles, CA, 1997.

Related Awards

Voted 2015 Top Lawyers in Sacramento. (Sacramento Magazine, August 2015)

Voted Top 50 “Female Super Lawyer: Northern California” and a “Super Lawyer specializing in Estate Planning/Trusts.” (San Francisco Magazine, August 2004)

Voted Northern California
- Super Lawyer 2005 – 2013 (San Francisco Magazine; Super Lawyers Magazine, Northern California )

Professional Experience

Mediator/Neutral – Law Offices of Jerilyn Paik, Sacramento, California
January 2006 – Present

Sole Proprietor – Law Offices of Jerilyn Paik, Sacramento, California
January 1994 – Present

Temporary Judge for the Sacramento County Superior Court – since 1990

Judge, International Negotiation Competition, Orlando, FL, July 2006

Partner/Associate Attorney – Greve, Clifford, Diepenbrock & Paras,
Sacramento, CA, 1983 – 1993

Associate Attorney – Fred B. Oliver, Inc., Sacramento, CA, 1979 – 1983

Education & Certifications

The Bodine Group/Sacramento County Bar Probate Section
Advanced Mediation Training, January 2008
Mediation Training, January 2006

Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento
Temporary Judge Training, December 2006; February 2010

Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California
Certified Specialist in Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Law, February 1991
(First group to be certified)

Loyola Law School Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
J.D., with distinction, June 1979
Law Review, 1978 and 1979 – published case note; Dean’s Honor List – all semesters
Research Assistant to Daniel Stewart, Real Property Professor, 1977
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
B.A., Psychology, June 1968