First Admitted: 1979, California

Bar/Professional Activity:

Past President, Irvine Senior Foundation, 1996 - 1999
Board Member, UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business
California, 1979
Member, State Bar of California, Sections on Estate Planning, Trust & Probate, 1979- Present
President, Irvine Swim League, 1999 - 2001

Special Licenses/Certifications:

Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, The State Bar of California

Honors/Awards:

Over 20 years AV Preeminent Rated Attorney (Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating)
Listed by Orange Coast Magazine, as a 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Five Star Wealth Manager, Estate Planning (Represents 3 percent of Wealth Managers in Orange County)

Educational Background:

Golden Gate University, San Francisco, California, M.S. in Taxation, 1992
The Defiance College, Defiance, Ohio, B.S. in Political Science, Honors: Cum Laude, 1975

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

UCI-Extension, PFP Certificate Program, Estate Planning and Advanced Estate Planning, Instructor, 1994
Advanced Estate Planning for Financial Professionals, (Co-Author)
Estate Planning & Taxation, (Contributor), Kendal-Hunt, 1996
Teacher, Fundamentals of Estate Planning, PFP Certificate Program at UCI-Extension/Continuing Education, 1994 - Present
Business Succession Planning, a Critical Element for Family-Owned Businesses, Uncertainty About Fate of Estate Tax Increase, Urgency for Effective Planning, Orange County Business Journal, Vol. 25, No. 42, 2002
Teacher, Estate Planning for the Layperson, UCI-Extension/Continuing Education, 1995 - Present
Speaker, National Business Institute
Speaker, Orange County/Long Beach Chapter of the CA Society of CPAs
Speaker, Easter Seals Society
Teacher, Advanced Estate Planning, PFP Certificate Program at UCI-Extension, 1996 - 2009
Speaker, Arthritis Foundation
Estate planning should include the consideration of Family Dynamics and Family Values and those planners who take time out to discuss with their clients the factors described in this Chapter, we provide a service outside the box, by helping families get the opportunity to produce lasting legacies for generations., Author, Best Estate Plans Take Family Dynamics into Consideration, Best Practices for Structuring Trusts and Estates, 2015 Edition, Thomson Reuters / Aspatore, 2015

James K. Leese