Trust, Estate and Probate Litigation

KDG offers one the largest and most experienced trust and estate litigation teams in the Central Valley. We provide clients with sophisticated advice as we work to preserve clients' assets and protect their rights through negotiation and litigation. We recognize that family disputes can be emotionally difficult, and we advocate skilled and aggressive resolution strategies wherever possible to defuse these situations. At the same time, the depth of our litigation and trial experience is a prominent component of our services to fiduciaries and beneficiaries. Our clients have benefitted from our experience in the following areas:

Characterization of spousal property
Conservatorship
Defense and prosecution of breaches of fiduciary duty (e.g., asset mismanagement and trust misallocation)
Determination of heirship
Disputed fee requests
Distribution and valuation disputes
Elder abuse
Elder financial abuse
Estate planning and administration legal malpractice litigation
Interpretations of wills and trusts
Reformation of defective trusts and wills
Removal of fiduciaries
Trust and estate accounting disputes
Trust revocation or reformation
Will and trust contests (e.g., lack of capacity or undue influence)

Joseph D. Hughes, Partner

Barry L. Goldner, Partner
Kurt D. Van Sciver, Associate