Business Details
11 Years
experience
Expert Estate Planning & Trust Services
Cookman Law was founded in 2015 to provide comprehensive estate planning services with a specialized focus on families facing complex situations. Our practice is built on the principle that every family's needs are unique, requiring customized solutions for financial and care management. We specialize in special needs planning, trust administration, and creating structured estate plans that ensure long-term security for children requiring ongoing support.Our team combines deep legal expertise with a compassionate approach, guided by our founder's personal and professional experience in special needs advocacy. We utilize a structured two-month planning process with flat fee pricing to ensure transparency and accessibility. Our attorneys hold prestigious certifications including California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization credentials and maintain active roles in legal education and community advocacy.
Services
Estate Planning
Special Needs Trusts
Trust Administration
Guardianship Planning
Dynasty Trusts
Details
- Year established: 2015
Highlights and features
- Specialized expertise in special needs estate planning since 2015
- Transparent flat-fee pricing structure for all services
- Certified specialists in estate planning and trust administration
- Personalized approach combining legal and financial expertise
- Founder's direct experience with autism spectrum care planning
Associations and certifications
- California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization
- Super Lawyers
- Martindale-Hubbell
What people say
Expertise with trusts
Thorough and thoughtful
Special needs understanding
Calmed us down
Handled everything
Services
Estate Planning
Our comprehensive estate planning service creates customized legal frameworks to manage asset distribution and care provisions. We help families establish revocable living trusts, pour-over wills, and financial stewardship structures tailored to their unique circumstances. Our process includes detailed consultations to understand family dynamics and long-term goals.
Special Needs Trusts
We design specialized trusts that protect public benefits eligibility while providing financial security for individuals with disabilities. Our plans maintain Medi-Cal and SSI qualifications while ensuring quality care and asset protection. Each trust considers future needs and potential changes in beneficiary circumstances.
Trust Administration
Our trust administration service handles post-death asset transfer processes including tax filings, creditor resolution, and property re-titling. We guide successor trustees through California Probate Code requirements while maintaining fiduciary responsibilities. The process ensures smooth transition of assets to beneficiaries.
Dynasty Trusts
We create multi-generational trusts that protect assets from estate taxes and creditors while maintaining family wealth. These irrevocable trusts provide long-term financial security with controlled distributions across generations. Our plans consider state-specific regulations and tax optimization strategies.
Guardianship Planning
Our planning process establishes legal frameworks for children's future care including financial management and decision-making authority. We create structured plans that address educational needs, living arrangements, and long-term support systems tailored to each family's requirements.
People
Ellen Cookman
Principal Attorney
Founder of Cookman Law with 15+ years' experience in estate planning. Certified specialist in trust and probate law. Holds LL.M. from Golden Gate University. Recognized by Super Lawyers and Martindale-Hubbell. Advocate for special needs families through personal and professional experience.
Hannah Macleod
Attorney
Estate planning attorney with trust administration experience. Graduated from UC Hastings School of Law. Focuses on creating secure futures for families through comprehensive legal planning. Brings practical experience from banking industry background.
Amiee Lee
Associate Attorney
Bay Area native specializing in customized estate plans. Former technology transactions attorney with UC San Francisco law degree. Combines legal expertise with personal understanding of family needs through her own parenting experience.
Questions
What estate planning documents do I need in California?
California estate plans typically include revocable living trusts, pour-over wills, financial powers of attorney, and advance health care directives to avoid probate and ensure asset distribution.
How do special needs trusts protect government benefits?
Special needs trusts maintain Medi-Cal and SSI eligibility by holding assets outside the beneficiary's countable resources while providing supplemental care funding through trustee discretion.
What happens during trust administration?
Trust administration involves asset inventory, tax filings, creditor resolution, property re-titling, and final distributions according to trust terms under California Probate Code guidelines.
Can I modify an existing estate plan?
Revocable living trusts can be amended during your lifetime. We recommend reviewing plans every 3-5 years or after major life events to ensure continued relevance and effectiveness.
How does special needs planning differ from regular estate planning?
Special needs planning requires additional legal safeguards to maintain public benefits eligibility while providing structured financial support through specialized trusts and guardianship arrangements.
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