Julie King

With 30+ years’ experience, Julie King practices law with the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. She is easy to speak with and talks in plain English (not legalese). Julie handles a wide variety of estate planning and business matters including: (1) ESTATE PLANNING - wills and trusts, health care directives, powers of attorney, special needs trusts, pet trusts, grant deeds and more; and (2) BUSINESS LAW - corporation/LLC/partnership formation, annual meeting minutes, corporate records, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, and employee training.

Julie served as in-house counsel to major international corporations, including Toshiba America, where she worked for 15 years and hired lawyers throughout the world. She has been a "client", so she understands clients' needs in a way many lawyers do not. Contact Julie today and see the difference!

Call or email today for a FREE initial consultation! (831) 275-1002 Julie@PierceKingLaw.com

Business Law

Business Contracts, Business Dissolution, Business Finance, Business Formation, Business Litigation, Franchising, Mergers & Acquisitions, Partnership & Shareholder Disputes

Estate Planning

Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills

• Form Corporations, LLCs and Partnerships
• Business Transactions & Contracts
• Trusts, Wills, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Directives
• Real Estate Grant Deeds and Related Documentation

• Free Consultation
• Credit Cards Accepted
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Pierce King, P.C. bills hourly or charges a flat fee, depending on the type of matter. On occasion, Pierce King may enter into an alternative fee arrangement to accommodate clients in special circumstances.

California

Since 1987

Founding Attorney

Pierce King, P.C., a Professional Law Corporation

2012 - Current

BUSINESS LAW - Negotiating and drafting a variety of complex business contracts, including an international Private Cloud Infrastructure and Management Services Agreement and a Funding Agreement involving the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. - Forming C and S Corporations, LLCs and Partnerships, and drafting documents related thereto, such as Buy-Sell and Operating Agreements, Bylaws, Annual Meeting Minutes and Board Resolutions. ESTATE PLANNING - Drafting a variety of wills and trusts (including Revocable Living Trusts, Special Needs Trusts and Pet Trusts), Health Care Directives and Durable Powers of Attorney, as well as Grant Deeds and other documentation relating to funding trusts. - Counseling clients in Trust Administration matters - Preparing, filing and representing clients in Probate actions

Director, Contracts and Intellectual Property

CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC

2007 - 2012

Assistant General Counsel

Toshiba America

1991 - 2006

Julie was an in-house counsel for Toshiba for 15 years and handled a wide variety of matters for the corporation. She helped the Human Resources Dept. with employment matters and policy drafting, the Sales Dept. with contracts, the Finance Dept. with guaranties, and anyone else in the company who needed assistance in any area of law. She would be honored to do the same for you. Call today!

Univ of California at Los Angeles

Undergraduate Degree

Loyola Law School

Law Degree

BEST LAWYER IN MONTEREY COUNTY

Monterey Herald Reader's Poll

2021

BEST LAWYER IN MONTEREY COUNTY

Monterey Herald Reader's Poll

2020

BEST LAWYER IN MONTEREY COUNTY

Monterey Herald Reader's Poll

2019

Woman of Distinction in the Legal Community

Los Angeles Bar Association

Volunteer of the Month (Awarded multiple times.)

Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce

IMPOWER (Businesswomen inspiring each other and helping our community)

Vice President of the Board of Directors

2021 - Current

Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce

Ambassador

2014 - Current

Monterey County Bar Association

Member

2007 - Current

California State Bar  # 132813

Member

1987 - Current

Central Coast Human Resources Association

Member of the Board of Directors

2019 - 2022

License to Practice Law

California Bar Association

Q. Recourse trust not completed as requested.

January 28, 2023

A: Whether language is contained in the body of a document or in an attachment that is incorporated into the body makes no difference from a legal standpoint. It’s all part of the same document. Yes, your lawyer should have honored your request to draft the document the way you wanted it. But you’re unlikely to find a lawyer who will do what you want because the bottom line is that the change will not make a difference legally. Perhaps try a paralegal or a new lawyer right out of law school who is trying to build a business. Best wishes!

Q. I asked escrow to distribute funds separately, but they said funds could only be released to the trust.

January 24, 2023

A: I will start by saying this: You really need to get the assistance of an estate planning lawyer because it does not appear that you understand how trusts work or what your mother's trust says. First, I don't know any lawyer who would write a trust with four people named as successor trustees. I hope your mother did not get her trust online and write that provision herself. Having four trustees is asking for either a convoluted nightmare or a lawsuit. I often see two people acting as co-trustees causing problems. Four is double the trouble. If there are four successor trustees, it's possible that all four of you will need to agree on every single transaction and sign each piece of paper. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you understand the money in the trust does NOT belong to the four children. It belongs SOLELY to your mother. The Successor Trustees have duties set out in the law that must be fulfilled. The most important duty is to take your mother's assets and take care of her healthcare, housing, and all other bills. The money is NOT to be taken by the kids just because they feel they will inherit it one day. That's NOT how trusts work. No one is entitled to any of your mother's assets until four (4) things have happened: (1) your mother has died; (2) all of your mother's bills have been paid in full and her final taxes have been paid to both the state and federal governments; (3) it has been determined that no probate is required for assets outside of the trust; and (3) the successor trustee(s) has/have been reimbursed for all money paid out of pocket for your mother's bills after producing receipts. There are many more steps, but those are universally true for almost all trusts. IF there is any money left after all of that has been paid, THEN whoever is listed in the trust gets whatever percentage the trust says you get. Taking it early is seen as stealing your mother's assets. So, the fact that the kids are seeking to get your mother's assets while she is still alive is incredibly troublesome. If anyone takes your mother's assets for their own use before the proper time, they can be sued for Elder Financial Abuse, which is why I have some very serious concerns about your situation. Again, it is obvious from your question that neither your brother nor you understand how a trust works or what your mother's trust says. Not knowing either of those things can get all of you into a lot of legal trouble. Go see an estate planning attorney right away -- before you get yourself into a lot of hot water.

Q. Quick claim deed left to mom by her father and both have passed.but her brother lived in house until his death he paid

January 23, 2023

A: There is an area of law called “squatter’s rights”, which allows people who continuously live by themselves in vacant property for a certain period of time to apply for ownership. Each state has different rules and requirements to gain ownership. It’s hard to tell if these laws apply to your situation, but they may not. Part of the answer will depend on how your mother owned title to the property, i.e., in joint tenancy, tenants in common, community property, a married (or single) woman as her sole and separate property, etc. If title is NOT in joint tenancy or community property with the right of survivorship, then title likely doesn’t affect ownership at this point. The next question would be: Did your mom have a Will or Trust saying to whom she is leaving her real estate and other assets? If so, it’s much more likely that the person or people named in the Will or Trust would own the property. If your mom did not have a Will or Trust, you should immediately see a Probate Attorney to file a Petition with the Probate Court. At the end if the probate process, a judge would then order the property to go to your mom’s spouse, if she had one, or to her kids, if your mom wasn’t married. Best wishes!