Hello and welcome to our first print newsletter! Each month, we hope to bring a smile to your face while keeping you in the loop with what is going on in our world—both personally and professionally.

I thought it would be fun to kick off the newsletter by providing some background about me and the firm. I have been an attorney since 1994, and I began my career working for one of the largest law firms in the US, then later transitioned to a boutique trusts and estates firm. When my twin boys were born in 2004, I took an extended sabbatical from the law — mom duties called! I went on to have another child, a daughter this time. Once she was in kindergarten, it was time to go back to work. I knew that I wanted to be local, so I hung out my own shingle.

A few years went by and I discovered that I wanted to make a bigger impact than I could as a solo attorney, so in 2017 Beach Cities Estates Law was born. I believe in having a good work-life balance. And there are so many talented people who can’t (or don’t want to) work full-time — and many more who don’t want to work the long hours many law firms require. We’re exploring creative ways to structure the workplace to be more family friendly (whether it’s kids, elderly parents, or your own interests and hobbies). We certainly all now know that working from home is a viable option. For me, I like to leave work around the time that my kids get out of school, and then I make myself available some evenings and weekends to meet with clients. (This certainly has come in handy lately as my boys have wanted me to work with them on their essays for college applications!)

But what sets us apart from other firms? In today’s legal marketplace, there’s a huge gap between the big firms (who cater to celebrities and the ultra wealthy) and the bottom of the barrel trust mills. Those in between are primarily served by small law firms with no brand recognition, and many people postpone planning because they don’t know how to find a lawyer or who to trust. Our mission is to provide personalized, concierge level service to California families who have complex legal needs but who are not served by either the high- or low-end providers.

That being said, as the holidays are approaching, we know many of you will be gathering with friends and family over the next couple of months. Some of these gatherings are joyous and others may cause worry and stress. Know that we are here for you if any questions about estate planning, trusts, inheritances, etc. come up before or as a result of those holiday gatherings.

–Angela Klenk

P.S. If a friend or family member mentions that they need to do their estate plan, please pass this newsletter along to them