Estate Planning & Trust Administration

Your legacy
deserves
careful hands.

Sophisticated estate planning for individuals who've built something worth protecting — and want to ensure it passes exactly as intended.

Schedule a Consultation See Our Services

J.D. Boston University
School of Law

CA Bar Member Since 2007

Bay Area & Carmel

Revocable Living Trusts◆ Wills & Powers of Attorney◆ Trust Administration◆ Estate Tax Planning◆ Asset Protection◆ Beneficiary Designations◆ Charitable Giving Strategies◆ Business Succession◆ Revocable Living Trusts◆ Wills & Powers of Attorney◆ Trust Administration◆ Estate Tax Planning◆ Asset Protection◆ Beneficiary Designations◆ Charitable Giving Strategies◆ Business Succession◆

Mashi Scanlan JD · Founder

About

Good planning starts
with a real
conversation.

Most people don't think about estate planning until something forces them to. A diagnosis. A new baby. A friend spending years in probate wasting away their inheritance. By then, the options are narrower and the stakes are higher.

Let's get you ahead of that moment — not react to it. The legal work is rarely the hard part; the hard part is understanding what you actually want your legacy to be, who you're trying to protect, and what "fair" means to your specific family. The documents easily flow from that conversation.

Every engagement starts the same: You talk. I listen. Then we build something together that reflects your life — not a template.

I'm based in Carmel and the Bay Area, working with clients throughout California. Outside of work, I'm traveling with my fiancée Claire and getting thoroughly outvoted by our dogs, Raylan & Tuppence.

You've been putting this off long enough. Let's fix that.

Schedule a Consultation

Philosophy

Estate planning
isn't just
documents.

It's the conversation most families never have — until it's too late. I built this practice around the belief that good estate planning starts with understanding what you're really trying to protect, and who you're protecting it for.

Whether you're a partner at a firm whose compensation structure just got complicated, a high-net-worth individual whose estate has outgrown a basic will, or someone who simply wants clarity and peace of mind — the process starts the same way: we talk.

How It Works

Simple process.
Serious results.

You Talk

Every engagement starts with a conversation, not a questionnaire. We'll spend an hour going through your situation — your assets, your family, your goals, and the things that keep you up at night. No obligation, no pressure. Just clarity.

I Plan

Based on that conversation, I'll put together a plan that actually reflects your life. Not a template pulled from a drawer — a structure built around what you told me matters. We'll review it together, adjust it, and make sure it feels right before a single document gets drafted.

We Build

Once you're confident in the plan, we execute. I draft the documents, walk you through everything in plain language, and make sure you understand what you're signing and why. When we're done, you'll have an estate plan that works — and the peace of mind that comes with knowing it.

Schedule Your Consultation

What We Do

Comprehensive
estate planning services

Trusts & Wills

Revocable living trusts, testamentary trusts, pour-over wills, and the full suite of foundational documents that ensure your estate passes cleanly and according to your wishes — without the cost and delay of probate.

Estate Tax Planning

Strategies designed for estates that have grown beyond basic planning — including irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs), and charitable giving structures that reduce tax exposure while supporting causes you care about.

Powers of Attorney & Healthcare Directives

Durable powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives, and HIPAA authorizations — so the people you trust are empowered to act on your behalf if the need arises, and no one has to guess your wishes.

Trust Administration

Guidance for trustees navigating the responsibilities and obligations that come with administering an estate — including asset distribution, creditor claims, beneficiary accounting, and legal compliance throughout the process.

Asset Protection

Structuring that protects what you've built from potential creditors, litigation, and other risks — without sacrificing control. Particularly relevant for professionals in high-liability fields.

Business Succession

Planning for the transition of a business — whether to family, partners, or a sale. Buy-sell agreements, succession trusts, and coordinated planning that ensures continuity and protects your partners and heirs alike.

Who We Serve

Built for
people with
more at stake.

This isn't a general practice. It's a focused one — built for clients whose situations demand more than a template-based approach.

High-Net-Worth Individuals & Families

You've built significant wealth — through a career, investments, real estate, or a business. Now you need an estate plan that reflects that complexity. We work with clients whose estates require sophisticated structuring, not just a basic will and a trust template.

Attorneys & Legal Professionals

You know the law. You've probably seen what happens when estates aren't planned well. And yet — like most professionals — your own planning is likely incomplete. I work specifically with attorneys who understand the stakes and want counsel who speaks their language, without the hand-holding.

Bay Area & Carmel Residents

California has some of the most complex estate planning considerations in the country — community property rules, high asset values, and a probate process that makes avoiding it especially worthwhile. Local knowledge matters, and our practice is rooted in the communities we serve.

Your legacydeservescareful hands.

Good planning startswith a realconversation.

Estate planningisn't justdocuments.

Simple process.Serious results.

Comprehensiveestate planning services

Built forpeople withmore at stake.