LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP has announced that veteran litigator Bruce S. Ross will join the firm as Partner-In-Charge of the Los Angeles office, effective March 1, 2006. Ross was formerly Executive Partner of the Los Angeles office of Holland & Knight. Nine Holland & Knight attorneys will join Ross at Luce Forward, expanding the depth of the firm’s Los Angeles office.
Ross is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with over 30 years experience litigating trust, estate, and conservatorship cases. He is the incoming President of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a former Chair of the Executive Committee of the California Bar’s Estate Planning Probate and Trust Law Section, and a member of the Executive Council of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law. Ross authored the leading textbook on probate administration in California, “California Practice Guide: Probate” (The Rutter Group) which he has supplemented annually since it was first published in 1986.
“I am honored to join one of California’s most respected firms. Luce Forward’s practice areas are exceptionally strong across the board, and their trusts and estates and litigation practices are outstanding,” Ross said. “I look forward to contributing to Luce Forward’s growth and expansion in Los Angeles and throughout the state.”
Ross, who has served as Executive Partner of Holland & Knight’s Los Angeles office since January 2003 added, “I have strong professional bonds and friendships with my Holland & Knight colleagues, and I am confident that we will have opportunities to work together in the future.”
Joining Ross at Luce Forward will be Holland & Knight Partners John T. Rogers, Jr., Geraldine A. Wyle, Nelson J. Handy, and Sean K. Higgins; Senior Counsel Jeryll S. Cohen, Shelley R. Meacham and Linda M. Rottman; and Associates Vivian Lee and Jonathan H. Park, who all practice in trusts and estates litigation and planning and will join the firm on March 1.
In addition to trusts and estates litigation and planning, attorneys in Luce Forward’s Los Angeles office practice in business / complex litigation, insurance litigation, commercial finance and insolvency, environmental, intellectual property litigation, entertainment and business / corporate law.
“Combining the talents of our new attorneys with Luce Forward’s existing Trusts and Estates practice allows us to create one of the strongest Trusts and Estates practices on the West Coast,” said Robert J. Bell, Luce Forward’s Managing Partner. “Their expertise and the depth of their national practice increases Luce Forward’s breadth of service and contributes to our strategic growth.”
“We are proud to welcome each of these highly-regarded attorneys to Luce Forward,” Bell added.
John T. Rogers, Jr. practices in trust, estate, and conservatorship administration and litigation, as well as estate planning, alternative dispute resolution, and professional responsibility. He is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and chair of its Technology Committee. Additionally, Rogers is a former chair of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and co-author (with Ross) of The Rutter Group’s upcoming “California Practice Guide: Trust Administration and Litigation.”
Geraldine A. Wyle specializes in fiduciary and inter-generational family disputes and their resolution. She serves on the Board of Governors of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, and is former chair of its Trusts and Estates Section, and co-chair of its Managing Partners’ Forum. Wyle is a frequent speaker on the subjects of trust, probate and conservatorships, as well as ethics in the estate planning context.
Nelson J. Handy focuses primarily on estate planning and trust and estate administration. He is certified by the State of California as a specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law, and previously practiced as a Certified Public Accountant. Handy is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Sean K. Higgins is experienced in complex trust, estate and conservatorship litigation, trust and estate administration, and estate planning. He has taught Estate Taxation as an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University’s Masters in Taxation Program in Irvine, California.
Jeryll S. Cohen focuses primarily on post-mortem administration, allocation of assets, including community property issues, preparation and filing of estate tax returns, handling of estate tax return audits and distribution of assets in complex matters sometimes involving litigation. She is Program Co-Chair of the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Trusts & Estates Section.
Shelley R. Meacham represents clients in trust and estate litigation and in conservatorships. Her experience includes a broad range of civil litigation work, with particular emphasis on probate litigation and legal malpractice defense.
Linda M. Rottman practices in trust and estate litigation and also has experience in complex business litigation.
Vivian Lee, also a trust and estate litigator, serves as the Secretary of the Executive Board of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Barrister’s Executive Committee and as the Barristers Liaison for its Trusts & Estates Executive Committee. She is a member of the Board of Governors of the Korean American Bar Association.
Jonathan H. Park works on all aspects of trust and estate litigation including pre-litigation fact review, preparation of pleadings, document discovery, motion preparation and trial support.
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