PHILIP A. TOOMEY
CHRISTOPHER D. CARICO
S.V. STUART JOHNSON
WILLIAM G. BENZ
DAVID D. CARICO
CARLA B. HOFFMAN
ANGELA KIL
BRUCE M. MACDONALD
STEVEN C.PAPKIN
DITTA A. REED
ANITA V. SHAH
ADRIANA KU
JESSICA OLSON
JANICE PARKER
HEATHER SICKLES
CELESTE TOOMEY

Areas of Practice:

• Estate Planning
• Trust & Estate Litigation
• Trust & Probate Administration

Awards and Certification:

• California State Bar, Board of Legal Specialization, certified specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law; www.ls.calbar.ca.gov
• Southern California Super Lawyers, Estate Planning & Probate, 2009 & 2010; www.superlawyers.com
• Best Lawyers in America, Trusts & Estates, 2011, Copyright 2010 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC; www.bestlawyers.com
• Martindale Hubbell Rating: AV; www.martindale.com

Christopher D. Carico is a board certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law with over 20 years of legal experience. His practice includes all facets of trusts and estates, and he represents families, individuals, professional trustees, conservators, guardians, and beneficiaries.

Mr. Carico develops carefully tailored estate plans for individuals and families, by preparing foundational documents such as revocable trusts, wills, and powers of attorney. Additionally, he counsels clients on more advanced planning techniques, including family limited partnership, family limited liability companies, designated beneficiary trusts, grantor retained annuity and unitrusts, qualified personal residence trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, charitable remainder trusts, charitable foundations, self-cancelling installment notes, and life insurance trusts.

In the area of trust, estate and probate administration, Mr. Carico has represented numerous individuals and professional fiduciaries charged with the responsibility of administering a decedent's estate. This includes overseeing the entire trust or probate administration process through the appointment of the fiduciary; the division, allocation and sale of assets; the filing of federal estate tax returns; the preparation of accountings; audits with the IRS and FTB; and final distribution.

Mr. Carico's trust and estate litigation practice includes counseling and representing beneficiaries and fiduciaries in will contests, trusts contests, contested conservatorship, Marvin claims, challenged accountings, fiduciary surcharge and removal actions, property characterization disputes, and 850 petitions.

Frequently appointed as an expert by the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Mr. Carico provides his opinion to the court on complex, tax-driven trust reformations and administration proceedings because of his expertise in federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxation. He also acts as a consultant to other estate planning attorneys and CPAs on taxation issues involving decedents and estates.

Mr. Carico graduated with a J.D. cum laude, from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. He obtained his B.A in economics from Occidental College. His previous affiliations include Carico Toomey & Associates LLP (2007-2008), Davis & Carico LLP (1996 - 2007), Law Offices of Christopher D. Carico (1990 - 1996), and Mullen & Henzell (1989 - 1990).