I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. We litigate California estate and trust disputes. More often than not, the asset in question is a house. Other common assets are bank accounts and securities. It’s our job to keep up with the law and with changing trends. The ownership of crypto-assets is a changing trend. Crypto-assets are going mainstream. Gemini, a cryptocurrency exchange, estimates that 14% of American adults, roughly 21 million people, own cryptocurrency. This ownership rate is moving upward. The asset-management industry is working to cash in on cryptocurrencies by launching new products. While progress is slow, there is progress. Cryptocurrency ownership will become more widespread. This will be a challenge for th[...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. We litigate estate and trust cases in California’s largest urban areas. I first represented clients in estate disputes over 40 years ago. Experience has been a great teacher. That said, I’m still a pupil. I learn new things. See new things. I’ve seen how anger – how harboring grudges - can be ruinous. Mark Twain once said: “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” It’s tragic to see the effects of stored up anger. Vengeance does more harm than good. So, I’ll share some insights where clients gained more from peace than rancor. It’s difficult to move on from rejection to forgiveness. It’s hard to le[...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. We focus on trust, estate, and elder financial abuse litigation. Trust beneficiary litigation is messy. Messy doesn’t mean impossible. It means we have to get to work. I’m sharing with you some of the things we use when we get down to work. Every case has its own facts. Its own nuances. One size does not fit all. Still, it’s good to have a general approach. Our first meeting, whether in person, zoom, or telephone, identifies the real party in interest. For trusts, this means the trustee, a beneficiary, or disinherited beneficiary. This is what we call standing. We address fee agreements. They are negotiable. Some cases are hourly. Some are contingency. Some are a mix. Costs must be a[...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. We do trust & estate litigation in some of California’s largest urban areas. We respond to dozens of inquiries every month from family members of deceased or cognitively impaired elders. These inquiries often focus on prevention, prosecution, and recovery for financial abuse. The financial abuse may be the result of undue influence, outright theft, or a combination thereof. Every case has its own character. One characteristic, commonly shared, is the litigation burden of introducing evidence, to make a prima facie case – meaning there’s enough evidence to proceed to trial or judgment. California courts have long used the phrase “burden of going forward with the evidence.” This i[...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. I’ve practiced law for 45 years. Our YouTube channel is our effort to share the many lessons gained over those years. One lesson that I learned long ago has to do with letter writing. Clients come to us to solve a problem. For many years I handled pharmaceutical cases for those injured by prescription drugs. Now, the common problem that we handle is the abuse or disinheritance of an heir or beneficiary. We meet with our client. It’s a call, a zoom meeting, or a sit down. We hear their story. A caregiver, sibling, or stranger has a part in a disinheritance. A will or trust was suspiciously changed. A property was deviously transferred. The actions were covert. In a sense, under the cover o[...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. We represent clients in estate, trust and elder financial abuse litigation cases throughout California. This year I’ve noticed an encouraging trend – there’s been increased media spotlight on the conservatorship industry and its record of elder exploitation. You’ve probably seen the ongoing drama of Britney Spears and her efforts to break free from what she says is an oppressive conservatorship, along with the popular hashtag #FreeBritney. There’s also the hit Netflix film I Care a Lot, which portrays a predatory conservator and her cold-blooded schemes to make millions off suffering and loneliness. And Sacramento’s ABC10 recently ran a week-long investigative series, titled The Price o[...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. We litigate estate, trust, and financial elder abuse litigation in California’s largest urban areas. These cases often stem from acts against a vulnerable elder. Dementia is often the source of the elder’s vulnerability. People with dementia are not always aware of their mental decline. Protective relatives and friends make their own denials. It’s hard to see a loved one going downhill. Unfortunately, this can be a tragic cover for a person suffering the ravages of dementia. While not all dementia presents the same specific set of symptoms, there are common patterns. The patient may say things like: “I can’t think properly.” “I can’t remember things.” “My head goes blank at t[...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. Over many decades of law practice, I’ve had one goal – to build an estate, trust and financial elder abuse plaintiffs’ firm that my own family would be proud to hire. Los Angeles is a major part of this. I handled my first Los Angeles case over 40 years ago. It’s a little different now. It has a few million more people. But it continues to be Los Angeles - a city ranked as the fourth-richest city in the world, the entertainment capital of the world, and some of the best weather in the country. Families facing significant estate and trust litigation challenges often don’t know who to call for legal support. That’s where we can help. Families count. There’s only one Hackard Law. Call us[...]

I’m Mike Hackard with Hackard Law. Over many decades of law practice, I’ve had one goal – to build a plaintiff’s estate, trust and catastrophic injury firm that my own family would be proud to hire. Families across the Bay Area, including in San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Jose, hire us in estate, trust and catastrophic injury cases. They’ve seen our leadership, commitment to clients and record of legal excellence. Results matter. Reputation matters. There’s only one Hackard Law. Call us today at 650-781-4700. Hackard Law: Attorneys Making a Difference. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvqYJEGOvYw&ab_channel=HackardLaw[/embed]  [...]

I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. Hackard Law is working to become the leading estate, trust, and financial elder abuse litigation law firm in California. This is not a small order. It means that we work with high internal expectations. With commitments to overcome adversity. To take the long view. To deal in performance. To understand that we’re a work in progress. We most often represent people who’ve sought out lawyers not so much by choice, but by necessity. They might feel coerced, pressured, and intimidated by an overreaching heir, beneficiary, or trustee. Their elderly parents may have been cheated out of real or personal property. Maybe a caregiver unduly influenced the maker of a trust to leave everything to the careg[...]