Top Estate Planning Attorneys in West Hills, CA (2026)

West Hills has about 24,500 residents, a median home value near $1.15 million, and the oldest median age in this part of the San Fernando Valley at 44.8 years. It is a City of Los Angeles neighborhood of high homeownership, bordering Chatsworth and the gated community of Bell Canyon, where families tend to stay put for decades rather than move every few years.

Here is the part most West Hills residents don’t know: no estate planning firm maintains an actual office inside West Hills. Search results claiming otherwise are usually general-practice or SEO listings for firms based elsewhere. Families here get their estate planning done in Woodland Hills, Tarzana, or Thousand Oaks, and that is a perfectly normal way to handle it. You are not required to hire someone whose sign is on your side of the hill.

Below are estate planning attorneys who actually and verifiably serve the West Hills area, with credentials you can check yourself. This is not a ranking. It is a starting point for doing your own homework.

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How to vet an estate planning attorney

The California State Bar certifies attorneys as Legal Specialists in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Fewer than 1% of California attorneys hold this credential. It requires passing a written exam, demonstrating substantial experience, and submitting to peer review. You can verify any attorney’s specialist status at calbar.ca.gov.

A certified specialist is not automatically the right fit. But the designation tells you the attorney has submitted to outside scrutiny in this specific area of law, which is more than most marketing claims can say.

Beyond certification, look for:

• A practice focused on estate planning, not a general practice that also “does” trusts.
• Direct access to the attorney, not a paralegal-driven mill that hands you a binder.
• Flat, disclosed fees. If an attorney won’t tell you the cost before you sign, that tells you something.
• Familiarity with Los Angeles County probate procedures. West Hills is part of the City of Los Angeles, and probate for the entire county, including West Hills, is centralized downtown at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill Street, not at any Valley courthouse.

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Estate planning attorneys serving West Hills

Ridley Law

Eric D. Ridley has practiced estate planning in Ventura County since 2010, working with families across West Hills, the greater San Fernando Valley, and the surrounding area. The firm handles living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives, trust administration, and probate. Flat-fee pricing, disclosed before engagement. Free 30-minute initial consultation by phone or video.

567 W. Channel Islands Boulevard, Suite 210, Port Hueneme, CA 93041. (805) 244-5291.

None of the following firms has a street address inside West Hills. Each is a short drive away and actively serves West Hills clients.

Law Offices of Alice A. Salvo

Alice Salvo (State Bar #103796) was admitted to the California Bar in 1982 and is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Her practice is limited to estate planning, trust administration, probate, and elder law. The San Fernando Valley Business Journal named her to its “Top 25 Lawyers of SFV” list.

20350 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 110, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. (818) 676-9572.

Law Offices of Yacoba Ann Feldman

Yacoba Ann Feldman (Bar #100817) has practiced since approximately 1981 with a practice limited to estate planning and probate. She is active in the State Bar’s Trust and Estates section and the San Fernando Valley Bar Association’s probate section.

5850 Canoga Avenue, Suite 400, Woodland Hills, CA 91367. (818) 905-2424.

The Estate Planning & Elder Law Firm (Richard Seff)

Richard Seff (Bar #150440) has practiced since 1990 with a practice limited to estate planning and elder law. He holds dual Master’s degrees in Social Work and Healthcare Administration, which shapes a practice that leans into long-term care planning and Medi-Cal issues.

5850 Canoga Avenue, Suite 410, Woodland Hills, CA 91367. (818) 292-8160.

Law Offices of Gerald L. Kane

Gerald Kane (Bar #170557) is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law with a practice limited to estate planning, trust administration, probate, elder law, and VA benefits planning.

16255 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 510, Encino, CA 91436. (818) 905-6088.

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What West Hills families actually deal with

Nobody local to call, which is fine

If you’ve searched “estate planning attorney West Hills” and landed on a firm claiming a West Hills address, look again. What you are likely seeing is a national directory listing, a firm with a nearby mailing address repurposed for local SEO, or a general-practice office that lists estate planning as one of a dozen services. There is nothing wrong with hiring an attorney based in Woodland Hills, Tarzana, or Thousand Oaks. Distance from your front door has nothing to do with whether the trust holds up. What matters is whether the attorney is limited to this area of law and will actually meet with you, not whether their office is inside the 91307 zip code.

The oldest median age in the cluster

At 44.8 years, West Hills carries the oldest median age of any city in this part of the Valley, and combined with a high homeownership rate, that means a large share of West Hills residents have owned the same home for a long time and drafted an estate plan years or decades ago. Plans written before the SECURE Act (2020) still assume retirement accounts can stretch payouts over a beneficiary’s lifetime; most non-spouse beneficiaries now face a hard 10-year payout window instead. Plans written before 2012, when the federal exemption was far lower than today’s $15 million, may still carry A/B trust language built for a tax problem that no longer applies to most families. An old plan is not a working plan. It is a starting point for a conversation with whichever of these attorneys you choose.

Prop 19 and West Hills’ housing stock

West Hills was largely built out in the 1970s and 80s, later than some of its Valley neighbors, but home values have still climbed well past what long-term owners are taxed on. A home purchased in the 1980s for around $200,000, taxed at a bit over 1% plus local assessments, runs roughly $2,200 a year in property tax. The same home today, with West Hills’ median value near $1.15 million, would be taxed at roughly $12,650 a year if fully reassessed.

Before Proposition 19 took effect in February 2021, a child who inherited a parent’s home also inherited the parent’s low tax basis, with no cap. That is no longer automatic. Under Prop 19, a child who inherits a parent’s primary residence and moves in within one year gets a partial exclusion: the first $1,044,586 of reassessed value above the prior taxable value is excluded (this figure adjusts every two years; the current amount covers transfers through February 15, 2027). A child who does not move in within a year gets no exclusion at all, and the home is reassessed to full market value.

The probate math on a West Hills home

California probate fees are set by statute (Probate Code §§ 10810 and 10800) and calculated on the gross value of the estate, not net equity. On a West Hills home worth $1.15 million with a mortgage still owed, the fee is calculated on the full $1.15 million regardless of what’s left after paying off the loan.

The statutory fee on a $1.15 million estate: $24,500 for the attorney and $24,500 for the executor. That is $49,000 in statutory fees alone, before court costs, filing fees, appraisals, or a petition for extraordinary compensation.

A funded living trust avoids probate entirely. You pay for the trust once, while you’re alive and can make decisions. Your family pays for probate after you’re gone, with no say in what it costs.

Where West Hills probate is heard

West Hills is part of the City of Los Angeles, and Los Angeles County consolidates all probate matters, without exception, at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, downtown. There is no Valley courthouse alternative. Your attorney should know this without being told.

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Credentials listed are drawn from the firms’ own public information, the State Bar of California, and public court records. This page is not a ranking and is not an endorsement. Ridley Law is listed first because we publish this page, not because of any ranking; we are included because we serve West Hills. We wrote this page, and we think you should know that. Verify any attorney’s license status and specialist certification at calbar.ca.gov.