About John J. Donahue

In court, nearly every day

Most days, John is in the probate departments of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. That matters more than it sounds. Probate is a small world with its own judges, its own calendars, its own unwritten rules about what gets continued and what gets heard. A lawyer who is there every day knows what each department expects to see in a petition before it’s filed.

Who he works for

John’s clients are usually the ones on the outside of the document: the daughter who was cut out, the son whose share shrank to a token, the caregiver who stayed when everyone else was too busy, the sibling watching a trustee sell the family house. For qualifying will and trust contests, he works on contingency, so the person with the estate’s money isn’t the only one who can afford a lawyer.

How he works

He returns calls. He tells people when they don’t have a case. He tells them how long they have. And when they do have a case, he builds it early, with medical records, bank statements and the drafting attorney’s file, because probate cases are won or lost on paper long before trial.

What happens when you call

• You tell John what happened, in your own words. Who died, what the will or trust says, who is in charge, and what has gone wrong.
• He asks what papers you have or have seen: the will, the trust, any amendments, any notice from a trustee or the court.
• He tells you plainly whether he thinks you have a case, how long you have to act, and whether it may qualify for contingency.

The office

12121 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 810, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Phone: 310-351-5434 · Fax: 888-979-6643

Call 310-351-5434 or tell John what happened →.

This website is attorney advertising. The information here is general and is not legal advice for your situation. Every case is different; past results do not guarantee a future outcome. Contacting the office does not create an attorney-client relationship.