Wright Kim Douglas, ALC is proud to support the California Professional Fiduciary Association, serving the needs of the most vulnerable people in our society. Partner Lauriann Wright is interviewed in the Professional Fiduciary Association’s 25th Anniversary Documentary. Click HERE to view the documentary.
Lauriann Wright
Partner
Lauriann Wright is an experienced probate litigator and estate planner located in Glendale California. For over 25 years, she has been practicing all phases of probate law and litigation, including conservatorships, guardianships, trusts, and probate estates, throughout Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside Counties. The focus of her practice is the representation of professional fiduciaries, with particular success in helping fiduciaries maintain neutrality in the midst of litigation among family members. She also represents select private clients in trust and estate litigation matters, like will and trust contests. She has been named as a Southern California Super Lawyer in Trust and Estate Litigation for over ten consecutive years, from 2012 through 2022. In fact, for 2020 through 2022, she has been named one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Southern California and, for 2021, she was named one of the Top 50 Women Super Lawyers in Southern California. For 2016 through 2022, she is also listed as one of "The Best Lawyers in America" in Litigation / Probate by Best Lawyers and her law firm has been named a Best Law Firm by U.S. News & World Report as well. And she was been named as a member of the National Advocates: Top 100 of Wills, Trust, and Estates Lawyers. She has also been AV Rated Preeiminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.
Mrs. Wright has conducted numerous contested probate bench trials, dozens of depositions, and written and argued several probate appeals. She has successfully represented professional fiduciaries in contested and protracted probate litigation proceedings in numerous multi-million dollar trusts and estates. Her repsentation of fiduciaries has included high-profile matters involving the Disney family as well as Britney Spears. She has also served as a fiduciary herself through court appointments as a receiver for real property, guardian ad litem, and trustee. Mrs. Wright has worked with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office on numerous financial elder abuse cases and has been able to successfully recover substantial assets for the elderly victims. She is also a member of the Los Angeles County Court Appointed Counsel Panel as well as the Trusts and Estates Sections of the State Bar and the Los Angeles County Bar.
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Lauriann Wright
Rated by Super Lawyers
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Four key qualities make Mrs. Wright an effective advocate for her clients: (1) a keen understanding of probate law and procedure, garnering the respect of her fellow attorneys and bench officers; (2) thoroughness and attention to detail; (3) expansive litigation experience from a concurrent business litigation practice; and (4) social intelligence and understanding of the emotionally charged nature of probate disputes.
In addition to her probate experience, Mrs. Wright is also an experienced business litigator, knowledgeable in all phases of civil litigation, including jury and bench trials in both state and federal courts. She has briefed and argued cases in appellate matters, including the successful, published opinion in Soderberg v. McKinney, 44 Cal. App. 4th 1760, 52 Cal. Rptr. 2d 635 (1996) which reversed the law on real estate appraiser liability in California. Through her business litigation experience, she has substantial knowledge in the areas of commercial finance, factoring, real estate, construction defect, intellectual property, and complex litigation.
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Mrs. Wright graduated from University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1994 with her Juris Doctorate, including a semester of specialized coursework in international law completed at University of Leiden Law School, Leiden, the Netherlands. Mrs. Wright was admitted to the California Bar in December 1994 and is admitted to practice in all the California state and federal trial and appellate courts.
Interviews:
Lauriann Wright interviews in the Professional Fiduciary Association’s 25th Anniversary Documentary. Click HERE to view the documentary.
Memberships:
- Affinity Group Leader, Pasadena Estate & Succession Planning Affinity Group, Provisors (awarded Affinity Group Leader of the Year, Los Angeles Region, 2019)
- Board Member, San Gabriel Valley Estate Planning Council
- Chair, Steering Committee, Women of Dignity Health, Glendale Memorial
- Member:
- San Gabriel Valley Estate Planning Council
- Los Angeles County Bar, Trust & Estates Section
- Pasadena Bar Association
- Provisors, Pasadena III
Expert Witness:
Mrs. Wright has served as an expert witness in several probate litigation matters, including cases involving Trusts, Estates, & Conseravtorships as well as Legal Malpractice matters.
Classes & Seminars Taught
Mrs. Wright is also a regular speaker on probate topics. Some of her recent and upcoming speeches are:
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Probate Litigation: How to Build and Present Your Case, Orange County Bar Assocation, Trust & Estates Section; Co-Speakers Hon. Kim R. Hubbard, Hon. Gerald G. Johnston, Alice A. Salvo; October 15, 2014.
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Capturing the Queen: Pre-Trust Contest Litigation Strategies, Orange County Bar Association, Trust & Estates Section, April 8, 2015; and Estate Planning Council of San Fernando Valley, April 30, 2015.
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Savage Sunset: How 21380 Has Sharpened the Teeth of the Former 21350, San Fernando Bar Association, Trust & Estates Section; June 9, 2015.
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Probate Litigation: How to Build and Present Your Case, Los Angeles County Bar, Trust & Estates Section; September 25, 2015.
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Legislative Brunch, Woman's Forum, Push the Limits, National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, Greater Foothills, Executive Panelist, Arcadia, CA; March 19, 2016.
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Justice Delayed: Conservatorships for Criminal Defendants and a Case Study on One that Went Awry, Professional Fiduciary Association of California, 21st Annual Educational Conference, Night Owl General Session, Indian Wells, CA; June 2, 2016.
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Capturing the Queen: Pre-Trust Contest Litigation Strategies, Professional Fiduciary Association of California, 21st Annual Educational Conference, Breakout Session, and Lunchtime Lecture, Indian Wells, CA; June 2 and 3, 2016.
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Outer Boundaries: The Perplexing Tale of Standing in Probate Court, Orange County Bar Association, Trust & Estates Section; March 8, 2017
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Fiduciary Neutrality: When to Join the Fight? The Ethics, Law, and Practice of Neutrality, Professional Fiduciary Association of California, 22nd Annual Educational Conference, General Session, with Co-Speakers Hon. David J. Cowan of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Yevgeny Belous, and Norine Boehmer; Burlingame, CA, June 3, 2017
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Hoops and Hurdles in Fiduciary Accountings, Wells Fargo Private Bank: Fiduciary Accountings, Panel Discussion,Co- Speakers with Stacy A. Kinsel, Wells Fargo Private Bank, Pasadena, CA, on October 17, 2017
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Probate Litigation, Pincus Professional Education, DoubleTree by Hilton, Los Angeles Downtown, on November 10, 2017
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Fiduciary Boot Camp, Pincus Professional Education with Co-Speakers Hon. Maria E. Strattion and Norine Boehmer, DoubleTree by Hilton, Los Angeles Downtown, March 9, 2018
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Hoops and Hurdles in Fiduciary Accountings, 23rd Annual PFAC Educational Conference with Co-Speaker Stacy Kinsel; RIverside Convention Center, Riverside, CA, May 31. 2018
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Fiduciary Neutrality: When to Join the Fight. The Ethics, Law and Practice of Neutrality Part 2, 23rd Annual PFAC Educational Conference with Co-Speakers Hon. David J. Cown, Yevgeny Belous, and Norine Boehmer; Riverside Convention Center, Riverside, CA, June 2, 2018
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When to Join the Fight: Fiduciary Neutrality and Rules of Ethics, Glendale Estate Planning Council, with Co-Speaker David Kim; Tam O'Shanter, Los Angeles, CA, July 17, 2018
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Is the Backdoor Closed? Sanchez, Hearsay & Expert Witness Testimony in Will & Trust Contests, Los Angeles Bar Association, Trust and Estates Section, September Symposium, with Co-Speaker Hon. Maria E. Stratton of the Los Angeles Superior Court; Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles, CA, September 21, 2018
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2018 Aviva K. Bobb Advanced Probate Volunteer Panel Attorney Training, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Trust and Estates Section, "Working With Other Counsel", Sportsmen Lodge, Studio City, CA, November 3, 2018
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Trusts Bootcamp - The Basics, Pincus Professional Education, March 14, 2019
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How to Work with Attorneys in Contested Matters, Professional Fiduciary Association of California, 24th Annual Educational Conference, with Co-Speakers Judge James A. Steele (Ret.) and Yevgeny Belous, Esq.; Disneyland Magic Kingdom Ballroom #1, May 2, 2019
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Is the Backdoor Closed? Sanchez, Hearsay & Expert Witness Testimony in Will & Trust Contests, Orange County Bar's, Trust and Estate Section, with Co-Speaker Hon. Maria E. Stratton of the Los Angeles Superior Court; Orange Conference Center, Orange, CA, May 8, 2019
- Capturing the Queen: Pre-Trust Contest Litigation Strategies, Fiduciary Round Table, September 11, 2019.
- Pre-Litigation Mediation & Settlement, Pincus Probate Litigation 101, with Co-Speaker Hon. Mary Thornton House, Judge (Ret.), Los Angeles, CA, September 20, 2019.
- Trials and Evidence, Pincus Probate Litigation 101, with Co-Speaker Hon. Mary Thornton House, Judge (Ret.), Los Angeles, CA, September 20, 2019.
- Capturing the Queen: Pre-Trust Contest Litigation Strategies, PFAC Regional Meeting, The Reef, Long Beach, CA, November 21, 2019.
- Till My Conservatorship Do Us Part, Professional Fiduciary Association of California, 25th Annual Educational Conference, with Co-Speakers Hon. Judge Glen Reiser (Ret.), Yevgeny Belous, Esq., and Norine Boehmer, CLPF, Hyatt Regency San Francisco, May 28, 2020.
- Where's the FUN in DysFUNctional Families: Interactive Case Studies, Professional Fiduciary Association of California, 25th Annual Educational Conference, with Co-Speakers Hon. Judge Mary Thornton House (Ret.), Brenda Shorkend, and Robert Earnest, VIRTUAL, August 6, 2020; and other subsequent presentations throughout 2021 at Woodland Hills Estate Planning Council, the Aging Life Care Professionals Annual Conference, the Orange County Bar Association's Trust & Estates Section, and the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Trust & Estate Section.
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