George Bernard Shaw once said “If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.” When it comes to family, by blood, love, or both, there is no normal, no mold.   Jacey embraces the uniqueness of every “family” and carries this notion into her practice as a trust & estates attorney, understanding that an estate plan should not be boiler plate, since there is no “one size fits” all answer.  As a former coordinator for Big Brother Big Sisters, and a former intern at the Dependency Court, Jacey has learned that empathy, kindness, and an attentive ear go a long way. 

Jacey is a people person who takes tremendous pride in the relationships she forms with her clients.  Whether she is helping an overwhelmed, grieving family deal with the loss of a loved one, while simultaneously getting their affairs in order, or helping a husband and wife amicably work out their estate wishes, Jacey always embraces the family side of her job.  

Jacey knows that it is not easy to plan for death, although inevitable, and it is even more difficult to implement a loved one’s plan.  But she says she can “see the weight lift off of her clients’ shoulders when they leave her office with everything in order; with a smile and a sense of calm.”  And that is why Jacey loves what she does.

Legal Expertise

Jacey Hayes focuses her practice on helping individuals and families navigate everything from basic estate planning to sophisticated estate and income tax planning matters.  Jacey assists clients with multi-generational wealth preservation by implementing tax reducing strategies, and has substantial experience in complex, post-death estate and trust administration.

Representative Matters

• Regularly prepares estate planning documents for professional athletes, celebrities, and high net worth individuals.
• Has successfully handled numerous complex trust administrations and court accountings for trust estates exceeding 40 million dollars.
• Facilitated the settlement of high profile contested estates.
• Obtained exempt status for numerous private foundations.
• Responsible for drafting the bylaws of a major hospital.

Honors & Awards

• "Southern California Rising Stars," Super Lawyers (2009- 2010, 2012)

Other Career Experience

• Judicial Extern to the Honorable Claudia Wilken, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
• Judicial Extern to the Honorable Michael Nash, Presiding Judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Juvenile Division
• Recruiting Specialist and Community Relations/Fund Development Associate, Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire
• Co-founder, UCLA Run/Walk benefiting the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA

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