About Preston Estate Planning

About Preston Estate Planning — Elder Law San Diego California

Elder law San Diego families planning their legacy work with Preston Estate Planning, a dedicated estate planning firm in San Diego County. The firm helps clients create trusts and wills that reflect their long-term wishes. Because a clear plan guides a family for years, careful preparation matters. The attorneys focus solely on estate planning, not unrelated practice areas. You can also compare other elder law attorneys in the directory while you decide. In addition, the firm helps clients make informed choices about their futures.

This practice concentrates entirely on estate planning. Specifically, it builds trusts and wills tailored to each family’s goals. The firm serves clients throughout San Diego County. Consultations help clients begin planning with confidence.

Why Choose Preston Estate Planning

The firm’s name reflects its single focus on estate planning. As a result, clients work with a team immersed in trusts and wills. The practice serves San Diego County families. Its dedicated focus distinguishes it from general civil offices.

Elder Law San Diego — Practice Areas & Services

Living trusts — helping San Diego County families avoid probate.
Wills — directing the transfer of assets clearly.
Legacy planning — aligning the estate with long-term goals.
Powers of attorney — naming trusted decision-makers in advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I start estate planning?

The best time is before a health or financial crisis arrives. Planning early gives you full control over your wishes. An attorney can build a plan at any life stage.

What is the difference between a will and a trust?

A will directs asset transfer but still goes through probate. A funded trust avoids probate and keeps the estate private. Many San Diego families use both together.

How does probate work in San Diego County?

Probate is handled at the Central Courthouse, 1100 Union Street, and can take many months. A living trust can help families avoid it. That saves time and keeps matters private.

Quick Facts: Elder Law in San Diego, California

Probate cost: California statutory fees start at 4% of the first $100,000 of estate value — California Courts Self-Help
Probate timeline: California probate typically runs 9 to 18 months — California Courts
Aging population: 16.5% of Californians were 65 or older in 2024 — Public Policy Institute of California

What People Say About Preston Estate Planning

Preston Estate Planning, located in San Diego, California, is highly regarded as an exceptional Estate Planning and Elder Law firm. Clients consistently praise the knowledgeable and friendly staff for their thoroughness, responsiveness, and empathy during sensitive times, making the estate planning process feel manageable and supportive. Many reviewers express their confidence in recommending Preston Estate Planning to family and friends, highlighting the firm’s dedication to ensuring clients fully understand their estate documents and the comprehensive care provided throughout the planning process.

Google Reviews for Preston Estate Planning

Mr. Preston guided me through through the process of updating my Trust. He was available to answer me and my daughter’s questions. I really appreciated him looking into the Deeds on my properties and updating the one in San Diego County and checking on the one in Nevada. He was very thorough and I would highly recommend his law firm to anyone. I really liked the Concierge service for any additional questions I had.

Everyone I spoke with at Preston Estate Planning was knowledgeable and friendly. There was great follow up by the office once I received and reviewed my documents. I was provided numbers to a couple of notaries and scheduled a signing. The signing of the documents were painless. I would definitely recommend them to family and friends

Preston Estate Planning helped me revise my family trust after my husband passed away last year. It was a devastating time for me and I was very fragile. But Mr. JM Preston was patient, understanding, and empathic towards me and my circumstances. The new trust was very different from the previous one and I didn’t understand many items but I went in with my questions and confusion and they took the time to explain each item to me. I will need to go in again, I am sure, as I become more familiar with the documents. It wasn’t inexpensive but this process and the service I received is well worth the money. The only reason I didn’t give my experience a prefect score of 5 is because it was a complicated document and it would have been helpful to maybe have had a session with Mr. Preston to go over every aspect of it rather than me having to go over it myself at home with no frame of reference. I have recommended Preston Estate Planning to anyone who asks, I am that confident in the firm.

Excellent assistance was received. Preston team, very professional and knowledgeable team, they provided strong legal counsel and they were responsive to inquiries. Their services greatly appreciated.

I’ve worked with JM Preston for years. My mother set up her trust with them, after she passed, I asked them to help me with mine. They’ve been cooperative and helpful. Kim has been great.

5 gold stars for creating an incredibly easy process to complete my trust.

After the recent passing of my wife I needed to update my estate planning. I needed to update my trust, and add a will. Preston was my first call. They were very helpful, and knowledgeable about all my questions. As well as pointing out errors in the original trust.

I recently met with Preston Estate Planning. I was very interested in find out more about the process and how I may be able to protect me and my family’s assets. JM was very knowledgeable when informing me the significant reasons in Planning and Protecting our Estate Assets.

I had many choices to go with and after months of contemplating, I found comfort and confidence in my consultation with attorney Jennifer Knight and her detailed evaluation of my case. They are very professional and their prices although not cheap, was less than several other law firms I had interviewed. The notary they referred to me was quite thorough and held my hand through the signing process. This is quite a complicated process and it requires a professional doing it. I highly recommend them.

Preston Estate Planning has been the right choice for drafting my living trust and all related documents. I had to revise my original trust and glad that I went with this law firm (and not the previous) as I feel I am getting much more info to consider during the drafting process to ensure my living trust is as comprehensive as can be to provide all the protection available to me and my heirs. The team is very responsive to matters concerning my living trust as well as providing referrals for other matters. I highly recommend engaging Preston for estate planning!

I would highly recommend Preston Estate Planning for its exceptional and thorough services. We had our Trust done with his law firm many years ago and after watching the webinars, we decided to update our Trust. Mr. Preston himself went through our Trust and thoroughly explained to us the changes that needed to be updated and answered all our questions in a manner that we understood in layman’s term. Mr. Preston and staff were all very cordial and honest that is very commendable.

I really appreciate John Preston as my estate planning attorney. While it took me a long time to get things back to him, they have been somewhat persistent but not aggressive in nudging me to get things to them. Now, we are working on funding my trust. Their suggestions on what needs to be done next and the monthly webinars for the Life Plan members have given me a lot of reasonable steps to take and helped bring me closer to my family members, who are acting as co-trustees for my living trust. I don’t make a lot of money, but I want to use the assets I have for my retirement and be able to leave something for my beneficiaries.

It’s easy to recommend the entire team of Preston Estate Planning because they know the questions to ask, they won’t let you go it alone, and they have a Concierge Team to help you get your Trust done.

I have to admit, I was surprised that getting a law firm to address that I thought was a somewhat standard service proved to be quite challenging. I’ll spare the details, but following an in depth search of roughly ten estate planning attorneys, shortlisting four, and ultimately meeting three, there was a distinct difference at Preston Estate Planning.

My wife and I already had a Trust in place and believed it was sufficient—until we started watching the webinars from Preston Estate Planning. The information they provided opened our eyes to potential gaps and important details we had never considered. That’s what ultimately led us to work with their team, and we’re so glad we did.

Preston Estate Planning