Practices

Private Wealth Services
Wealth Planning and Preservation
Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations
Trusts, Estates and Fiduciary Dispute Resolution

Education

University of California, Berkeley School of Law, J.D.

Oberlin College, A.B.

Bar Admissions

California

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Bruce S. Ross

Partner
Los Angeles
t: 213-896-2527

Bruce Ross is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with over 40 years' experience litigating trust, estate, and conservatorship matters. Mr. Ross chairs the firm's national Private Wealth Services Dispute Resolution Team.

Mr. Ross has appeared pro hac vice in several states to handle such litigation and has consulted with colleagues overseas on cases involving international succession matters, including, in particular, Switzerland, Israel, Nicaragua, Greece, Australia, Great Britain, Spain and Germany. He is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law (California Board of Legal Specialization). Mr. Ross is a consultant to, and expert witness for, plaintiffs and defense attorneys, accountants, and malpractice insurance carriers in the areas of estate planning, probate, fiduciary litigation, and professional responsibility.

Quoted Articles

  • ABC's Good Morning America, "Mickey Rooney to Take Stand Against Elder Abuse," March 2, 2011
  • Metropolitan News-Enterprise, "Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Anna Nicole Smith Case," September 29, 2010

Professional Honors & Awards

  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Litigation - Trusts and Estates, 1993-2012
  • Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers guide, Wealth Management: Western Region, 2008-2011
  • Southern California Super Lawyers magazine, 2004-2012
  • Who's Who in Law, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2009
  • Chambers USA – Ranked #1 in Wealth Management: Western Region - National
  • Top 100 Attorney, Worth Magazine, 2006, 2007

Memberships

  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Past President (2006-2007) and Regent Emeritus
  • California Board of Legal Specialization, Certified Specialist, Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law
  • International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, Academician and Past Executive Council Member

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Tax Court
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Speaking Engagements

  • "Ethical Issues in Practice: Important Fiduciary Litigation," ALI-ABA Annual Program, "Planning Techniques for Large Estates," Boston, MA, April 24, 2012
  • "Ethics - The ACTEC Commentaries in the 21st Century: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?" and "Elder Financial Abuse: Protecting the Aging Client from the Den of Thieves," Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, Orlando, FL, January 9-13, 2012
  • "Financial Elder Abuse," Legal Week Private Client Forum, Lake Cuomo, Italy, November 4, 2011
  • "Ethics and Recent Fiduciary Litigation," ALI-ABA Annual Program, "Planning the Large Estate," San Francisco, CA, October 25, 2011
  • "Legal Malpractice in Estate and Trust Planning and Administration", ACTEC Fall Meeting, San Diego, CA, October 13, 2011
  • "The Anna Nicole Smith Story," Sacramento Estate Planning Council, September 28, 2011
  • "American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Commentaries," National Association of Estate Planning Attorneys, San Diego, November 19, 2010
  • "American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Commentaries," ALI-ABA program, San Francisco, November 18, 2010
  • "The ACTEC Commentaries on the Model Rules of Professional Conduct: How to Do Right by Not Doing Wrong," National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC) Foundation's Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, November 15-17, 2010
  • "Bomb proofing the Estate Plan," Seattle Estate Planning Annual Seminar, November 1, 2010
  • "Recent Developments in International Trust and Estate Litigation," International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, Barcelona, May 23, 2010
  • "Ethical Issues in Practice: Important Fiduciary Litigation," Planning Techniques for Large Estates, ALI-ABA, New York, NY, April 30, 2010
  • Moderator, "International Trust Litigation," IBA Annual International Wealth Transfer Practices Conference, London, England, March 2, 2010
  • Moderator, "Between "Sunrise and Sunset" The 2010 One-Year Estate and GST Tax Repeal. Planning Opportunities, Traps and Pitfalls in the 'Gap Year'," The Rutter Group, February 22 & 24, 2010
  • "Bombproofing the Estate Plan," Heckerling Institute, Orlando, Florida, January 27, 2010
  • "Arizona Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Professionals," Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, November 20, 2009
  • "Ethics; Recent Fiduciary Developments," ALI-ABA Annual Program, "Planning the Large Estate," San Francisco, CA, November 17, 2009
  • "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Recent Developments in Estate and Trust Litigation," Southern California Tax and Estate Planning Forum, San Diego, CA, October 23, 2009
  • "Steering the Fiduciary Past the Shoals of Surcharge: Advice to Trustees and Their Advisors," Duke University Annual CLE, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, October 15, 2009
  • "Bombproofing your Trust: How to Make Sure You Do It Right," American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, San Diego, CA, October 10, 2009
  • "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds: The Legal Life, Death and Afterlife of Anna Nicole Smith," National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys 2008 National Symposium, May 14-18, 2008
  • "Bullet Proof the Estate Plan: How to Avoid or Minimize Litigation," National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys 2008 National Symposium, May 14-18, 2008

Published Articles & Books

  • "Ethical Issues In Practice: Important Fiduciary Litigation," ALI-ABA Estate Planning Course Materials Journal, August 2010
  • "California Practice Guide: Probate," The Rutter Group, 1986 – 2008, Supplemented annually, 2008
  • "Guide to the California Rules of Professional Conduct for Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law," The State Bar of California Trusts and Estates Section, 2008