Meet the Principals of the Law Firm

Philip J. Kavesh

Philip J. Kavesh is a nationally recognized attorney, authority, speaker, educator and technical innovator in estate planning.

Phil has earned significant recognition and accolades during his over 32 years of practice as an estate planning attorney. Phil holds a Master Degree (LL.M.) in Tax Law and is a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. He also has been awarded the Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Financial Consultant designations. Phil has served his fellow estate planning and financial professionals by teaching in the Golden Gate University Graduate Tax Degree and Certified Financial Planner programs. Phil was also selected by his peers and served on their behalf as the California Legislative Liaison for the International Association of Financial Planners and has represented the estate planning attorney community in testifying before State legislative committees seeking to regulate the estate and financial planning professions and to eliminate “Trust mills”. In fact, several of the practice forms and client disclosure pieces created by Phil have been incorporated into new legislation and regulations. Furthermore, Phil was one of three attorney co-founders of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys. He has also been an honorary member of the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys and is currently a member of WealthCounsel.

Phil has been recognized and quoted as an estate and tax planning authority in numerous national, prestigious publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, Investors Daily, Personal Finance Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Business Journal, Consumer Reports Magazine, Ed Slott’s IRA Newsletter, and Investment Advisor Magazine. He has appeared on several television and radio programs and his weekly TV show, “Preserve Your Estate”, was broadcast on local Los Angeles TV for over six years.

Phil has created or co-created numerous technical advances in estate planning, including the Personal Asset Trust^SM and the IRA Inheritance Trust®. He has also authored or coauthored several outstanding consumer publications including “The Ten Biggest Mistakes People Make When Setting Up a Living Trust”, “The Top Ten Estate Planning Mistakes Wealthy People Make”, “21st Century Wealth”, and “The Questions You Should Ask When Choosing Your Estate Planner”.

Even more impressive are Phil’s accomplishments as a speaker and educator of the public and his professional peers. Phil has personally presented over 2,000 seminars on estate, tax and financial planning to the general public, to various major corporations and their employees, and to CPAs, financial planners and attorneys. His renowned seminars have been duplicated and sold to thousands of estate planning professionals and financial advisors in the U.S. and Canada. Phil has devoted substantial efforts to improving the standards in the estate planning and financial planning industries by personally training over 4,000 attorneys and financial planners. He co-wrote and copresented the “Boot Camp for Estate Planning Attorneys”, which was the precursor of the American Academy. Most recently, Phil has trained and helped numerous estate planning attorneys and financial planners throughout the country through his company, The Ultimate Estate Planner, Inc.

In summary, Phil Kavesh’s commitment and contribution to the welfare of his clients, the consumer public, and his profession are truly unique.

Roger Minor

Roger L. Minor is a noted speaker and authority on estate planning. He has practiced estate planning law for nearly four decades. He holds both a J.D. and LL.M. Degree from Northwestern University and has completed the Advanced Program in Taxation at the University of Southern California.

Mr. Minor has earned many distinctions for his work throughout his career including being elected to the National Board of Directors of the Christian Legal Society and holding the Presidential post for the South Bay Estate Planning Council. He has donated much of his time and expertise to local charities.

Mr. Minor has retired from the firm and now resides in Arizona with his wife, Barbara.

Robert Otis

Robert Otis is a well-known public speaker on the advantages of proper estate planning and has practiced law for over 20 years, specializing primarily in Living Trusts. Mr. Otis graduated from Southwestern University with a J.D. Degree. During the course of his legal career, Mr. Otis has supervised the preparation of several thousand Living Trusts, as well as assisted hundreds of people with administrating trusts after individuals have passed away.

Mr. Otis has retired from the firm and now resides in Alhambra with his wife, Denise.