By Attorney, Philip J. Kavesh

This month, on the 9th, Jane Lee will celebrate a great milestone. (Oh, in case you don't know who Jane is, she’s an attorney with our firm and here's her photo.)

 

A Long And Winding Road

That best describes Jane’s life path. Her journey began when she was only about 6 months old and she, her parents and sister moved some 12,000 miles from Taiwan to Lubbock, Texas. Her father was a scientist and came to study neuroscience at Texas Tech. A few years later, after he earned his Ph.D., Jane's dad and family moved again, to Dallas, where he found his first job as a neuroscience researcher. Then, when Jane was 12, there was a third move to San Diego, so her father could advance his work at Scripps Institute. These were just a few of the stops on Jane’s way to where she is now (and, yes, to that milestone we’ll tell you about).

 

A Firm Commitment to 

Hard Work and Higher Education

 

It’s not hard to see from her father’s story, where Jane's work habits and ambition for higher learning originated. (Oh, and let’s not forget to mention her mother was a school teacher!) At the relatively young age of 16, after finishing high school in only three years, Jane headed right to Brentwood and UCLA. At that time, Jane wasn't sure what professional path she might take, so she decided to hedge her bet and double major in business economics and art history. The latter was sure a lot of fun, particularly as she studied for a semester of her sophomore year abroad in Florence, Italy, a great place to appreciate Renaissance art and architecture (and enjoy weekend trips to Rome, Pisa or Venice!). But when it came to finally getting serious about her future path, it was a business law class at UCLA in her junior year that ultimately resonated with and motivated her.

 

So, after UCLA, it was off to Washington University Law School in Saint Louis. In keeping with her strong work ethic, Jane didn’t return to LA but rather stayed in St. Louis for three years without a break, working every summer as a clerk at a law firm. But, even though she was committed to a legal career, that experience only wound up convincing her to move back to LA, because the summers there were so terribly hot and humid!

 

It just so happened that Jane's college roommate lived in Manhattan Beach. So, she returned to California to join her again. But Jane's professional journey wasn't nearly done yet!

 

A Crash Course in Reviewing 

Legal Document Details

 

Jane got her first job as a licensed attorney at a downtown LA litigation firm. They handled large-scale, complex energy company cases and, as the “newbie”, Jane was thrown into long, secluded hours of reviewing incredibly detailed contractual and other legal documents.

 

She didn't mind the work so much, but the several hours commuting each day to downtown and back, plus the extraordinarily long hours of the job, convinced her to look for another area of law and different office location. She wondered, “What and where?”

 

Jane recalled how much she enjoyed a class in law school about Trusts and Estates. And, after working in the back room, reviewing documents all day, she craved the client-facing experience that estate planning involved. So, Jane joined our firm, starting her career all over again as a “newbie” in estate planning. She had zero estate planning experience before that.

 

But Jane's thirst for knowledge and attention to detail had her up and running, in front of clients, right away. Other attorneys at our firm took her under their wings and she responded brilliantly. Peter Keon mentored her in estate planning (he's still with us today too) and Stephanie Lord taught her post-death estate and trust administration (now Jane’s specialty area).

 

Speaking of “specialty”, Jane's remarkably quick immersion in and command of estate planning led to her earning her California State Bar Certification as a Specialist in Trust, Estate and Probate law in only 5 years!

 

Oh, Let's Not Overlook Her Next Milestone!

(Still Not the Big One I’ll Share in a Bit)

 

Shortly after her certification, Jane met her husband-to-be! She wasn't sure if it would ever happen because Jane was picky. I remember her telling me at the time, “I'm not interested in online dating or matchmaking. I’m only going to go out with a guy who is vouched for by my friends or other people they know!”

 

Sure enough, as events occurred according to her plan, Jane was visiting her upstairs duplex neighbor, who held a regular get-together with his friends during which they played cards. (When she tells this story, Jane is quick to point out, “I didn't play cards, I just hung out!”). Among the friends of her friend, Jane met her future husband who, not coincidentally, was another highly educated, detail-oriented professional - - an engineer at Aerospace Corp!

 

Well, as you’ve guessed, Jane married that engineer and they now have two young daughters, ages 5 and 8. And, for almost all those years of child raising, Jane came to master a new kind of hybrid work-at-office and work-at-home business life. When I asked Jane for more details, she offered these…

 

Jane’s Tips For Other Working Mothers

About Successful Work-Life Balance

 

First, find a job with work tasks (like document creation and review) that can take place at home, and structure client or business meetings so they can take place on Zoom (COVID surely helped to refine this!) Second, if you can, establish your company position and career in that job before having children. Third, have a husband or some other trusted person who can help take and pick up your children from preschool and elementary school a few days a week! (And, as a bonus tip, don't forget your passions or hobbies; Jane is now back to pursuing running and intends to participate in the Redondo 5K next year!)

 

And Jane Has A Last, Important

Piece of Advice for

Parents and Their Estate Plans

 

Now, after her many years of experience in both estate planning and handling post-death administration, I asked Jane, “What’s the most important thing you learned and would like to pass on to others?” To which, she quickly responded, “An Estate Plan is only as good as the family relationships. Too many families, particularly the children who will become beneficiaries, have personal issues between them that can blow up after the parents pass. The only thing maintaining family harmony is usually the parents. They have to, as much as they may otherwise try to avoid it, talk about these issues with or between their children while they're alive. If they don't deal with it, terrible fights will often be the result, rather than the legacy of family harmony they intend.”

 

That's solid advice.

 

OK, Now Here’s The Big Milestone!

 

On May 9, Jane will celebrate her 20th anniversary with our firm. You’ve come a long way, Jane! From all of us at Kavesh Minor and Otis, and also on behalf of the countless clients and their families you’ve touched, congratulations and thank you for your 20 years of dedicated service at our law firm! And for making our community a better place.

 

Philip J. Kavesh
Helping clients with customized estate planning guidance and trust & estate administration for over 44 years.
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