Cappelloni Law PC

Focus and practice areas

Clients come to Cappelloni Law PC for estate planning, probate, and trust administration. The San Francisco firm works with people who are preparing their own plans and with those handling another person's estate or trust. Wills and trusts fall within its estate planning focus. Its probate work covers executors and administrators, while its trust administration work supports trustees.

These fields share a concern with property, decision making, and family wishes, but each has a separate legal process. Estate planning takes place during the client's lifetime. Probate involves court supervision after a death. Trust administration follows the terms of a trust and the duties that California law places on a trustee.

Estate planning documents and decisions

An estate plan often includes a will, a trust, powers of attorney, and health care directions. The documents depend on the client's assets, family circumstances, and goals. A lawyer may also review how property is titled and how beneficiary designations work with the rest of the plan. This review can help identify instructions that conflict or leave an asset outside the intended plan.

Trust planning requires choices about who will manage assets, when beneficiaries may receive them, and what should happen if the original trustee cannot continue. A will may name an executor and state how the person wants to distribute property. California clients may also use a will to address guardianship wishes for minor children. These choices call for careful drafting and clear records.

Probate and trust administration work

The firm's administration work begins after a death, when an executor, administrator, or trustee must carry out legal duties. Cappelloni Law PC guides executors and administrators through probate proceedings. It also assists trustees with trust administration. Those services address two distinct paths for collecting property, paying proper expenses, and transferring assets.

How probate generally proceeds

A California probate case usually starts with a petition asking the court to appoint a personal representative. The court may appoint the executor named in a will or an administrator when the estate requires one. The representative then gathers estate property, handles notices, addresses creditor claims, and prepares the required records. Court approval may control later steps, including final distribution.

Probate work often depends on deadlines and formal documents. Petitions, notices, inventories, accountings, and proposed orders can each affect the timing of a case. Beneficiaries and creditors may have rights at different stages. The firm's stated role in guiding executors and administrators gives clients a named attorney team for that process.

What trustees generally handle

Trust administration usually calls for a review of the trust document and the assets connected to it. A trustee may need to notify beneficiaries, identify property, obtain values, keep accounts, address taxes, and make distributions under the trust terms. The trustee also owes legal duties to the beneficiaries. Accurate records matter because beneficiaries may request information or an accounting.

Some trust matters involve practical questions about property management. Others involve the meaning of a clause or the timing of a distribution. The firm's trust administration focus fits the backgrounds described for both named attorneys. Paralegals also work on staff and support the firm's legal work.

How the attorney team developed

Lauren Cappelloni founded Cappelloni Law PC in 2018 after ten years focused on estate planning and administration. She began practicing law in 2006 as a litigation associate in the San Francisco office of Nixon Peabody LLP. In 2008, she joined a boutique estate planning and administration firm. She later became a partner there.

That career path combines early litigation work with a long period devoted to estates and trusts. Litigation experience can give an attorney familiarity with court procedure and disputed matters. Estate planning and administration require a different kind of work, including document preparation, fiduciary guidance, and attention to family instructions. Cappelloni's background includes both settings.

Education and bar admission

Cappelloni graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. She attended the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and worked on the Hastings Law Journal. She is admitted to the State Bar of California. The firm identifies her as its founder.

Karly Schlinkert began practicing at an estate planning firm in Fremont after joining the State Bar of California in 2014. She moved to a boutique estate planning and administration firm in San Francisco in 2018. Her work there focused on trust administration and probate proceedings. She joined Cappelloni Law PC at the start of 2023.

Schlinkert earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California, Davis, and attended Golden Gate University School of Law. She holds bar admissions in California and Texas. Her stated work history centers on the same probate and trust matters that form part of the firm's current services.

What the team record shows

Cappelloni Law PC reports about 28 years of combined attorney experience. The figure aligns with the practice timelines supplied for Cappelloni and Schlinkert. Both attorneys worked in estate planning and administration before joining the current firm. In my opinion, the value of that record lies in the direct match between their stated backgrounds and the matters the firm handles.

The team structure is compact and easy to identify. Cappelloni brings experience as a founder, former partner, estate planning attorney, and former litigation associate. Schlinkert brings California and Texas bar admissions, plus prior work in probate and trust administration. The paralegal staff adds support for document and case management tasks.

Meeting options in the Bay Area

The firm is based in San Francisco and serves clients across the San Francisco Bay Area. Clients may meet with the team by phone, video conference, or in person in San Francisco. These formats allow estate planning clients and fiduciaries to choose a meeting setting that suits the documents and discussions involved.

Remote meetings can help when family members, trustees, or beneficiaries live in different places. In-person sessions may suit document reviews or conversations involving several related papers. For probate and trust administration clients, the firm also makes a conference room available in San Mateo.