Paolini & Mori

A documented family line since 1951

The firm's roots reach back to 1951, when Ezio M. Paolini founded a predecessor firm in San Francisco's Excelsior District. His daughter, Anne Marie Paolini-Mori, acquired her father's law practice in 1994. Paul J. Mori joined her in 2004, and the two formed Paolini & Mori.

That sequence gives the firm a clear record of continuity across two generations. It also explains the family connection between the current partners. The firm's website identifies Anne Marie Paolini-Mori and Paul J. Mori as the two partners who handle its legal work today.

The two-partner team

Anne Marie Paolini-Mori focuses on estate planning, probate, and trust administration. Her connection to the predecessor firm began before the current firm took shape in 2004. The site identifies her as a partner and describes her acquisition of Ezio M. Paolini's practice.

Paul J. Mori handles residential and commercial real estate transactions. The site credits him with more than 15 years of experience in negotiating and drafting real estate and other transactions. He is also a licensed California real estate broker under California DRE No. 01422683.

In my opinion, the division of work is easy to understand. Anne Marie Paolini-Mori handles the estate side, while Paul J. Mori's stated work centers on transactions. Both partners also contribute to the firm's business and corporate services.

Estate planning documents and personal authority

The estate planning work covers wills, revocable trusts, living trusts, and general durable powers of attorney. These documents address different parts of planning. A will records instructions for property handled through probate, while a trust can hold and manage assets under its terms.

A general durable power of attorney appoints a person to handle specified financial matters. The document can remain effective if the person who signed it later loses capacity, subject to its wording and California law. This makes the choice of agent and the scope of authority central drafting points.

How estate planning generally proceeds

Estate planning usually begins with a review of assets, ownership records, family circumstances, and intended beneficiaries. The client also chooses people for roles such as executor, trustee, or agent. Attorneys then prepare documents that put those choices into legal form.

Trust planning often requires attention to asset title. A signed trust and a properly titled asset perform different jobs. Deeds, account records, and beneficiary designations may affect how an estate plan works in practice.

Life changes can lead a person to review an existing plan. Marriage, divorce, a death in the family, a property purchase, or a change in intended decision-makers can affect earlier choices. The firm's stated document work gives clients access to several common planning tools.

Probate and trust administration across Bay Area counties

The firm handles probate and trust administration as separate parts of its estate work. Probate matters go through court, while trustees usually administer trusts under the trust document and applicable law. Each process can require notices, records, asset review, and distributions.

The firm practices before Probate Court in Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Sonoma counties. This is a specific geographic record for its court work. It covers several of the main counties around San Francisco Bay.

What probate administration can involve

A California probate commonly starts with a petition asking the court to appoint a personal representative. Interested parties receive notice, and the court reviews the request. Later work can include an inventory, appraisal, creditor matters, accountings, and a petition for distribution.

Trust administration follows a different legal path. A trustee may need to notify beneficiaries, gather trust property, review obligations, keep records, and carry out the distribution terms. Disagreements or unclear instructions can bring a trust matter before a probate judge.

Anne Marie Paolini-Mori's stated work includes both probate and trust administration. That combination places planning documents and post-death administration with the same partner. The site also ties this work to the firm's longer family history in San Francisco.

Real estate transactions with broker licensing

Residential and commercial deals form the real estate portion of the firm's work. Paul J. Mori negotiates and drafts transaction documents in this area. His California real estate broker license adds a separate state credential related to property transactions.

The firm's site states that the broker license allows it to list and sell estate real property directly. That detail connects the real estate and probate sides of the firm. Estate property may need legal review, broker activity, court approval, or a combination of those steps based on the circumstances.

Documents and decisions in a property deal

A real estate contract usually identifies the parties, the property, important deadlines, contingencies, and closing duties. Title records and disclosures can affect whether a deal proceeds on its original terms. Residential and commercial transactions can also call for different forms of due diligence.

Commercial property work may involve entity authority, use restrictions, tenant matters, and longer review periods. Residential deals often place greater attention on disclosures, financing conditions, inspections, and occupancy. These are general features of the transaction types named on the firm's site.

Paul J. Mori's work covers both categories. The site also states that his transaction experience includes real estate and non-real-estate agreements. This background links his property work with the firm's contract services for businesses.

Business formation and contract work

The business and corporate practice includes business entity formation. Formation typically requires decisions about entity type, ownership, management authority, and governing documents. State filings then create or register the selected entity under the applicable rules.

The firm also drafts and reviews business contracts. Contract review usually examines each party's duties, deadlines, termination rights, remedies, and dispute terms. Clear definitions and consistent provisions can reduce uncertainty about what the parties agreed to do.

Client and community focus

The website identifies individuals, small businesses, and entrepreneurs among the firm's clients. Those client groups align with the listed services in estate planning, property transactions, entity formation, and contracts. The firm works with clients across the San Francisco Bay Area.

The firm also describes a tradition of work with San Francisco's Italian and Italian-American community. That connection dates to the predecessor firm founded by Ezio M. Paolini in the Excelsior District. Anne Marie Paolini-Mori and Paul J. Mori now carry the firm's stated work as its two partners.