Thomas Leonard McKenzie

Thomas Leonard McKenzie

4.0
Rating: 8.9

Licensed for 32 years

Trusts Lawyer at Los Alamitos, CA
Practice Areas: Trusts, Probate, Elder Law, Estate Planning

2631 Copa De Oro Drive, Los Alamitos, CA

About Thomas

Biography

Practice Areas

4

Practice Areas

Trusts 29%

Establishing a comprehensive estate plan is one of the most important ways to protect you & your family. All clients receive Tom's personal attention, and unlike firms who use generic software, all documents are personally drafted by Mr. McKenzie.

32 years

29%
Probate 27%

Our firm has handled scores of probates in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, and each of them has been completed in an expeditious and professional manner. Also, Mr. McKenzie's expertise in real estate and finance has been an added bonus to clients.

32 years

27%
Elder Law 26%

Elder Law services include advice on developing important protections for your spouse and/or your minor or disabled children should you pass away unexpectedly; pre-planning for Medi-Cal benefits for long-term care; assistance in obtaining Medi-Cal benefits for long-term care; protecting family homes and other assets from Medi-Cal claims; advice on long-term care insurance and other long-term care planning alternatives; and assistance in obtaining VA benefits for home care and assisted living.

32 years

26%
Estate Planning 18%

We are one of the only firms in Southern California who offer full-service estate planning, financial consulting and elder law services. Our Estate Planning services include Living Trusts, Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Advance Health Care Directives. Special planning is available for families with children, special needs beneficiaries, and other unique circumstances. If needed, probate and trust administration services are also available.

32 years

18%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes

Hourly Rates

$ 295-350 per hour


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Licenses

Licensed in California for 32 years

State: California

Acquired: 1993

Active

No misconduct found

Location

McKenzie Legal & Financial

2631 Copa De Oro Drive, Los Alamitos, CA, 90720

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Thomas Leonard McKenzie's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.0 /5.0

8 Client Reviews

5 star (6)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (2)

Posted by Thomas | July 22, 2024 | Consulted Attorney

This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.

Answer to "Donica"

The review from Donica is a fake review, and I've tried to answer it, but AVVO has no telephone number to call for assistance. Yesterday, I gave a company we hired a so-so review because their service was sub-par. Today, I receive three bad reviews, all with similar language, and all with different... names (e.g., Warsaw C. from San Diego, Warsaw G. from Huntington Beach, and on AVVO, a person who claims to be Donica). First, we have never had any clients with any of those names. Second, just to correct the record, the description of how I run our practice is totally made up. I have never ignored a client after I was paid. In fact, I typically don’t get paid until the case is finished. I don't forget to file paperwork, in fact, we are one of the few firms who can file our clients’ paperwork directly from our office, which we do as soon as the paperwork is signed. In addition, unlike most firms, we do not require a retainer for hourly work that is paid up front, so it is not possible that someone paid us without receiving services. Regarding payments, I either charge a flat fee, which doesn't change, or I charge hourly, the total of which is due when the case is finished. So, the reviews from Warsaw C., Warsaw G., and Donica are fake, and likely a result of a bad review I left for another company yesterday.

Posted by Donica | July 21, 2024 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Worst Service Ever

This attorney is a scam and incompetent. We hired him for his services but we regret it. Terrible customer service. First red flag should of been his so called office is from his house. Then on multiple occasions he forgot to file paperwork. He also kept making excuses why he was going to charge ...us more and more. We also could never get a hold of him. In the end we didn’t get the results we wanted. Don’t waste your time and money with this attorney.

Posted by Rita | June 13, 2016 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Highly trustworthy!

What a great experience dealing with something I had put off for years. Tom was extremely professional, yet very friendly and helpful in all aspects of our interaction. He took the time to listen, which is so important, and the finished product was exactly what I had wanted. I would highly recomme...nd him for any of your estate needs. Thank you Tom, Rita

Thomas McKenzie

Replied last April 17, 2018

I appreciate very much your level of satisfaction with our services, and as always, I am ready to assist you in the event that you may require additional assistance.

Posted by R | June 7, 2016 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Best around

We have used Thomas recently based on his skill and compassion with my mom's estate. Easy to contact, make appointments and a very honest and fair attorney. Would never go anywhere else.

Posted by anonymous | January 16, 2011

Professional

I could not be more pleased with the living trust Mr. McKenzie prepared for me but also for my mother. The trust he prepared was so detailed that any and everything I needed was covered and made it possible to take care of every one of my mother's needs without hassle or delay. I have already recomme...nded him to many and will continue to do so in the future.

See All Client Reviews

Thomas Leonard McKenzie's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Thomas
Peter Andrew Keon headshot
Peter Keon

Elder law lawyer | May 26

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Tom has helped many of our clients through the years with regard to Medi-Cal planning. He also provided advice to the attorneys of our law firm with regard to this area of law as we have expanded our Medi-Cal planning practice. We appreciate Tom's expertise and knowledge in this area of the law."

View All Endorsements

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This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.

Experience

Rating:  8.9 (Excellent)

Honors

2018

Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts - Distinguished Member, Lawyers of Distinction

2018

Distinguished, Martindale-Hubbell

2017

Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts - Distinguished Member, Lawyers of Distinction

2016

Estate Planning and Elder Law Award, Legal Leaders

2012

Five Star Wealth Manager, Orange Coast Magazine

2011

Five Star Wealth Manager, Los Angeles Magazine

2011

Wealth Managers of Los Angeles, Newsweek Magazine

1993

Dean's List - Award of Merit, The National Dean's List

1993

Law Review, Associate Editor, Western State University College of Law

1992

Law Review - Editorial Board Member, Western State University College of Law

1992

Scott McCune Scholarship, Western State University College of Law

1991

American Jurisprudence Award in Property Law, Western State University College of Law

1991

American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law, Western State University College of Law

Work Experience

1993 - Present

Attorney, McKenzie Legal & Financial

1998 - 2018

Real Estate Broker, Thomas L. McKenzie

1996 - 2018

Financial Advisor, McKenzie Legal & Financial

Associations

2016 - Present

ElderCounsel

Member

2016 - Present

State Bar of California, Real Property Law Section

Member

2015 - Present

Financial Planning Association

Member

2012 - Present

Elder Care Matters

Member

2003 - Present

State Bar of California, Trusts and Estates Section

Member

1997 - Present

International Association of Registered Financial Consultants

Licensee

1994 - Present

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

Member

State Bar of California, Real Property Law Section

Member

State Bar of California, Trusts and Estates Section

Member

State Bar of California, Taxation Section

Member

State Bar of California, Business Law Section

Member

2005 - 2009

Orange County Bar Association, Elder Law Section

Chair

2004 - 2004

Orange County Bar Association, Elder Law Section

Treasurer

2003 - 2006

Orange County Bar Association, Elder Law Section

Secretary

2003 - 2003

Orange County Bar Association, Elder Law Section

Secretary

2001 - 2005

Orange County Bar Association, Elder Law Section

Board of Directors

Education

1993

Western State University College of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

N/A

Western State University

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2005

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform

Protecting Senior Citizens

1998

Antidotes for Estate Planning Scams, Botched Trusts, and Other Disasters

Estate Planning

Publications

2001

Leisure World News Financial Services: Lessons From the Dark Side

1999

Los Angeles Daily Journal The Attorney as Financial Advisor

1997

NAELA News The New "Legal Experts"

1995

The Sun Newspaper Plan to Avoid Medi-Cal Blues

1995

Orange County Bar Assoc. Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law Newsletter Insurance Agents as Estate Planners

1993

Western State University Law Review United States vs. Fordice: Does the End of "Separate and Unequal" in Higher Education Also Spell the End of Historically Black Colleges?

Languages

English

Avvo Rating

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What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
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