Mark Joseph McGowan

Mark Joseph McGowan

4.9
Rating: 8.4

Licensed for 29 years

Trusts Lawyer at Palm Desert, CA
Practice Areas: Trusts, Probate, Personal Injury ... +3 more

72630 Fred Waring Drive, Suite 201, Palm Desert, CA

About Mark

Biography

Mark J. McGowan is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford University (1981) and graduate of Stanford Law School (1984). His practice focuses on representing individuals, estates, and businesses in trans...

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


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Licenses

Licensed in California for 25 years

State: California

Acquired: 2000

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in Washington for 24 years

State: Washington

Acquired: 2002

Administrative Suspension

No misconduct found

Licensed in Florida for 29 years

State: Florida

Acquired: 1996

Retired

No misconduct found

Location

The Law Offices of Mark J. McGowan

72630 Fred Waring Drive, Suite 201, Palm Desert, CA, 92260

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Mark Joseph McGowan's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.9 /5.0

125 Client Reviews

Showing 1 - 5 of 19 reviews | Estate Planning

Posted by Hillary | March 17, 2026 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Attorney Mark McGowan is truly exceptional.

Attorney Mark McGowan is truly exceptional. We are profoundly grateful that he practices here in the desert. We sought Attorney Mark McGowan’s guidance for our estate planning and trusts because of his outstanding training at Stanford, and he exceeded every expectation. He embodies everything one ho...pes for in an attorney: consummately professional, personable, and engaging, with a wonderful sense of humor that makes even complex discussions approachable and reassuring. Most importantly, Mark McGowan possesses extraordinary depth of knowledge in wills and trusts. He answers questions with clarity and precision, and his insight is remarkable. He thoughtfully incorporated provisions into our documents that no previous attorney had considered, including details that reflect both his expertise and his genuine commitment to protecting his clients’ interests. Mark McGowan is also exceptionally responsive and efficient, providing timely communication and a seamless turnaround in preparing our documents. If you are seeking the very finest legal counsel, Mark McGowan is unequivocally the right choice! He is simply the very best!

Posted by anonymous | March 21, 2025 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Great Attorney!

Mark was very attentive to the details for what and how I wanted my will and trust to be stated. Very professional and reasonably priced. Highly recommend for anyone looking to protect their assets and ensure their loved ones are covered.

Posted by David | June 25, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Attorney Review

I give Mark a five-star rating for his services. He has done an incredible job assisting me in a professional manner with three different legal situations oner the past ten years. I would recommend him to anyone with estate planning and trust needs.

Posted by Jamie | March 22, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Will and Trust

I went to Mark to have a Will and Trust completed. He guided me through the process with respect to my wishes.

Posted by anonymous | January 02, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Not a trust expert--careless work!

Mark advertises himself as a trust expert, so when he requested $2500 cash up front to prepare a trust for us, we agreed. His "expertise" consisted of cutting and pasting our information into outdated trust software that was the incorrect format for people of our limited income and assets. He used... a trust for multi-millionaires needing tax shelters. When we asked why, he said "in case you win the lottery". The trust was full of errors, including his previous client's name on the signature line instead of ours. We tried to help him out by proofreading the documents for him, but ultimately we couldnt use the trust. Mark is a nice older gentleman, but clearly has no knowledge of current trust law or modern computer software. We requested a refund and were refused.

See All Client Reviews

Mark Joseph McGowan's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Mark
Carolyn Holt Martino headshot
Carolyn Martino

Trusts lawyer | Jul 16

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Very knowledgeable and professional. Highly respected for his ethics and hard work."

View All Endorsements

No Endorsement Data Available Yet
This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.

Experience

Rating:  8.4 (Excellent)

Honors

2004

Certified Specialist - California State Bar, California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization

2001

Attorney and Counsellor, Supreme Court of the United States of America

1981

Phi Beta Kappa, Stanford

Work Experience

2000 - Present

Attorney and Counsellor, The Law Offices of Mark J. McGowan

1984 - 1986

Practitioner, Rifkind, Sterling & Levin

Associations

American Bar Association

Desert Bar Association

Stanford Alumni Association

Education

1984

Stanford Law School

JD - Juris Doctor

1981

Stanford University

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Languages

English

Spanish

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

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  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution