Mark Joseph McGowan

Mark McGowan was excellent to work with. He was prompt, professional, and consistently responsive throughout the process. He clearly understands California probate law and explained each step in a way that was easy to follow, which helped reduce a lot of stress. Mark stayed on top of deadlines, commu...nicated updates proactively, and made sure everything was handled correctly. Overall, I’m very satisfied with the outcome and would absolutely recommend him to anyone needing probate or trust-related legal help in California.

I retained Mark McGowan for a prenuptial agreement and paid a $1,750 retainer. Over the course of the engagement, he failed to make any of the edits we discussed in our meetings, advised me to revise the agreement myself at home, and even suggested signing the prenup on the same day we finalized it, ...something that would have invalidated the entire agreement under California law had I not caught the error myself. Even more alarming: he printed my draft on the backs of highly confidential documents from other clients (which included trusts and wills, personal financial information, and clients' home addresses) which he suggested I bring home with me. This raises serious concerns about how he handles privileged information. When I raised these issues, he dismissed them and demanded over $4,000 in additional fees. Now, he refuses to certify the agreement at all, effectively invalidating the document and wasting months of effort and expense. I cannot recommend this attorney to anyone seeking competent, ethical, or reliable legal representation.

I fell into the need for eviction. I thought I could handle the eviction process, however, I discovered the importance of protocol and timing required in the legal process. I soon realized I needed help and I was in-over-my-head. I searched online for a lawyer to help me with urgency and I left 5 m...essages at various law offices, and Mark returned my telephone call the same day and he took my case on. He helped without delay and my issue did not have to go to Court. Professional, respectful, kind and skilled. He may be straightforward and to the point, but who wants to beat-around-the-bush when you need legal help? Go to Mark. Judith B.

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 His "expertise" consisted of cutting and pasting our information into outdated trust software that was the incorrect format for people of our limited income and assets.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.