PRO

Licensed for 25 years

Estate planning Lawyer at Irvine, CA
Practice Areas: Estate Planning, Probate, Trusts

Virtual Consultation Available

Free Consultation

About Leslie

Biography

Leslie Daff, JD, MBA, is a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law, a designation earned by fewer than 100 of the 15,000 licensed attorneys in the County. She is also certified as an Estate Planning Law Specialist and has been designated an Accredited Estate Planner® by Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc., a subsidiary of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, a designation earned by three attorneys in the County. Formerly with 1,000-attorney international law firm Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP and regional law firms Best Best & Krieger LLP and Palmieri, Tyler, Weiner, Wilhelm & Waldron LLP, she founded Estate Plan, Inc., a professional law corporation, in Laguna Beach and Irvine in 2005.

Leslie received her BS degree in Finance from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and her MBA degree from the University of California, Irvine Paul Merage School of Business. Prior to law school, she worked as a Financial Analyst and as Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis at subsidiaries of the Coca-Cola Company and Baxter Healthcare, respectively.

She received her JD degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where she served as an editor on the Loyola Law School Entertainment Law Review, received the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Legal Research and Writing, the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Ethical/Practical Lawyering, and was installed as a member of the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society. She also served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Sheila Prell Sonenshine, Associate Justice on the California Court of Appeal.

Named for seven consecutive years by OC Register Metro Magazine as one of the region's top lawyers, granted the highest rating of "10/10 Superb" by independent attorney rating service Avvo, and granted the highest designation of "AV Preeminent 5 out of 5" by national legal directory Martindale Hubbell, which signifies her peers rank her at the highest level of professional and ethical excellence, Leslie has also been selected by her peers for inclusion in Southern California Top Rated Lawyers, published by and the Los Angeles Times every year since its initial publication. She has also been named a Super Lawyer by Thompson Reuters, a designation granted to no more than 5% of attorneys based on peer recognition and professional achievement.

In 2012, the State Bar of California Board of Trustees appointed Leslie to serve as one of nine commissioners on the Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Advisory Commission to advise the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization about its program - and to write the exam - that certifies legal specialists in the area of estate planning, trust and probate law. In 2016, the State Bar of California Board of Trustees reappointed Leslie to a second term on the Commission. Leslie currently serves as Chair of the Commission.

Leslie is co-author of the Estate Planning Considerations chapter update for the State Bar of California Continuing Education of the Bar book Buy-Sell Agreements. She is co-author and co-editor of the books The Closing Wealth Transfer Window: Post-Election Steps to Take Immediately to Protect Your Family Legacy and Estate Planning Strategies, Collective Wisdom, Proven Techniques. She is a regular columnist on tax and estate planning matters for The Journal of Financial Planning. Recent published articles include:

A Roadmap To Estate Planning after Tax Reform
2018 Tax Planning Opportunities under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
The Portability Exclusion: Recent Developments Bring Opportunity and Clarifications
How to Use Qualified Charitable Distributions as a Tax-Saving Tool
Recent 529 Plan Changes Add to Their Advantages
Two Time Sensitive IRS Rulings Impact Estate Planning
Near-Death Planning and the Zero Basis Rule
The Coming War Over Deductible Fiduciary Expenses
Beneficiaries Misbehavin'
Avoiding Post-ATRA Trust Tax Rates
The New Estate Planning Dilemma: Simplicity or Asset Protection?
Independent Contractor or Employee?
The Closing Wealth Transfer Windows
Do Your Tax Strategies Accomodate the Affordable Care Act?
Defining Incapacity in the Modern Estate Plan
Selecting and Maintaining Appropriate Fiduciaries in an Estate Plan
The Portable Exclusion and the Vanishing Bypass Trust
Protecting Your Child's Inheritance: The Beneficiary-Controlled Trust
Tax Ramifications and Opportunties Under the New HealthCare Act
Keeping the Vacation Home in the Family - Another Use for Limited Liability Companies
Are Your Client Files Clean?
Twelve Indicators You Need to Update Your Estate Plan
Right Strategies Can Maximize Your Charitable Gifts
Planning Opportunities in the Government's Response to the Economic Downturn
Many Estate Planning Strategies Provide Benefits in Low-Interest-Rate Environment

Leslie has been involved with a number of organizations and charities, including the Alumni Board of Directors for the University of Southern California Marshall School of
Business and the Dean’s Leadership Circle of the University of California, Irvine Paul Merage School of Business. She has served on the Board of Directors of the South Orange County Bar Association, as Co-Chair of the Laguna Beach Community Foundation Professional Council, and as a member of the Board of Directors for non-profit organizations, Laguna Beach Seniors, Inc. and Laguna Beach Rotary Club Foundation. She is a Fellow of the Orange County Bar Foundation Society of Fellows. She is also a member of the Orange County Estate Planning Council, the Trusts & Estates Section of the State Bar of California, and the Trusts & Estates Section of the Orange County Bar Association

Leslie has provided pro bono legal advice and services to seniors at the Susi Q Senior Center on a monthly basis since 2012. She regularly speaks on estate planning topics for a variety of groups and organizations, including the Financial Planning Association, the National Business Institute (NBI), and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

SuperLawyer; Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law by State Bar

Practice Areas

Estate Planning 40%

40%

Probate 40%

40%

Trusts 20%

20%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 45 minutes

Payment Methods

Cash
Check
Credit Card

Licenses

Licensed in California for 25 years

State: California

Acquired: 2000

Active

No misconduct found

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Location

Estate Plan, Inc. - Irvine Office

19200 Von Karman, Suite 400, Irvine, CA, 92612

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Estate Plan, Inc. - Laguna Beach Office

352 3rd Street, Suite 301, Laguna Beach, CA, 92651

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Estate Plan, Inc. - Torrance Office

3655 Torrance Boulevard, Suite 300, Torrance, CA, 90503

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Gallery

Leslie Rubright Daff's Reviews

Overall Rating
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.

5.0 /5.0

14 Client Reviews

Avvo

5.0

(13)

Lawyers.com

5.0

(1)

See client reviews from Lawyers.com

5 star

(13)

4 star

(0)

3 star

(0)

2 star

(0)

1 star

(0)

Showing 1 - 5 of 13 client reviews from Avvo

Posted by anonymous | June 13, 2025 | Consulted Attorney

Very helpful attorney!

I called without an appointment and she made herself available right away. She answered my questions about estate settlement, which was very helpful, in 10 minutes and refused to charge me anything. Very very helpful attorney!

Posted by Darlene | September 18, 2023 | Consulted Attorney

Answered phone. She's REAL

Ms Daff helped me with simple things that others would not. She helped me with things that my HIRED attorney would not .. such as helping me with the proper type of attorney. And actual people I could contact. This sounds small, but a recommendation from a pro to me is gold. If this is the servi...ce I get BEFORE I've given her any money, I can only think of her as someone I could trust AFTER I've given her money. FIVE GOLD STARS. Now I know the proper consult to pursue for my case, and have names to speak with.

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Posted by Morning Star | December 7, 2022 | Hired Attorney

Clearly explained Estate Planning

Leslie Daff is a conscientious and competent Estate Planning attorney. Her fees are very fair compared to other attorneys we considered. She did my dad’s Separate Property Trust, has done my Estate Plan & Trust and now she is working on my daughter’s Estate Plan. She walked all of us through the pr...ocess of clarifying how we want our worldly assets distributed upon death. My dad’s trust was easy to distribute upon his death. Currently, Ms. Daff is handling the Probate side of my dad’s Estate which has been complicated due to his divorce. In CA, you can get divorced without a marriage settlement agreement. The MSA was decided by trial after his death and all of my dad’s assets that could not be put in his Trust prior to death have been liquidated. Leslie is handling the complicated Probate which should be completed soon. Our family has felt supported by Ms. Daff’s expertise.

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Posted by John | July 23, 2015

My review of Leslie Daff

I am an Estate Planning client of Leslie Daff. I am 77 years old and have read every NOLO book, attended all of the Estate Planning Seminars and counseled with many Attorneys and I can tell you for sure that my time spent with Leslie could have replaced it all. You will not find a more knowledgeabl...e, efficient, helpful and cost effective Estate Planning Attorney than Leslie. I recommend you interview her last so you can immediately realize that you have found the best available.

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Posted by anonymous | April 15, 2015 | Consulted Attorney

Attorney Leslie Rubright Daff is a good attorney

Attorney Leslie Rubright Daff responses me in 24 hours after I sent her the message. She is responsible attorney. Her price is reasonable. I am considering to hire her for my living trust. I would recommend this attorney to my family and friend.

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Leslie Rubright Daff's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Leslie

Howard Roitman

Probate lawyer | Jul 10

Relationship: Other

"I endorse this lawyer."

Okorie Okorocha

Estate planning lawyer | Apr 21

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I generally do NOT like other lawyers, am not friends with other lawyers, but Leslie is one I like and the only estate planning lawyer I would trust my clients with."

Jonathan Reed

Estate planning lawyer | Feb 15

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer for her very informative website and avvo.com articles"

Benjamin Sowards

Estate planning lawyer | Aug 17

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer's work. Leslie provides top notch advice on all matters related to estate planning, probate, trusts and wills. She has the experience to get the job done right the first time."

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