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David Leslie Crockett

Trusts Attorney at Newport Beach, CA

5.0   26 reviews
  • Licensed for 53 years
    State CA
    Acquired 1970
    Status
    Active No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

About David

Learn David’s areas of practice.

5
Practice areas
  1. Trusts
    30%
    Estate and trust administration is the processing of the assets and debts of a loved one after his or her death. It can be complex and difficult for those untrained in the law and procedures required. If not done properly, you could face personal liability. Crockett Law Corporation provides assistance for those administrators and trustees who must administer an estate, a probate or a trust and assist clients with a range of trust and probate litigation issues should conflict arise.

    29 years

  2. Estate planning
    20%
    David Crockett's experience as a certified public accountant enables us to provide a higher level of estate planning services to our clients. We have the knowledge and resources that allow our clients to delve into deeper, more complex levels of estate planning. At Crockett Law Corporation, we focus on tax planning strategies in conjunction with our comprehensive estate planning services that include: Wills, Trusts, Healthcare Directives & Powers of Attorney, Asset Protection and Real Estate.

    29 years

  3. Real estate
    20%
    From our office in Newport Beach, California, Crockett Law Corporation provides a full range of real estate services to clients throughout California. We provide effective legal advice and solutions for real estate matters, including purchase and sales, financing, leasing, litigation and business asset protection.David Crockett brings more than 30 years of practice experience to clients. In addition, he is a certified public accountant and a licensed real estate broker.

    44 years

  4. Tax
    20%
    Taxes are inevitable and affect nearly every legal situation. Working with an attorney who has a detailed understanding of tax law and consequences over a range of practice areas is invaluable and highly sought after. At Crockett Law Corporation, founder David Crockett provides highly effective counsel regarding all legal matters involving all types of taxes — sales, income, property and estate. We provide tax advice in the context of estate planning, asset protection, estate, trust and probate.

    34 years

  5. Business
    10%
    We have in-depth understanding of estate planning, tax implications, business law and real estate, as well as the intersection of these areas. Protecting your business is important to you, and at Crockett Law Corporation we make it our priority to advise clients on issues such as succession planning, business valuation, choosing the right tools for transferring assets, and minimizing tax consequences and maximizing benefits.

    34 years

David Crockett, attorney-CPA Orange County with over 40 years of experience serving Orange County, Newport Beach, and surrounding communities, David Crockett, J.D., CPA, has helped countless clients with their Trust and Probate litigation, Trust formation and amendment, Probate, Wills, Estate Planning, Taxes, Asset Protection, and Real Estate issues. Mr. Crockett is rated as an “AV Preeminent” lawyer with the “highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards” by the Martindale Hubble lawyer directory. He also has an Avvo rating of “” in the field of trusts and estates.

Types of Work We Do

  • Trust and probate litigation
  • Trust formation and amendment
  • Administration of trusts and probate estates including Accounting
  • Probate court proceedings
  • Wills
  • Estate planning
  • Taxes and planning
  • Real estate law
  • Asset Protection

Your Situation is Probably Something We Have Already Seen and Successfully Dealt With
It is not uncommon for individuals or businesses to find themselves involved in legal disputes involving a trust or estate. Disputes such as missing assets, long delays and failure to distribute or the failure to account for money may become ugly very quickly which may result in devastating financial consequences for all parties involved if not solved quickly. We have 40+ years of experience untangling these disputes including filing court lawsuits/petitions and obtaining Court orders where needed. We have dealt with many real life situations that are likely very similar to your own current circumstances so please don’t hesitate to call and have a free initial discussion to get some direction. See Some Actual Client Stories here.

Unique Approach Because of 3 Licenses: Attorney, Certified Public Accountant & Real Estate Broker
All matters are reviewed from three points of view: Lawyer (state license # 46632), CPA (state License #25836) and Real Estate Broker (state license #01909116) . David L. Crockett’s experience and licenses allow him to provide sophisticated, practical and understandable advice and solutions. The typical estate or asset situation, usually involves a combination of legal, financial and tax questions as well as real estate marketing and operational questions. As a 3 in 1 expert, Mr. Crockett is in a unique position to provide practical and cost-effective advice in all these areas. He is familiar with and has access to most all commonly used forms for real estate deals, wills, trusts and estates. Down to earth explanations of the tax and financial aspects of any deal or estate are routine.

Photos and videos

SKIING IN VERBIER, SWITZERLAND WITH MY DAUGHTER
MTN BIKING-TOP OF SANTA ANA MTNS-JUNE 2014
MTN BIKING 2014-TRABUCCO CREEK TRAIL IN WILD BACK COUNTRY OF ORANGE COUNTY
Sept 2014 driving trip down US Hwy #1

Contact David

Similar lawyers nearby

Crockett Law Corporation
901 Dove Street
Suite 120
Newport Beach, CA, 92660

Reviews

5.0 / 5.0
  26 customer reviews
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Posted by rebecca and terry | August 11, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Professional, Positive, Efficient
"We highly recommend that you speak with David L. Crockett before choosing an attorney for any estate or other legal matter. The trust property we had to deal with had not been maintained and had fallen into severe disrepair. Everything from plumbing to electricity to the building exterior and plant overgrowth was on the list. We worked long hours trying to sort and clear years of clutter and accumulation, make repairs, keep up taxes utilities etc. We kept the records we thought were needed and useful in developing a plan for progress. “Time went fast, and progress went slow.” Our struggles dealing with the trust were steadily moving beyond our abilities to resolve; we realized that we definitely needed help. Also we ourselves, as time passed, were contributing to our need for resolution. It was daunting that we would have to have help from a CPA, a licensed Real Estate Broker/Lawyer and someone who had the ability to communicate direction and legal advice specific to our situation. Multiple years of accounting and record keeping needed to be adequate and organized for negotiating the path from tax filings, title company closing and any other legal requirements of disclosure and trust distribution fulfillment. We had contacted several lawyers and professionals, but only became more confused actually. Then, fortunately we contacted David L. Crockett. David is prepared to guide and represent you in all of those areas. Mr. Crockett’s manner is professional, positive and efficient. Working with David L. Crockett was the best possible decision we could have made."
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Posted by Richard | April 7, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Marilyn Dr., Laguna Beach, CA
This was a very unique situation that David helped us with. We contacted the owner of the property through a direct mail campaign because he was in default on both loans he had on the property. He was about 3 weeks away from foreclosure and a Trustee Sale on the property. We brought both loans current for the owner so he did not have to worry about being evicted. This was very important to the owner for a couple of reasons. First, he was terminally ill and didn't know how long he had to live. He could not work and was trying to survive on a social security check that was far short of meeting his needs. Second, he had been living in the house for 37 years and expressed to us he wanted to die there. We put the property under contract and agreed to let him live in the house until that day came. It did in January of 2017 and even though we had the house under contract, the owner's sister came out of the woodwork and tried fighting us for the property. That's when we consulted with David to get his advice. We found out very soon that David had a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience with Probate. We hired him on the spot and the battle began. I think keeping clear record of all transactions helped us through this mess. Whenever David needed a document to show or prove a point, I was able to provide those docs. The sister hired an attorney to fight for the house but ultimately once we had our day in court, the judge ruled in our favor because all documentation and contracts were in order. This battle took almost a year to complete from the time it went into Probate and we are 100% convinced that this property wouldn't have come to us if David didn't know his stuff. In fact, I talked with 2 other attorneys prior to hiring David and both of them told me my chances were "slim to none" that I would prevail. David was very honest from the beginning and after looking at my file, said he felt we had at least an 80% chance of getting the house. That was good enough for me to go into battle with David by my side. It paid off. We are now the proud owners of a beautiful house with an ocean view in Laguna Beach, CA.
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Posted by anonymous | April 15, 2015
This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.
| Consulted Attorney
Attorney David Leslie Crockett is a great attorney
I met attorney David Leslie Crockett for a free consultation. He is a very nice and sincere person. He is patient to listen to my problem and try to help me to solve the problem with an affordable price. I am considering to hire attorney David Leslie Crockett for my living trust.
Posted by AL | February 12, 2015
All in One
I have been a very satisfied client of David Crockett, who has represented me in numerous business and personal cases, besides being one of the most capable and efficient CPA who handles all my income tax returns since 1991. David is a very honest person and always provides me sound advice, and treats me with respect.
Posted by Gerald | January 30, 2015
two decades of excellent and reliable service
Mr. Crockett has provided our family and businesses with over 20 years of excellent service in law, real estate, and corporate and personal tax matters. Depth of knowledge and professional conduct is foremost with Crockett Law Corporation. We place our complete confidence in David and recently completed our revised estate planning with him. Thank you David! Truly, Gerald Jendrian
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Posted by James | January 30, 2015
can handle nearly anything
David Crockett has been my tax adviser and estate planner for over thirty years. He drew up my will and trust as well as my mothers. He has advised me on how to hold title on various properties. He astute and knows the law. I would highly recommend him as an attorney and as an estate planner.
Posted by David | January 26, 2015
protecting my legacy
I was extremely interested in learning all that I could about general estate planning and asset protection matters while I was searching for an attorney that I could entrust to handle my assets. I was very apprehensive handing control over to someone else to help protect everything that I had worked my whole life to amass. David was very thorough and kept me informed every step of the way. He set my heirs up so they will never have to worry about anything. I was very impressed with his work and how he kept me in the loop. I would recommend him.
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Posted by Regan | January 26, 2015
Awesome
I encountered Mr. Crockett at a very difficult time in my life, and to say that he helped me and made it better would be an understatement. I would refer him to anyone, he was awesome.
Posted by Blake | January 23, 2015
Started me young and now I will be a life-long client!
While I am rather young to be thinking about estate planning, David helped me create a will and get everything in order in case god forbid something happened to me. This way I know that my family and loved ones would not have to probate my estate because I was too lazy to be prepared ahead of time. He also instructed me in putting together my advanced health care directive. He really left no stone unturned and made me feel very ahead of the curve for someone my age. As my life and my assets progress I definitely will be coming back to Mr. Crockett to do more in-depth estate planning and other matters. He has definitely made a life long client out of me.
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Posted by Debbie | January 23, 2015
Can't put a cost on piece of mind.
I found David through the web and could not be happier that I chose to go with him. He walked me through all of the steps of creating my entire estate plan and setting up a trust for my children. He advised me on what steps to take to protect my real estate as well as creating my healthcare directive so my children do not have to make decisions regarding my health when I cant speak for myself. He was always very quick to respond to me and provided me with even more knowledge that I requested. Not only did he provide excellent service and keep me informed every step of the way, he provided me with complete peace of mind and that is priceless. I have already recommended him and will continue to do so to anyone that I know looking for services in the areas of estate and trust creation and administration, as well as all types of real estate transactions.
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Posted by Roger | January 23, 2015
Crockett Does Not Miss A Thing
Crockett Law is a detailed and thorough legal firm with clear and precise advice. My experience involves two trusts and advice regarding handling recalcitrant estate executor and preserving tax rights in property transactions. Crockett does not miss a thing and is excellent at what he does. Hard to top a skill level like his that comes from being an expert in his field for over forty years. Would definitely recommend him to anyone who is an executor or trustee of an estate, or to someone looking to set up their own. He has not only handled my estate planning but also general business matters as well.
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Posted by Dave | January 23, 2015
Family Trust
Crockett Law was informative and prompt in helping my family resolve our parents’ estate. He was also a great coach to me as the trustee when it came to responding to family member questions.
Posted by Kurk | January 23, 2015
Thank You David
You were a great help… At a time when things were pretty bad for me, David stepped in to help. He did it upfront risking his time and effort, without one penny up front. That really helped me out a lot, as I had nothing. He was also very personable and knowledgeable. He gave me the piece of mind I needed to get through my problem with my family and my mothers trust. That wouldn’t have been the case had I not contacted him. I recommend him highly to handle your case.
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Posted by Jerry | January 23, 2015
Over 20 years of excellent service…
Mr. Crockett’s depth of knowledge and experience has been of enormous help to our family over the years in a wide range of areas. For our real estate business investment David advised us on asset protection and established our corporation. David was always there to help us with real estate issues over the years. David was also exceptionally helpful assisting in an out-of-state probate matter handling court proceedings and filing related tax returns. Depth of knowledge and professional conduct is foremost with Crockett Law Corporation. We place our complete confidence in David and recently completed our family trust and will with him. Thank you David.
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Posted by Sharon | January 23, 2015
When You Really Need Professional Help
David Crockett has been invaluable in helping me through a very difficult time. My mother had passed on leaving me with a very poorly written Trust, and with his knowledge, compassion, and expertise; The Crockett Law Firm was able to resolve this very sensitive matter. From my initial meeting, Mr. Crockett listened to my situation and offered several suggestions and options on how to approach and how to achieve the best solution. All of my questions were answered, no matter how trivial, and we have now concluded what was initially an enormous challenge for me, and I would highly recommend the services of The Crockett Law Firm. I have now been with this firm for many years, and look forward to a continuing relationship, to guide myself and my family, through any legal matters which may arise. Thank you for being there for me.
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Posted by Carl | January 23, 2015
Excellent source for Legal and CPA counsel for Trust and Estate Management
Mr. Crockett has been invaluable to beneficiaries’ understanding of Trust administration and dispute resolution when communications presented major challenges. His timely direction resulted in moving to arbitration and dispute resolution. Mr. Crockett has been a trusted adviser for over 20 years on matters of legal and tax matters. In addition, Mr. Crockett was selected to represent my ownership of property involved in partition litigation outside my state of residence. His judgement is excellent.
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Posted by Al | January 23, 2015
The most sincere and knowledgeable attorney whom you can trust
I have the pleasure working with David Crockett since 1991 as my personal attorney as well as being the attorney representing me on numerous business transactions. He has also been my tax attorney/CPA for over 20 years. During all these times, I have found David to be the most honest and sincere person to work with. He always looks after what is best for me and my business and always provides sound advice and guides me to the right direction to get things done and resolved for me in a timely manner without any hesitation. In this age, it is very difficult to find someone whom you can really trust. But having David as my attorney, I put my entire trust in him as I have confidence in him that he will always deliver what he promises and commits.
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Posted by Tammy | January 23, 2015
Excellent Service for more than 25 years
David Crockett of Crockett Law Corporation has been our attorney since learning of his expertise when he was a client of ours numerous years ago, Mr. Crockett has done an exceptional job in handling our multiple corporations accounting and tax filings as well as numerous other legal matters over the years. We extended that relationship further in having Mr. Crockett create our family trust and the execution of such as the trust attorney. Mr. Crockett has a clear understanding of the type of construction we are in and has made it a priority to assess our changing needs over the years. Our experience with Crockett Law Corporation has been excellent!
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Posted by Keith | January 23, 2015
Wife’s Inheritance in jeopardy. Situation Bleak. We sought out & found the BEST Lawyer.
Mr. Crockett recently helped my family out in a huge trust and real estate lawsuit mess. My wife and her two brothers inherited equal thirds of a large property that had two homes on one lot as a result of their mothers’ passing in 2002. The Orange County home was put into a trust a few years later by way of Trust documents that were drafted by the eldest brother’s business attorney – who apparently had no estate law training. The eldest brother and his new wife were living in the family home since the mother’s death in 2002 and had the most to gain. My wife and her younger brother both have homes of their own, and would have preferred to sell the home in 2002 but did not as an attempt to be compassionate to their older brother. My wife and I live nearby the property and the middle brother lives out of state. In 2013 the eldest brother (who was living on the inherited family property) died unexpectedly leaving his new wife and her adult children and their wives all living on the property. There were 5 adults living there and running a family construction business from the property that had extensive parking for their business vehicles and significant storage spaces for their construction supplies. This unusual property made it unnecessary to lease shop space as would any other similar business. They were not maintaining the property and it was falling into severe disrepair. They wanted to continue to live there essentially rent free going forward though they were all but strangers to the surviving beneficiaries. My wife and her surviving brother absolutely wanted to now sell the their inherited home and approached the now-deceased older brother’s widow. She had a good thing going and did not want to move. She claimed she was now part owner and she felt entitled to that property. The Trust documents that the deceased brother’s business attorney had drafted were a joke! A law professor’s first year students would break out in hilarity it was so bad. It was as if the Trust documents were ordered off a random Internet Legal documents website for $19.95. The trust document didn’t even state who the trust beneficiaries were and left out other basic stuff. Finally, after much pressure, the widow reluctantly agreed to listing the home with a Realtor and signed the listing agreement. The home received offers. One was accepted and the property went into escrow. The clock was now running. The widow, her adult kids and their wives now had a date certain and would have to move by the time escrow would close. The widow was due a 1/3 of the sales proceeds, so she’d eventually have a down payment to purchase a home or money for whatever. One third would be a significant pile of cash. I will continue
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Posted by Carl | January 23, 2015
Legal jack of all trades
My wife and I have entrusted the Crockett Law Corporation and attorney David Crockett with many of our lives biggest and most significant aspects. He has handled all of our estate planning matters, helped me with many of my general business problems, and been instrumental in guiding us throughout all of our real estate transactions and situations in both our personal lives and our professional ones. I have personally known David Crockett and utilized his attorney services for over 15 years. He is an excellent attorney and is as honest as they come. I highly recommend him to anyone searching for a respectable and ethical attorney in the fields of estate & trust matters, real estate law or general business matters. He has been my jack of all trades legally speaking in all of those areas.
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Cost

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Contact for Details

Resume

AVVO RATING 9.9 (Superb)

Work Experience

  • Managing Partner
  • Reedy & Crockett
  • 1974 - 1980
  • Litigation Attorney
  • Overton, Lyman, & Prince
  • 1971 - 1974
  • Tax Senior
  • Arthur Andersen
  • 1969 - 1971

Education

  • University of California at Los Angeles School of Law
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 1969
  • Univ of California Berkeley
  • BS - Bachelor of Science
  • 1966

Legal Cases

  • TRUST HEIRS vs BROTHER TRUSTEE
  • The disproportionate trust distribution held
  • Beneficiaries vs trustee of trust
  • The trustee was removed and required to account and pay back all monies taken.

Associations

  • California Department of Real Estate
  • Licensed Broker
  • 2011 - Present
  • UCLA Chancellor's Associates
  • Lifetime Member
  • 2006 - Present
  • UCLA Bruin Professionals
  • Participating Member
  • 2005 - Present
  • UCLA Order of the Blue Shield
  • Participating Member
  • 2001 - Present
  • Orange County Bar Association Master's Division
  • Lifetime Member
  • 2000 - Present
  • American Association of Attorneys - Certified Public Accountants
  • Member
  • 1980 - Present
  • California State Board of Accountancy
  • Certified Public Accountant
  • 1978 - Present
View all associations

Languages Spoken

  • English

Honors and Awards

  • AV Preeminent Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2019
  • Rated Attorney
  • Lead Counsel
  • 2015
  • BV Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2014

Publications

  • National Business Institute Seminar
  • Trusts used for tax reduction
  • 2013
  • National Business Institute Seminar
  • Grantor Trusts
  • 2013

Speaking Engagements

  • Last Chance Estate Planning Opportunities
  • Estate Planning
  • 2013

Attorney endorsements

Received (7)
Given (1)
Endorse David
Real estate Attorney | May 13
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer."
Estate planning Attorney | Jan 29
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer."
Trusts Attorney | Jan 29
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I have known David Crockett for almost a decade. He has handled trust and real estate matters for several close friends. They were all extremely pleased with his representation. I have also had the opportunity to work with David on a difficult case involving a mutual client. David's expertise resulted in a successful resolution of our client's matter. David is hard working, incredibly knowledgeable, and truly cares about his clients and their families. He will do everything in his power to protect his clients and the legacy they wish to leave to their loved ones. I would not hesitate to send other fiends and family members to David in the event they needed expert representation in the areas of real estate and will and trusts."
Estate planning Attorney | Jan 28
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Mr. Crockett represented me in an estate matter. He did a very good job. I recommend him to others who have legal matters in this area."
Probate Attorney | Jan 27
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"I am a trusts and estates lawyer in North Carolina. I worked with David on a very unusual case involving a California decedent, an unfunded California Revocable Trust, real property in North Carolina, and a Virginia Will probated in North Carolina. David did a masterful job dealing with all the California proceedings (including quelling some unwarranted opposition) and cleaning up mistakes from a prior attorney in California. I'd welcome the opportunity to work with him again anytime."
Estate planning Attorney | Jan 26
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"It is without reservation, that I endorse attorney David Crockett. He is an extremely good lawyer and has more experience in the field than any other lawyer that I know."
Trusts Attorney | Jan 23
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. Mr. Crockett is very professional, but also pleasant to deal with."
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Divorce and separation