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Zev Shalom Brooks

Estate planning Attorney at Fountain Valley, CA

5.0   27 reviews
Virtual consultation available
Virtual consultation available
  • Licensed for 31 years
    State CA
    Acquired 1992
    Status
    Active No misconduct found

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

About Zev

Learn Zev’s areas of practice.

I PROVIDE HONEST LEGAL ASSISTANCE AT A PRICE YOU CAN AFFORD. I RETURN PHONE CALLS. TRY ME!

I was born on June 4, 1967, in Savannah, Georgia, and spent the first ten years of my life on the East Coast. In the summer of 1977, I moved with my family from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Orange County, California, settling in Garden Grove.

In 1985, I graduated from Loara High School in Anaheim, California, and attended UCLA where, in 1989, I graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Cum Laude with a degree in Communication studies. While at UCLA, I spent my junior year studying at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Upon graduating from UCLA, I attended law school at the University of Southern California (USC) where I graduated in 1992.

After graduating USC law school, I began working in the Century City (Los Angeles) law firm then known as Christensen, White, Miller, Fink & Jacobs but discovered that a big firm practice was not to my liking.

In 1994, I opened up my own practice in Los Angeles, California, but have since relocated to Orange County, CA where I practice in the areas of estate planning, probate, conservatorships, business litigation, contract litigation, and intentional torts such as libel, slander, and conversion.

In addition, since 1994, I have served the congregation of Temple Beth Emet in Anaheim, California as their Cantor.

In May of 1997, I married my wife, Yvette, and we are the happy parents of two daughters, Jacqueline and Danielle.

My other interests include song writing, playing guitar, and traveling. I am also the executive producer and co-writer of a multiple award winner feature film called "The Yankles." 

A young lawyer was at a job interview when the hiring partner told the prospective employee that his firm was only interested in hiring ethical and honest lawyers. The young lawyer responded, "Sir, I am very honest. In fact, I borrowed $15,000 from my father to go to law school and paid back every cent after I handled my first case." Impressed, the hiring partner asked, "What was the case about?"; to which the young lawyer answered, "My father sued me for the money."

Awards

Client's Choice 2023,2012,2011
Client's Choice
2023 2012 2011

Photos and videos

Contact Zev

Zev Shalom Brooks
18627 Brookhurst No. 435
Fountain Valley, CA, 92708

Reviews

5.0 / 5.0
  27 customer reviews
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Client's Choice 2023
Client's Choice
Client's Choice is an Avvo award granted to attorneys with a significant number of client reviews over 4 stars in a given year.
Posted by Sandra and Bob | June 12, 2011
Zev is an outstanding attorney
Zev is an outstanding attorney who has provided legal help in trust and conservatorship items for our family for the past 11 years. In fact, he has served three generations of our family! He was able to meet with us at convenient times and locations, sometimes on very short notice during critical situations. He is knowledgeable, personable, and responsive, and has always been available for questions. We are grateful for his expertise and compassion, and we highly recommend him.
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Posted by J.V. | May 4, 2011
Excellent Attorney
Zev Brooks did a fabulous job assisting me with my estate planning. He was at all times candid, responsive and professional, and his rates are very reasonable. Although I am a licensed attorney, I consulted Zev because I lack expertise in his area. I have been so pleased and impressed with Zev that I consistently recommend him to my clients, friends and family for their estate planning needs.
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Posted by Megan | November 30, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Highly recommend for revocable trust
Zev was recommended to me by a friend and helped me create a revocable trust. He was very helpful, responsive, professional and clear about what to expect. I also appreciated that he had a (very reasonable) flat rate and was upfront about the costs. Zev made the process about as smooth and pleasant as something like this can possibly be! Would certainly recommend him to anyone in need of a trust.
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Posted by Josie M | September 4, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Estate Plan
We appreciate the service we received from Attorney Zev Brooks in preparation and setting up our estate plan based on our specific needs. He was knowledgeable and took extra time in answering our questions with detailed explanations of the process that was easy to understand. He was extremely professional and completed the legal documents in a timely fashion. We gladly recommend Atty. Brooks to anyone for their Estate Planning.
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Posted by Geri | August 27, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Great Experience with Family Trust
Our neighbor recommended Zev and I am very happy we went with him to do our family trust. He was very thorough and great at explaining everything. He responded to all emails and questions quickly, the whole process was so quick, it was great.
Posted by Takako | August 7, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
He is one of the best attorneys
I am very pleased that my friend referred Zev to handle my trust. He is a very kind and nice attorney. He went through the process and is willing to explain whatever questions I have. His fee is very reasonable and affordable. I recommend him highly if you are thinking to open a trust.
Posted by Sarah | May 10, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Professional, timely and efficient
It was an absolute pleasure getting to work with Zev on my trust. He took the time to make sure I understood everything while ensuring the process time efficient and smooth. I would highly recommend him to any friend or family member
Posted by kamal | April 7, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
A wonderful trust attorney
I was facing surgery and we needed to change our Living Trust. So we looked online and asked friends for referrals. I called Zev. Brooks and made an appointment. He showed up at our house well prepared and very knowledgeable. He answered all of our questions, and we explained to him that we needed to do this fairly quickly. Two days later, he emailed us a draft, and we made a second appointment. Zev showed up promptly on time and explained all the details of the trust to us. We made some changes and we met with him a third time and signed all the documents. The whole process took two weeks and he covered all the details and answered all of our concerns and questions. We highly recommend him and are very happy that we were able to find a great trust attorney.
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Posted by Lorelei | March 23, 2023
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Trust Document
Zev was very responsive from the moment I contacted his office regarding creating a Living Trust . He was recommended by a dear friend of mine and I am so grateful for her suggestion. He made the entire process seem effortless. He explained everything very clearly, in detail and answered all of my questions in terms I could understand. It was a prompt, quick, and professional legal service! I would recommend Zev to anyone who has Estate planning needs.
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Posted by Sherri | October 27, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Sherri Holman
My husband and I used Zev Brooks to assist us in setting up a living trust to protect our assets for our children. Zev did a great job of making a confusing process very understandable. He was professional and extremely helpful throughout the process. I highly recommend Zev Brooks for all your estate planning needs.
Posted by Jeff | October 26, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Estate Attorney
Zev was very efficient and through. We can not have asked for better service. We would definitely recommend Zev to everyone we know and use him again.
Posted by John | October 16, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Very helpful and very fair
When my father passed away this year, finding out I was the executor of the estate and trustee of the trust, I didn’t know where to begin. Luckily, I was able to find Zev Brooks, who was instrumental in this process. He walked me through the proceedings, every step of the way, explaining everything in detail that I needed to know and took care of most of the difficult stuff for me. His fees were so much more reasonable than others that I’ve seen online. So much so, that I also asked him to do my living trust. When setting up my Will and Trust, again, the process was simple, price was reasonable, and he explained everything in detail answering all of my questions. I would highly recommend Zev for anybody looking for a probate / estate attorney.
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Posted by John | August 4, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Was there for me in a difficult time
My father had passed away and his will/trust was a mess. Zev walked me through the probate process, step by step. I was able to finish everything up in a little over a year. It would have been sooner, but the courts were backed up. I would recommend him to anyone going through the probate process, and for setting up trusts.
Posted by DJ | January 31, 2021
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Outstanding Service
I recently contacted Zev and I could not be any happier with his service. I was very impressed with Zev's knowledge, the speed at which he works and most importantly the exceptional quality of his work. The fee that Zev charged me was very fair. I was also pleased that Zev made it easy to have "contactless" service in these times of Covid-19. My decision to contact Zev was in part based on the reviews I read and I am pleased to state they were very accurate describing the quality of service offered by Zev. I really appreciated the fact that I was able to directly work with Zev and he always made himself immediately available through either voice, email or text. On top of that Zev is a genuinely a nice person! I would not hesitate using Zev in the future or recommending him to my friends.
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Posted by Rhonda | September 16, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Superb
Zev is thorough, personable, efficient, and patient. I needed all of these attributes, and he came through on every one of them. Thank you, Zev! Rhonda
Posted by Robert | April 28, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Excellent experience. I look forward to our next project.
Many years ago, I retired as multi-licensed fee only financial planner. Over the years, so did my trusted lawyers. Zev was recommended to me. My wife and I gave him a good "stress test" :-) and found Zev to be honest, knowledgeable, and very professional. I seldom give reviews, but, Zev really earned this one.
Posted by John | September 28, 2015
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Probate
Why Zev Brooks? An unexpected loss of a family member is always very painful; a cross-country death of a twin brother and only sibling is unimaginable grief. Scared and despondent, Zev Brooks was referred to me by a trusted business associate and friend. He gently coordinated a meeting - at my convenience - and anywhere that was comfortable for me. Zev quickly put me at ease, guiding and educating me about the complex legal process ... a very intimidating and overwhelming environment without help from an expert. He took control of the legal process and navigated the entire probate system, avoided the pitfalls and ensured that all my rights were protected and preserved. Much was at stake and without Zev's diligence and expertise, probate would have been impossible to administer. John
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Posted by CHER | December 28, 2013
AMAZING !! COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING ..
My precious mother died suddenly ..My grief was overwhelming over losing her..Zev Brooks took over my mother's estate filing all the paperwork with the courts.. Mr. Brooks is a top professional .. Thank you Mr. Brooks .. YES YES !! I would recommend Mr. Zev Brooks..
Posted by Jill | June 1, 2011
Highly Recommend Zev Brooks
Zev is professional, honest, and trustworthy. He took the time and was willing to listen to my complex case regarding a probate/trust issue. He is an asset to his profession and he truly cares about his clients interests. His hard work with regards to my case paid off. I would recommend Zev to anyone needing his services.
Posted by Terry | May 10, 2011
Zev's my guy !
I would definately recommend Zev. He responded promptly to my phone calls, was always on time and explained things clearly. Zev was very thorough and did everything he said he was going to do. He did the job at a fair price, with no surprises. I will not hesitate to call Zev Brooks for all my future legal matters.
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Cost

Rates
  • Hourly Rates $ 200-250 per hour
  • Contingency 15%-35%
Payment methods
Cash, Check, Credit Card

Resume

AVVO RATING 8.2 (Excellent)

Work Experience

  • Owner
  • Law Offices of Zev Brooks
  • 1994 - Present

Education

  • University of Southern California Law School
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 1992
  • University of California - Los Angeles
  • BA - Bachelor of Arts
  • 1989

Associations

  • Jewish Federation & Family Services Orange County
  • Board Member
  • 2012 - Present

Languages Spoken

  • English

Attorney endorsements

Received (3)
Given (2)
Endorse Zev
Unknown Attorney | Sep 13
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. I have known Zev for many years and I would highly recommend him to all my own friends and family members without any hesitation. He is a very personable individual and works very hard for each client."
Estate planning Attorney | Feb 09
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Zev is a very personable and knowledgeable attorney who cares for his clients. He will work hard to attain the best result possible for an extremely reasonable fee. I highly recommend anyone needing legal advice in Estate Planning or Probate matters to consult with Zev. I believe you will be glad you did."
Estate planning Attorney | Feb 28
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Zev is an excellent lawyer, he is dedicated to his clients, charges fair and reasonable rates, and is responsive and knowledgeable."