My husband and I hired Neal to create a trust. He is very experienced and knowledgeable and explained everything clearly. His work was thorough and he answered all of our questions. We recommend him without hesitation.
Neal put together our family trust. It arrived in a beautiful binder containing all related documents. He helped us think of issues that we had not thought of. When changes were needed to our trust years later, he had the information to make the changes seamlessly.
We selectively accept litigated probate matters in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.
Neal is an estate planning attorney based in Carpinteria, California who specializes in helping families plan for the unexpected. Since being licensed in 2009, he has focused on trust-based estate planning, special needs planning, trust administration, probate, and trust and probate litigation. Neal routinely counsels his clients facing complex and diverse estate planning needs and works with clients to develop plans that help meet their individualized goals. Neal has practiced law since 2009 and is certified as a Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization.
Neal earned his Bachelor of Science, with honors, from California Lutheran University where he majored in Business Administration. Later, he rose through the ranks at a Fortunee company serving in diverse roles ranging from team supervisor through vice president where he had more than eighty direct reports. Neal decided to continue his education by attending law school at the University of Oregon where he earned his Juris Doctor, and served on the editorial board of the Oregon Law Review, and earned the Nancy Farmer Distinguished Service Award.
Neal is deeply connected to the Carpinteria community where his family has lived for more than 85 years. He has served as a board member and leader in several local non-profits and special districts including as past-president of the Carpinteria Lions Club, four term past-president of HELP of Carpinteria, and most recently was appointed as a Trustee of the Carpinteria Valley Cemetery District where he currently serves as Board President.
In his free time, Neal enjoys spending time with his family and friends, chasing after his young beagle Oakley, playing golf, and traveling. Recently, Neal made his second trip to Scotland where he he stood atop the Swilcan Bridge at the Old Course in St. Andrews.
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Great experience
My husband and I hired Neal to create a trust. He is very experienced and knowledgeable and explained everything clearly. His work was thorough and he answered all of our questions. We recommend him without hesitation.
Posted by anonymous | February 8, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Our GoTo for our Trust
Neal put together our family trust. It arrived in a beautiful binder containing all related documents. He helped us think of issues that we had not thought of. When changes were needed to our trust years later, he had the information to make the changes seamlessly.
Posted by Lou | February 4, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Trust review
When we went to Central Coast Law regarding our long-established family trust, Neal Bartlett treated us like family. After evaluating our old trust documents, he clearly and concisely explained what we had, and what we should do to update our trust due to changes in various tax codes and laws.
The whole process was “user friendly” for us. Neal didn’t overwhelm us with too much unnecessary legal information, yet he provided us with the understanding and confidence we need for ourselves and our family moving forward.
Our meetings with Neal and his paralegal, Jason Smith, were pleasant, informative and convenient. We didn’t even have to leave Carpinteria. The final product, our new trust, is presented in a very professional format including a hard copy as well as a flash drive.
We highly recommend Neal Bartlett and Central Coast Law. Our experience was excellent in every regard.
Read less
Posted by Wendy | February 3, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Central Coast Law
I had the pleasure of working with Neal during the execution and distribution of my father's estate. I always felt I was in the hands of someone I could trust with the securities and intimacies of my family's estate.
My father had compromised mobility, so Neal always made it a point to have any consultations at my fathers home. That service is lost today and I was touched by his compassion and generosity.
After my father passed away, the distribution of the estate was seamless. Neal was quickly available to answer any questions that arose with professionalism, understanding and candor.
I highly recommend Neal at Central Coast Law to anyone who is looking for a knowledgeable, reputable and sincere attorney for their families estate planning.
Definitely a "5 Star" rating!
Wendy Ballard - Thurston
Read less
Posted by Randy | January 30, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Review of my case
Mr Bartlett was outstanding on my case. He was up front on how the case was gonna go and on how long it was possibly gonna take. He would always keep in contact with me on how the case was going and if anything new came up in my case. Mr Bartlett would always call me back if I left him a message. Picking Mr. Bartlett to handle my case was the best decision for me and my family to make. All I can say is Thank You again Mr. Bartlett.
Read less
Posted by anonymous | January 30, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Business owner
Mr. Bartlett prepared a personal Trust and a business Trust for myself and my husband. He proved to be completely professional and knowledgeable. His advice and counsel made us feel we are totally protected and all our future considerations and wishes will be met.
Posted by anonymous | January 30, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Client
Attorney Bartlett did an excellent job for me on my initial estate planning portfolio. Several years later when facing an unexpected surgery, He quickly and compassionately reworked my whole plan within 24 hours. This gave me tremendous peace of mind and relieved me from worrying about my estate and my healthcare directives, so that I could focus on my healing. A very good experience in a very stressful time.
Read less
Posted by Terry | January 30, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Estate Planning
Neal took an old Family Trust we made years earlier from a commercially available template, and developed a comprehensive customized new trust that is extremely well organized and easy to follow. He was available to us any time we needed and explained every aspect of the trust to our complete satisfaction.
Posted by David | January 27, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Amazing Attorney
My wife and I recently hired Neal to do our estate plan. We are those typical people that kept putting it off because we thought it would be too much work and difficult. Boy were we wrong. Neal made it effortless. He went over everything in a way we could understand and took all the stress out of the planning. I will always refer anyone that needs their estate plan done to Neal. Thank you Neal!
Read less
Posted by Tari Clay | May 21, 2010
Tari Clay Enterprises,LLC
With my personal and business matters and being an active Real Estate Agent it is imperative to work with an attorney who is professional, ethical and exemplary in each and every one of my needs for counsel. I have worked with numerous attorneys over a 10 year period in my personal and business dealings, and after hiring Neal E Bartlett I am confident that he will be my only attorney I will work with in any future matters. Neal E Bartlett's knowledge, ethical and professional handeling of my cases has caused victory and should I ever need any type of attorney for anything I would recommend Neal E Bartlett for any case as I know that my needs will be resolved immediatly. On a scale of 1 to 10, he is a 10 on every level,Trustworthy, Responsive,Knowledgable, Informative and there is nothing average about Neal E. Bartlett. High Ranking is how I rate Neal E Bartlett. I will recommend Neal E Bartlett to everyone as he is #1 in all of my needs for immediate conclusion and victory.
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.
What determines Avvo Rating?
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.
Estate planning Attorney | Mar 07
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Mr.Bartlett is a very knowledgeable trust and estate planning attorney in Carpinteria and Santa Barbara. I know Neal from an estate planning listserv we both frequent. His contributions on that listserv have been especially invaluable to me in my practice. I appreciate it and endorse him highly."