Melvin K. Rube

I was born and raised in Fresno, California and have lived in Fresno all of my life except for a two year period (1970-1972) when I lived in Goleta, California attending the University of California at Santa Barbara. I am the grandson of immigrants.  My paternal and maternal grandparents are Volga- Deutsch (Germans from Russia) having immigrated to the United States from the Volga Region of Russia just prior to the Russian Revolution. I am married and have two daughters, two step-sons, one grandchild and two step-grandchildren.  My hobbies include beginning  photography, walking, reading (legal and political thrillers, history, biographies) and legal career has been quite varied.  Upon my admission to the State Bar of California in November of 1978, I opened a private practice.  I then joined the Fresno County Public Defenders' Office in late 1979 where I was a defense attorney until late 1988.  In 1985, the Calfornia State Bar certified me as as a Criminal Law Specialist.  While at the public defenders' office I tried over 50 jury  trials and represented defendants in cases ranging from petty theft to the death 1989, I joined the Fresno Office of a state wide law firm now known as Ericksen, Arbuthnot where I was  the Assistant Managing Partner of the Fresno Office from 1989 to 1994 and  the Managing Partner of the Fresno Office from 1994 to 1996.  During that period of time I practiced civil law and represented defendants in product liability cases, medical mal-practice cases and wrongful death and catastropic personal injury cases. I started my solo private practice in 1997 and currently limit my practice to estate planning (drafting wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, first party and third party special needs trusts, durable powers of attorney and health care directives); probate; trust administration; and trust and estate litigation representing the fiduciary (executor or administrator of a probate estate or trustee of a trust) and the benefriciary of a probate estate or of a trust. I am a member of the State Bar of California and its Wills and Trusts Section; a member of the Fresno County Bar Association and its Probate Section; a member of the Fresno Estate Planning Council; a member of the American Bar Association; and the Fresno County Better Business Bureau.  I was a past  member of Kiwanis (1995 to 2001 and then again from 2004 to 2009) and the President of a local Kiwanis Club from 1997 to 1998 where I was awarded the Distingusihed Service Award for the year 1998 to 1999.  I was a member of the Board of Directors for Lutheran Social Services for Northern California from 1995 to 2000 and on the Board of Directors for the Fresno Branch of the American Diabetes Association during the latter part of the 1990's.  I have been practicing law for 37 years and have no current plans to retire.