Dennis A W Fordham

Dennis A W Fordham

5.0
Rating: 8.7

Licensed for 33 years

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

870 South Main Street, Lakeport, CA

About Dennis

Biography

Practice Areas

3

Practice Areas

Estate Planning 50%

Drafting Wills and Trusts.

21 years | 700 cases

50%
Trusts 30%

Trust Administration upon death or incapacity of settlor who established the trust.

21 years | 40 cases

30%
Probate 20%

Court supervised administration of a deceased person's probate estate, It can either be testate (with a will) or intestate (without a will).

21 years | 20 cases

20%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Retainer

Always


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check

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Licenses

Licensed in California for 22 years

State: California

Acquired: 2003

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in New York for 33 years

State: New York

Acquired: 1992

Currently Registered

No misconduct found

Location

Law Office of Dennis A Fordham

870 South Main Street, Lakeport, CA, 95453

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Dennis A W Fordham's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

52 Client Reviews

5 star (51) 4 star (1)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (0)

Posted by anonymous | April 13, 2025 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

dont waste your time on anyone else. dont take the chance. you wont be left adrift.

after the death of my life partner of many decades i was devastated and put my trust in frist one person and than another attorney over a period of nearly two years who assured me that they could bring my will and probate to completion. the whole time was a litany of broken promises, appointments no...t kept, shoddy work, and a situation that left me totally hopeless and adrift. i had virtually totally given up that this would ever be resolved and to put it quite bluntly, i was shattered and had lost most if not all of my trust in anyone. enter mister fordham. the process from then on changed completely. within several weeks i started feeling like oh, so this is how this is supposed to be done. calls were kept. calls were sent to me by mister fordham on anything and everything that i needed to know or do during the whole process. mister fordham to put it in a few words saved my life. that is how i felt after what i had previously been through. dennis you can trust implicitly always.

Posted by Lambertha (aka Bep) Zolczynski | March 6, 2025 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Very pleasant experience with Dennis Fordham estate lawyer.

I would recommend Dennis Fordham to everyone who needs a trust or part of a trust done. His fee is very reasonable. He is knowledgeable, friendly, kind and is good in explaining to a lay person. I trusted him for 200%. I forgot to say that he is honest, which is a relief after dealing with, just to n...ame a few, a dishonest contractor and car dealership experience. Kudos for Dennis.

Posted by Debra | January 31, 2025 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Trust Administration Petition

Dennis Fordham is incredibly knowledgeable, responsive, and he fought tirelessly for my interests throughout the entire legal process. I live in Colorado and the "Trust Administration Petition" property is in Clearlake. His communication and dedication ensured I understood every step and felt fully... supported by him, ultimately leading to an excellent outcome in my case. I would highly recommend him to anyone seeking legal representation. Thank you, Mr. Fordham for your legal guidance.

Posted by William | January 27, 2025 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Excellent living Trust lawyer

Dennis Fordham has been and excellent trust lawyer for my wife and myself. I had always read his articles in the Lake County Record Bee that were so informational and in 2016 we decided to contact him and set up a living trust for our family. We couldn't have made a better choice. His advice and exp...ert knowledge of our particular situation with our property and business and family succession was absolutely professional. My wife had dementia and Dennis was instrumental in laying out my necessary changes in the trust after her passing last year. In my opinion he is a very knowledgeable, caring and honest living trust attorney with outstanding trust knowledge and has helped me during the hardest time in my life. I recommend him highly if you are looking for a law attorney that can set up a living trust for your family. Also I would say his fee's are very reasonable compared to other law practices.

Posted by Bob Morrison | September 6, 2024 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Truly A Blessing

If you’re searching for an intelligent and honest attorney; look no further. After my mother’s passing, my wife and I wasted a lot of money with two big city attorneys trying to settle my mother’s estate, due to an issue with her Living Trust. After 2 years of frustration, I finally found Dennis Ford...ham. He solved and corrected the problem within 6 months for a very reasonable price. My wife and I were so pleased with Mr. Fordham’s professionalism, that we are now collecting our financials together, so that he can set up a Living Trust for us (problem free for our children)! - Bob Morrison

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Dennis A W Fordham's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Dennis
Kevin Thomas O'Connor headshot
Kevin O'Connor

Estate planning lawyer | Nov 14

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Dennis is super knowledgeable and has a very accessible and personable way of sharing information."

Jeffrey David Markham headshot
Jeffrey Markham

Estate planning lawyer | Mar 25

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer's work."

View All Endorsements

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This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.

Experience

Rating:  8.7 (Excellent)

Honors

2009

Specialization - Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Law, California State Bar

Work Experience

2004 - Present

Attorney, Law Office of Dennis A. Fordham

1994 - 2002

Senior Attorney, New York State Department of Taxation - Office of Counsel

Associations

2010 - Present

Lake County Law Library

Trustee

2006 - Present

Redwood Empire Estate Planning Council

Member

1996 - Present

Lakeport Rotary

Member

Education

1994

New York University School of Law

LL.M - Master of Laws (Taxation)

1991

State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law

J.D.

1988

Columbia Univ

History

Speaking Engagements

2016

Lake County Bar Association

Revocable Transfer on Death Deed

2010

Speaker's Panel

Financial Elder Abuse

Publications

2010

California State Bar Trusts and Estates Quarterly Using Private Retirement Plans to Protect your Assets from Creditors
Avvo Rating

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Avvo Rating Levels
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