Dennis A W Fordham

Dennis A W Fordham

5.0
Rating: 8.7

Licensed for 34 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.

22 years | 700 cases

50%
Trusts 30%

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

22 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).

22 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 34 years

State: New York

Acquired: 1992

Due to Reregister within 30 days of Birthday

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

53 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (53) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 20 reviews | Case Results

Posted by anonymous | April 16, 2025 | Hired Attorney | Probate

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 Debra | February 04, 2025 | Hired Attorney | Trusts

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 Bob Morrison | September 10, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Trusts

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

Posted by Lynn | March 07, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Family Trust

My children are now protected by having our family trust planned out according to my wishes. Thanks to Mr. Fordham and his staff for attention to detail, as well as the knowledge to the procedures to administer a trust.

Posted by Jack | February 06, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Probate

Jack Goldner

Dennis helped us settle a complicated estate issue in an expedient, affordable and professional manner. We were most pleased with his service and woul recommend him highly.

See All Client Reviews

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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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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