Testimonials From Our Estate Planning Clients

John and his team did a terrific job helping us with a complex real estate transaction. The other attorney wasn't competent and very unresponsive so it was a difficult task to get him to respond or cooperate. John took the time to educate the other attorney & worked around his inadequacies. We're grateful that we have a positive outcome- mainly because of John and his team. His advice on family property transfers & Proposition 13 has been very detailed & helpful. Regarding our living trust, I was widowed and had my assets and my new husband had his assets as well as a complicated family situation. John showed us how we could organize trusts to take care of special needs family members, reduce our taxes, and leave our assets to our heirs. We have recommended him to several people & will continue to do so.

My husband and I acquired the services of Goralka Law Firm to create a trust for our family in the event of my husband or my passing. Mr. Goralka and his staff were very helpful and knowledgeable in providing us with information regarding how to protect our assets and secure them for our children. The staff is extremely professional and friendly. They explained the information in relatable terms and provided us with an "owners manual" for easy reference.

Great legal assistance and responsiveness. The Goralka Law Firm has very professional and competent employees and they pay close attention to accuracy when preparing documents.

We have worked with John Goralka for many years now. We recently updated our trust with him. He is always very patient, thorough, personal and a pleasure to work with - as is his entire staff! They are always available if we have questions. And John was very helpful when I had questions about my mother's trust even though she was not a client of his. We have been more than happy with the firm and highly recommend them! I also appreciate his newsletter and the seminars he provides - very informative.

If you are looking for an experienced trust attorney, who knows tax and trust laws, we highly recommend Goralka Law Firm. They are very personal and professional.

John Goralka and his team were extremely helpful in guiding me through selling my business and all the tax planning that was associated with it. He was responsive, very professional, and an absolute pleasure to work with. I am extremely satisfied with the results and my overall experience with him and his team. I highly recommend him for all your tax planning, estate planning and trust need.

Our Estate Plan was created by Goralka Law Firm and each phase of the process was conducted very professionally. Our Estate Plan was comprehensive and was created for our unique circumstances since our inheritance. Attorney Goralka had knowledge and insight of estate tax planning and was instrumental in providing options and guidance to achieve our desired Estate Plan outcome. Goralka Law Office is considered by us to be the premier Estate Planning and Tax Planning law firm available and should be considered by anyone who is in the process of establishing their Estate Plan and or selling a business.

Our Estate Plan was created by Goralka Law Firm and each phase of the process was conducted very professionally. Our Estate Plan was comprehensive and was created for our unique circumstances since our inheritance. Attorney Goralka had knowledge and insight of estate tax planning and was instrumental in providing options and guidance to achieve our desired Estate Plan outcome. Goralka Law Office is considered by us to be the premier Estate Planning and Tax Planning law firm available and should be considered by anyone who is in the process of establishing their Estate Plan and or selling a business.

John Goralka and his team were extremely helpful in guiding me through selling my business and all the tax planning that was associated with it. He was responsive, very professional, and an absolute pleasure to work with. I am extremely satisfied with the results and my overall experience with him and his team. I highly recommend him for all your tax planning, estate planning and trust needs.

Attorney Goralka has a professional yet personal demeanor and assures clients that their best interests are protected. He has handled my legal affairs for the past few years. He was a source of comfort and serenity at a time when emotions were running high. He is trustworthy, thorough, and dependable. He is very personable and takes a personal interest in the health and well-being of his clients. Thank you so much we are incredibly appreciative.

I worked with John on a few web related projects. What I learned about John is that he shows a lot of class and cares about each and every client. Lawyers can be intimidating, but not John. He's easy to talk to, knows what he is talking about and all around great to work with. I'd recommend him to anyone looking for an attorney to review an estate planning case of any kind in Sacramento.

If you want to set up a revocable living trust as part of your estate planning, it would be hard to find an attorney better qualified than John Goralka. My spouse and I retained him in 2016 to help us establish a revocable living trust that continues to protect our interests despite multiple changes in tax and inheritance law since the trust was created. We have not had to make any changes or pay any additional fees since our trust was created. In addition to his expertise in both estate and tax law, he is personable with very good communication skills, has a great sense of humor, and truly cares for his clients. Before the pandemic, John regularly presented free estate planning seminars in his offices for current and prospective clients and hosted periodic "wine downs" at the end of the workday featuring his favorite wines and food that he prepared himself. During the pandemic he has been especially attentive to his older clients, many of whom had lost their life partners and became quite isolated due to the lock-down. His "Wine Down Wednesdays" moved online to Zoom and featured a companionable mix of conversation, trivia games, and a fun raffle for participants. For a long time, our estate planning consisted of holographic wills of our own design, adding the right of survivorship to the title on our home, transfer on death designations on financial accounts, and beneficiary designations on our retirement accounts. After one of our mutual fund companies said they would refer our accounts to a probate court rather than follow our instructions about how to determine inheritance in the event we both died within thirty days of each other, we seriously considered a do-it-yourself trust using a Nolo.com template. If no one ever scrutinizes or challenges your DIY trust: no problem. If you make a mistake, however, your estate can end up in probate after all and have to pay a huge probate fee that is many times the cost of a professionally prepared trust. We decided to pay the upfront costs of a professional trust and searched for the right attorney. We met with three other well-qualified estate planning attorneys before selecting John. His pricing was in line with what other law firms charge for a comprehensive trust that covers the many contingencies that can come up. As John likes to say "bad things can happen to good people" so you want to be prepared and have a good attorney who can protect you. Squabbles over inheritance have torn many families apart. John stands behind his trust work and will defend you and your trust from challengers and make sure your wishes are respected. Other than death and taxes, the only sure thing in life is you don't get what you don't pay for... The State of California has already written an expensive legally binding estate plan for you. If you would like more say in what happens to your assets at less cost, consider a revocable living trust. We have referred a number of our friends and neighbors to John. Those that have used his services have all been pleased. John offers a free one hour consultation to discuss your needs and how he might help you. Have a look at his website and call his office if you have questions.