HBZ is proud to support three passionate and driven individuals in their pursuit of diversity and community thinking within the field of law. Congratulations to Trinity Balla, Alondra Lopez, and Jenny Jeon for their superb efforts and dedication. We wish you the best in your endeavors!
Trinity Balla is a student at UC Davis School of Law seeking to advocate for marginalized communities and address inequalities in the legal system. From her volunteer work to founding Grace Period, an organization providing feminine hygene packages to the homeless, Trinity has a history of giving back to her community and is eager to continue her work in the field of law.
Alondra Lopez is attending Columbia Law School in pursuit of immigrant rights. She aspires to diversify the legal field and encourage those like her to work towards their goals, regardless of background or race. After graduation, Alondra intends to return to Contra Costa County and apply her values to public interest law.
Jenny Jeon is studying at UC Law San Francisco with the desire to work within East Bay juvenile dependency agencies. Having overcome her own trials with the support of nonprofits and community members, Jenny wants to pay it forward and empower other youths with knowledge, resources, and support.
Tax-deferred exchanges of commercial or investment real property are a common strategy for real estate owners. Federal courts have taken a pro-taxpayer approach in allowing taxpayers to structure these exchanges. California has not until recently.
Many trustees employ counsel to provide advice on dealing with and responding to inquiries from beneficiaries. Trustees may believe that their communications with and advice from counsel are confidential and cannot be disclosed to the beneficiaries without their consent. The recent court decision in Fiduciary Trust International of California v. Klein (2017) 9 Cal. App. 5th 1184 is a cautionary tale that warns trustees against assuming that all communications with an attorney are confidential.
California law has long recognized a settlor’s right to restrict a beneficiary’s use of trust assets. Restraints on alienation, spendthrift clauses, shutdown clauses and wholly discretionary trusts are a few of the tools settlors may use when creating a trust for the benefit of someone likely to have creditor problems.