Stefanie West

Stefanie helped me make heads AND tails of my will and health care directives that were twenty-​five years out of date. Believe me, she knows her stuff, and equally important is an absolute pleasure to work with. Your needs always come first, your questions answered, and she has the gift of explaining your options in layman’s terms, translating the «legalese» in a practical and concise way… couldn’t recommend her higher. Do yourself a favor and contact Ms. West for your estate needs… you WON’T be disappointed!

Stefanie West is a terrific estate planning attorney. I am a financial advisor and I refer my clients to Stefanie with 100% confidence. My clients have found her to be very personable, detail-​oriented, caring and thorough. Stefanie also does a great of of staying in touch with clients as needed. As they say, «the devil is in the details» — Stefanie holds my clients’ hands through the process of filling out beneficiary form and registering accounts in trust. These loose ends are very important and I have every confidence in her.

I am going to try and restrain myself and not be overly effusive about Stefanie and her practice, but I am also not making any promises. Stefanie is an amazing resource as an estate planning attorney because she mixes no-​nonsense practicality with a warm, friendly heart.
Of course, approaching end-​of-​life plans and documents can be unpleasant or awkward, but you’ll never feel that way with Stefanie or her staff. She’s exceptionally bright, points out contingencies or avenues that I hadn’t thought of, and builds a solid estate with a personal touch.
I highly recommend Stefanie West’s services for anyone in need of estate planning.

I engaged Stefanie as my trust attorney make revisions and update my trust. She came recommended by friends, who, like me, wished to get their «houses in order» after becoming parents. From the moment I met Stefanie, she exuded an air of warmth, competence and practicality. She met me at my house and allowed my toddler to doodle on her legal pads as she asked me the tough questions about my estate and last wishes. Even though I had just met Stefanie, I felt like I was speaking with a helpful, trusting friend. We interspersed our talk of my last wishes with casual conversation about movies, restaurants and kids, but Stefanie left with an extraordinarily accurate picture of my needs and wishes. Because my estate was a little complicated, Stefanie reached out to me several times to talk through issues and to make sure that she represented every detail accurately. We communicated by phone and email, and after a few conversations my trust is bound, signed and in good working order.
I recommend Stefanie to any person who wants to have a pleasant experience dealing with one of life’s less than easy topics. Stefanie is warm, practical and thorough. After working with her, you will feel that you have tackled (if you are like me) a much neglected item on your to-​do list and gained a friend. Stefanie is not just a compassionate and good attorney, but a wonderful person, committed to her clients and their families.

As proud owner of Senior Helpers in Concord, I trust Stefanie and refer to Stefanie to help my clients who need estate planning. I also use Stefanie for my own estate plan. She is easy to work with and she is a great communicator. She likes to ‘close the loop’ — so that everything is clearly written and thoroughly thought about in terms of family complexities and what-​if scenarios. Stefanie asks the right questions and is great at following up to make sure other work is completed that is an extension of the will and trust so that all the bases are covered. I feel so much better about living life, after having my estate planning documents completed by Stefanie West. I know my family will understand what needs to be done when I am gone or can no longer manage my own affairs. I recommend Stefanie West, Estate Planning Law.

Stefanie West is the best! When I was getting ready to travel abroad and knew I needed an estate plan set up, I had Stefanie do the deed (so to speak, there were several deeds in fact). Stefanie could charge significantly more for her services, but she keeps her rates reasonable and the result is an excellent product at a great price!
I have known Stef since law school some 17 years ago and even then I knew she was brilliant and destined to do a wonderful job for her clients. Of course, anyone who gets her education from Berkeley and Harvard is going to be smart. But, Stef adds a component that most lawyers are lacking, a wonderful personality! Dealing with our own mortality is not an easy thing to do, but Stef will answer every question with patience and caring and you leave feeling secure that your estate is in order. You can’t do better than the best, and that is West!

I met Stefanie West at an Appleby’s restaurant where she and her paralegal were to give a presentation on trusts. My attendance was in response to a ‘flyer’ received in the mail. I thought I would just be getting a free meal in a nice restaurant and at the time, I wasn’t even sure what was needed or how Stefanie could help me.
However, once there I could see that, in addition to a free meal, I would be treated to the pleasing visuals of two pretty women. Right from the beginning, I could sense the sincerity and the true caring of this person. Yes, all of us there were prospective clients, but Stefanie treated us as individuals and/​or couples with very unique needs.
Shortly after she began her presentation, I realized that both my mother and I needed a trust. Stefanie listened to all questions intently and provided answers in a clear, non-​condescending manner. She did not hurry us and remained at the restaurant until everything was clear with her audience.
Since the preparation of my trust, Stefanie has remained in touch. She also answers all my e-​mails promptly. If I were to choose three adjectives that best describe Stefanie’s style or approach, it would be «Conscientious, Caring, and Capable»…
The bottom line for Stefanie is not financial compensation for her or for her firm, but fair and adequate remuneration/​service for her clients.
Daniel L.
Alameda, California