San Jose, California
Estate Planning Attorney in San Jose, California.
Robert P. Bergman has practiced as an estate planning attorney in San Jose since 1980. He is one of roughly 1% of California attorneys certified as a specialist by the State Bar in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Bob personally drafts every plan he sells. Office at 3535 Ross Avenue in the Cambrian Park neighborhood of San Jose; meetings also available by Zoom for clients across Santa Clara County and California.
How Bob serves San Jose families.
Bob has practiced in Santa Clara County for 46 years. He has filed estate plans for families across San Jose, from Almaden and Willow Glen to Berryessa and North San Jose. The mix of Silicon Valley primary residences, technology compensation, and multi-generational families means San Jose plans need real attention to property tax under Prop 19, to RSU and ISO timing, and to the funding step that quietly determines whether the trust actually works.
Every plan includes a revocable living trust, a pour-over will, durable powers of attorney for finances, and an advance health care directive. For families with minor children, the plan also names guardians. For families with a special needs child, a separate special needs trust preserves Medi-Cal and SSI eligibility.
Bob drafts every plan himself. The same attorney named on the door reads every page, attends the signing appointment, and answers your questions afterward.
What the engagement looks like.
The first step is a Plan Design Meeting. Bob asks about your family, your assets, your concerns, and the people you want to involve. He gives you a written recommendation and a fixed fee estimate at the end of the meeting.
After you decide to move forward, Bob drafts the documents. A draft review meeting walks you through the plan in plain language so you understand exactly what you are signing. The signing appointment formalizes the documents. Funding (retitling assets into the trust) is the final step, and Bob walks you through it step by step.
Most plans are signed within three to six weeks of the initial meeting.
What sets this work apart.
California State Bar Certified Specialist.
Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Held by roughly 1% of California attorneys. Re-certification required every five years.
Practicing in Santa Clara County since 1980.
Forty-six years of San Jose estate planning experience. Other attorneys send Bob their hardest trust petitions.
Bob drafts every plan himself.
No paralegal hand-offs. No template factory. The attorney named on the door reads every page.
Trust petitions filed in counties across California.
Heggstad and irrevocable trust modification petitions for clients throughout California, not only Santa Clara County.
Common questions
Estate Planning Attorney in San Jose, California FAQ.
Schedule a Plan Design Meeting with Bob.
Bob reads the documents you bring, listens to your situation, and gives you a written recommendation and fee estimate. The first meeting is the Plan Design Meeting.