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Beti Tsai Bergman

Trusted Counsel for Life and Legacy

26 years of experience
Probate, Estate Planning
California

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Biography

Beti Tsai Bergman is the principal shareholder of the law firm, Peninsula Law, A Professional Law Corporation. Her firm specializes in probate, trusts, estates, conservatorships, and financial elder abuse. Ms. Bergman has extensive experience in representing conservators, trustees, and executors, as well as, heirs and beneficiaries in uncontested and contested trust and estate matters. Before specializing in probate, Ms. Bergman was a Deputy City Attorney for City of Los Angeles and was a business litigator in private practice.
Ms. Bergman is certified by the California Board of Legal Specialization in estate planning, trust and probate law and has earned a Master Advocate Designation from the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, where she returns as a faculty instructor for their annual Building Trial Skills Program at Loyola Law School. Ms. Bergman has also been named as a Southern California Super Lawyer, listed among the Super Lawyers Top Women in Southern California, named as a Top Attorney by Los Angeles Magazine, as a 10 Best Estate Planning Attorney by the American Institute of Legal Counsel, a Top 3 estate planning lawyer in Torrance by ThreeBestRated, and Peninsula Law has been selected for the 2018 Best of Torrance Award in the Local Business Category by the Torrance Award Program.

Practice Areas

Probate: Probate Administration, Probate Litigation, Will Contests

Estate Planning: Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills

Fees

Credit Cards Accepted
Contingent Fees
Taking cases on contingency will depend on the nature of the case and the value of the client's interest in the estate.

Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice

California: State Bar of California; ID Number: 190767
Since 1997

Languages

English: Spoken, Written

Professional Experience

Founder and Principal Attorney: Peninsula Law, a Professional Law Corporation; 2006 - Current

Deputy City Attorney: Los Angeles City Attorney's Office; 2002 - 2005

Education

University of California - Davis: J.D. (1997) | Law; 1994 - 1997; Honors: UC Davis Law Review

California State University - Long Beach: M.S. (1993) | Applied Mathematics; 1990 - 1993; Honors: Departmental Distinction; Activities: Pre-Law Society; Math Students Association

University of California - Los Angeles: B.S. (1988) | Applied Mathematics; 1986; Activities: Pre-Law Society, Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

Awards

Super Lawyer: Super Lawyers; 2019

Super Lawyer: Super Lawyers; 2018

Top 3 Estate Planning Lawyers: Three Best Rated; 2018; Named as a Top 3 Estate Planning Lawyer by ThreeBestRated.

Best of Torrance Award: Torrance Award Program; 2018; Selected for the 2018 Best of Torrance Award in the Local Business Category by the Torrance Award Program.

10 Best Estate Planning Attorney: American Institute of Legal Counsel; 2018; Named as a 10 Best Estate Planning Attorney by the American Institute of Legal Counsel.

Top Attorney: Los Angeles Magazine; 2018; Named as Top Attorney by Los Angeles Magazine.

Advocate Designation: National Institute of Trial Advocacy; 2015

President's Award: Southern California Chinese Lawyers' Association; 2007

UC Davis Law Review, member: University of California, Davis; 1996; Member of UC Davis Law Review.

Graduated with distinction: Cal State University at Long Beach; 1994

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Professional Associations

Los Angeles County Superior Court: Judge Pro Tem; 2019 - Current

Los Angeles Superior Court: Probate Court Settlement Officer; 2019 - Current

Torrance Memorial Medical Center: Professional Advisory Council; 2017 - Current

Los Angeles County Bar Association: Trust & Estates Executive Committee; 2017 - Current; Activities: Chair, Advisory Committee for Motion to Expand LPS & Probate Conservatorships

NITA (National Institute of Trial Advocacy): Faculty Teacher; 2017 - Current

South Bay Inn of Court: Member; 2016 - Current

Los Angeles County Superior Court: Probate Court-Appointed Counsel Panel; 2008 - Current

Asian Pacific Women Lawyers’ Alliance: 2000 - Current; Activities: Immediate Past-President & MCLE Chair - 2019

California State Bar # 190767: Member; 1997 - Current

Bench-Bar Coalition: Member-at-Large; 2018 - 2019

Los Angeles County Bar Association: LRS Advisory Committee; 2016 - 2018

South Bay Bar Association: Probate Co-Chair; 2016 - 2018

Los Angeles County Superior Court: Volunteer Mediator; 2012 - 2013

Probate Court Guardianship Clinic: Volunteer; 2011 - 2013

Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association: Past President, Board of Governors, Chair, Trial Skills Workshop; 2001 - 2008

LACBA iTAP and TAP (Trial Advocacy Project): 2002 - 2003

UCLA Asian Pacific Alumni: Board of Directors; 2001 - 2003

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Speaking Engagements

Estate and Incapacity Planning II: August 22, 2017; CEB; Presented program to attorneys seeking to be certified by the CA State Board of Legal Specialization in estate planning, trust, and probate law on the topics of retirement benefit planning, business succession planning, use of business entities, charitable planning, and gifts

Probate Litigation 101: Nuts and Bolts”: November 10, 2017; Pincus Professional Education; Presented segments on statutory deadlines in estate and trust litigation proceedings, procedural aspects of petitions, motions, and ex parte applications, civil discovery procedures, capacity, and 850 petitions.

Building Trial Skills, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles: January 3, 2019; National Institute of Trial Advocacy (“NITA”),; Faculty instructor for one-week trial skills workshop. Instructed attorneys on how to practice and perfect trial skills in trial advocacy, persuasion, and communication. Held in realistic trial setting where participants actively performed opening statements, closing arguments, direct and cross-examinations, impeachment, evidentiary foundations, voir dire, and a full jury trial.

Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell Power Lunch Program: January 26, 2018; Los Angeles Superior Court, Central, District; Helped provide civic education, judicial mentorship, and exposure to the judicial branch for high school students from underserved communities. Participated in mentoring sessions with students, worked through legal educational exercises with students, and answered student questions about the practice of law.

Protecting Yourself, Your Assets, and Your Relationships: April 14, 2018; Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Professional Advisory Council; Speaker for seminar to educate the public on how elder abuse can happen, how to recognize and address it, and what type of legal protetions you can put in place to try to prevent it.

Los Angeles Minority/Ethnic Bar Association Meet & Greet Event with Gavin Newsom”: September 6, 2018; Los Angeles City Club; Seleted to represent the Asian legal community to present issue and question to Gavin Newsom.

Quarterly Mentoring Circle: September 9, 2018; APAWLA; As one of my main focuses as President of APAWLA, we enhanced our mentoring efforts and partnered up with our sister bar, SCCLA, to present our inaugural joint quarterly mentoring circle to advance and support young women lawyers.

Know Your Limits: PVP Training for the Limited Conservatorship Practitioner: October 20, 2018; LACBA; Speaker for seminar presented to PVP attorneys on the topic of limited conservatorships focusing on understanding the proposed conservtor and proposed conservatee and family dynamics, the seven powers involved in limited conservatorships, modification of those powers, and the proposed conservatee’s voting rights.

Conservatorships, Probate, and Estate Planning: December 21, 2018; Alzheimer’s Support Group, Cerritos Senior Center; Presented a basic seminar to an Alzheimer’s support group to educate them about how get a conservatorship to have the legal authoirty to act and protect a person who has lost capacity, and how to put proper estate planning instruments in place to prevent the possibility of a consevatorship

Trial Preparation and Advocacy: Part II: May 7, 2019; LACBA, Los Angeles Superior Court, Central, District

Welcome to EPIC and How to Take the Specialization Exam, Oakland, CA: June 13, 2019; CEB; Presented seminar about how to take the Probate Specialization Exam and what to expect on the day of the exam. Discussed a sample essay question and a sample mulitple choice question. Demonstrated how to outline answers to questions and how to best manage time during the exam.

“Conservatorship Basics 101”: July 29, 2019; CEB; Presented webcast about the basics of conservatorships, when conservatorships are needed, the difference between conservatorships and powers of attorney and other estate planning instruments, court proceedings involved, and different types of conservatorships.

Drafting Revocable Living Trusts: Tricky Clauses, CEB Live Webcast, Torrance, CA: CEB; Beti Tsai Bergman gave a live presentation for CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar) on the topic of Drafting Revocable Trusts: Tricky Clauses. The presentation was an in-depth focus on select tricky and hence problematic clauses found in a revocable trust that raise challenges and confusion for estate planners. Ms. Bergman taught what the clauses mean and provided sensible guidance to help aid practitioners in the trust drafting process.

Drafting Revocable Living Trusts: Tricky Clauses, CEB Live Webcast, Torrance, CA: CEB; Beti Tsai Bergman gave a live presentation for CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar) on the topic of Drafting Revocable Trusts: Tricky Clauses. The presentation was an in-depth focus on select tricky and hence problematic clauses found in a revocable trust that raise challenges and confusion for estate planners. Ms. Bergman taught what the clauses mean and provided sensible guidance to help aid practitioners in the trust drafting process.

Drafting Revocable Living Trusts: Tricky Clauses, CEB Live Webcast, Torrance, CA: March 24, 2017; CEB; Beti Tsai Bergman gave a live presentation for CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar) on the topic of Drafting Revocable Trusts: Tricky Clauses. The presentation was an in-depth focus on select tricky and hence problematic clauses found in a revocable trust that raise challenges and confusion for estate planners. Ms. Bergman taught what the clauses mean and provided sensible guidance to help aid practitioners in the trust drafting process.

Amending a Revocable Living Trust, CEB Live Webcast, Torrance, CA: October 4, 2016; CEB; Beti Tsai Bergman presented a CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar) live webcast on the topic of Amending a Revocable Living Trust. Ms. Bergman taught the mechanics and best practices about how to amend a revocable living trust.

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Certifications