Julie King

With 30+ years’ experience, Julie King practices law with the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. She is easy to speak with and talks in plain English (not legalese). Julie handles a wide variety of estate planning and business matters including: (1) ESTATE PLANNING - wills and trusts, health care directives, powers of attorney, special needs trusts, pet trusts, grant deeds and more; and (2) BUSINESS LAW - corporation/LLC/partnership formation, annual meeting minutes, corporate records, contracts, and employee training.

Julie served as in-house counsel to major international corporations, including Toshiba America, where she worked for 15 years and hired lawyers throughout the world. She has been a "client", so she understands clients' needs in a way many lawyers do not. Contact Julie today and see the difference!

Call or email today for a FREE initial consultation! (831) 275-1002 Julie@PierceKingLaw.com

• Form Corporations, LLCs and Partnerships
• Business Transactions & Contracts
• Trusts, Wills, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Directives
• Real Estate Grant Deeds and Related Documentation

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• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Pierce King, P.C. bills hourly or charges a flat fee, depending on the type of matter.

California

Since 1987

Founding Attorney

Pierce King, P.C., a Professional Law Corporation

2012 - Current

BUSINESS LAW - Negotiating and drafting a variety of complex business contracts, including an international Private Cloud Infrastructure and Management Services Agreement and a Funding Agreement involving the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. - Forming C and S Corporations, LLCs and Partnerships, and drafting documents related thereto, such as Buy-Sell and Operating Agreements, Bylaws, Annual Meeting Minutes and Board Resolutions. ESTATE PLANNING - Drafting a variety of wills and trusts (including Revocable Living Trusts, Special Needs Trusts and Pet Trusts), Health Care Directives and Durable Powers of Attorney, as well as Grant Deeds and other documentation relating to funding trusts. - Counseling clients in Trust Administration matters - Preparing, filing and representing clients in Probate actions

Director, Contracts and Intellectual Property

CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC

2007 - 2012

Assistant General Counsel

Toshiba America

1991 - 2006

Julie was an in-house counsel for Toshiba for 15 years and handled a wide variety of matters for the corporation. She helped the Human Resources Dept. with employment matters and policy drafting, the Sales Dept. with contracts, the Finance Dept. with guaranties, and anyone else in the company who needed assistance in any area of law. She would be honored to do the same for you. Call today!

Univ of California at Los Angeles

Undergraduate Degree

Loyola Law School

Law Degree

BEST LAWYER IN MONTEREY COUNTY

Monterey Herald Readers' Poll

2024

BEST LAWYER IN MONTEREY COUNTY

Monterey Herald Readers' Poll

2023

BEST LAW FIRM IN MONTEREY COUNTY

Monterey Herald Readers' Poll

2023

Volunteer of the Year

Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce

2023

BEST LAWYER IN MONTEREY COUNTY

Monterey Herald Readers' Poll

2021

IMPOWER (Businesswomen inspiring each other and helping our community)

Vice President of the Board of Directors

2021 - Current

Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce

Ambassador

2014 - Current

Monterey County Bar Association

Member

2007 - Current

California State Bar  # 132813

Member

1987 - Current

Central Coast Human Resources Association

Member of the Board of Directors

2019 - 2022

License to Practice Law

California Bar Association

Q. How to remove a designated beneficiary from a bank account in California?

May 21, 2025

A: If it is your bank account and you have a trust, you can change the title of that account from your name to the name of the trust. [Check with your estate planning attorney if you don't know the proper way to title an account to place it into your trust.] If you don't have a trust, you can go to your bank and simply remove all beneficiaries' names.

If it is not your bank account, you cannot do anything without the permission of the owner.

Best wishes!

Q. How to assign my son as beneficiary of my half of a joint tenancy house in CA?

May 18, 2025

A: First, I would like to explain what the phrase “joint tenancy” means. It’s important.

When people buy real estate, they are always asked how they want to “title” the property. Few people besides real estate professionals and lawyers know how to answer that question. Unfortunately, the two or three word answer has tax and estate planning consequences that many people are unaware of.

Joint tenancy is a type of property ownership between two or more people where each own an equal share (such as two people who own property 50/50.) When one owner dies, the deceased person’s share AUTOMATICALLY transfers to the other owner(s) still living. Because property changes hands the very nanosecond an owner dies, it does not matter what a Will or Trust may say. The property has already changed hands, so there is nothing to give away. That part of a Will or Trust just becomes meaningless. The last owner alive always gets 100% of the property.

If one of two owners of property in joint tenancy wants to give away their half of property, the first thing they need to do is change title from joint tenancy to a different type of ownership to avoid having their share of the property go to the wrong person. There are different ways of accomplishing that objective, so it's best to have an estate planning attorney hear your specific goals and explain the best way forward in your specific situation. Best wishes! ... Read More

Q. How can I access information about my mother's trust if my brother blocks communication?

May 14, 2025

A: Successor Trustees should send a Notification by Trustee telling all immediate family and all beneficiaries that they have a right to receive a copy of the trust. If the Successor Trustee refuses to give someone a copy of the trust, it would be a good idea to demand a copy of the trust in writing. If that doesn't work, it's likely that a lawyer would have to send a demand letter quoting the law covering Notifications by Trustee. Worst case scenario, a Petition can be filed in Court and a judge can force the Successor Trustee to give a copy of the trust. But I hope it doesn't get to that level. Best wishes!