John Scheerer

Partner

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John Scheerer focuses his practice exclusively on trusts, estates and conservatorship litigation. He has successfully handled a variety of matters before the Probate Department of the Superior Court as well as appeals in the California Court of Appeal resulting in multiple successful appellate decisions.

Mr. Scheerer represents beneficiaries, trustees, professional fiduciaries, and non-profit institutions such as national universities. He balances clever advocacy with an unbiased and realistic assessment of each of his client’s cases in order to provide the most cost-effective favorable outcome.

Representative examples of Mr. Scheerer’s practice include prosecuting and defending will and trust contests, defending creditor’s claims in decedents’ trusts or estates, defending conservatorship proceedings, and prosecuting and defending breach of fiduciary duty and surcharge claims against trustees.

Most recently, Mr. Scheerer was successful in achieving the following results for clients:

• Successfully defended a multibillion-dollar claim against the Barron Hilton Trust.
• Obtained terminating sanctions in addition to demurrers sustained without leave to amend against a disgruntled relative of his client, a trustee of a trust holding substantial assets.
• Obtained a dismissal in subsequent related conservatorship litigation.
• Obtained an affirmance in favor of his clients, both trustee and beneficiaries of a trust, after an extensive appellate process, which included Mr. Scheerer’s oral advocacy in the California Court of Appeal.

At his previous firm, Mr. Scheerer was part of a team that served as trial counsel to Sumner Redstone, controlling shareholder of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp., securing complete dismissal of the lawsuit after the first day of trial.

Mr. Scheerer’s work in trusts and estates litigation has earned recognition on the list of Lawdragon 500 Leading Trusts & Estates Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation Future Stars, Best Lawyers, and as a Chambers and Partners “Up-and-Coming” Notable Practitioner for High Net Worth Private Wealth Disputes in California. Client and peer feedback to Chambers reinforces his reputation for effective representation and skilled advocacy:

“I continue to be impressed with John’s responsiveness, and his knowledge of our case and how best to defend us…John has a good demeanor, even in hostile cases, and is an effective writer and advocate.”

Active in the legal community, Mr. Scheerer is currently a Board Member with the Beverly Hills Estate Planning Council; Vice-Chair, Professional Responsibility for the American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section (RPTE); and a member of the Los Angeles Estate Planning Council. Industry organizations invite Mr. Scheerer to share his expertise, and he has presented to California Lawyers Association, ABA RPTE’s Annual National CLE Conference and myLawCLE, among others.

An ardent Los Angeles Dodgers fan, Mr. Scheerer has been interviewed by multiple outlets about his extensive bobblehead collection, including a feature profile with Super Lawyers Magazine. He frequently authors articles on timely trusts and estates issues for publications such as Thomson Reuters Practical Law Trusts & Estates, Daily Journal and The Recorder.

Mr. Scheerer obtained his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, where he attended on a full merit scholarship and where he was elected to the Order of the Coif as well as received the Dean’s Award for the highest grade in Wills and Trusts. Mr. Scheerer also served on the UCLA Law Review as Associate Editor. He received his B.A. degree from UCLA, summa cum laude.

Prior to joining Sacks, Glazier, Franklin, Lodise, McMurtrey & Scheerer, LLP, Mr. Scheerer was a Litigation Associate at Hueston Hennigan LLP, and previously at Irell and Manella LLP, practicing in complex commercial litigation and serving as counsel in high profile civil suits.