In the Media

Hiring, Examining and Being an Expert Witness – Meg Lodise Guests on ACTEC Trust & Estate Talk Podcast

Estate lawyers often find themselves serving as and working with expert witnesses to address procedural and substantive issues Partner Meg Lodise joined the ACTEC Trust & Estate Talk podcast to discuss what lawyers should keep in mind when…..read more


‘Dead Men Tell No Tales,’ but Their Attorney May Have To: Overlooked Exceptions to Privilege in California – John Scheerer Authors The Recorder Article

Attorneys or their clients might mistakenly, but reasonably, believe that the privilege automatically continues on in perpetuity, but in the probate world, privileges are often eviscerated as a matter of statutory law after death….read more


Integrating Public Speaking and Presentations into Your Trusts & Estates Career – Terrence Franklin Shares His Expertise with ABA RPTE’s Probate & Property

For many if not most attorneys, public speaking is an essential part of both successfully practicing law and building a law practice. In early 2022, Partner Terrence Franklin joined a panel of trusts and estates attorneys who are nationally known as successful presenters, ….read more


Honoring Black History – Terrence Franklin Guests on Hidden History Happy Hour Podcast

In commemoration of Black History Month, Partner Terrence Franklin joined the Hidden History Happy Hour podcast to share the moving story of his family’s experience with slavery and how learning of it inspired his life’s mission “To Bend the Arc of History Towards ….read more


Estate Planning and the Will of Lucy Sutton – Terrence Franklin Guests on HE SAID, HE SAID, HE SAID Live

Partner Terrence Franklin was a guest on HE SAID, HE SAID, HE SAID Live, a weekly broadcast streaming on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, with a look at the world from the perspective of three seasoned Black men. Franklin discussed “Estate Planning and the Will of Lucy Sutton,” his awe-inspiring story….read more


How to Be a Good Executor of a Will or Estate – Terry Franklin Featured in AARP Article

The wave of people prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic to write their wills is creating yet another wave in estate planning: all the people being asked to one day put those wills into effect. They are the executors – the relatives or friends designated in a will as the final administrator of a deceased person’s estate….read more


Wills, Slavery and Probate: The Legacy of Lucy Sutton – Terry Franklin Featured in ACTEC’s Black History Month Video

In honor of Black History Month, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) released Wills, Slavery and Probate – The Legacy of Lucy Sutton, a docu-style video spotlighting the story of Partner and ACTEC Fellow Terry Franklin’s discovery of a will executed 170 years ago,….read more


Terry Franklin Discusses History of His Fourth Great-Grandfather’s Contested Will on The Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast

Partner Terry Franklin was a guest on The Reduced Shakespeare Company podcast chronicling the discovery of his fourth great-grandfather’s will and the unexpected will contest that threatened to keep his fourth great-grandmother and their eight children and six grandchildren enslaved….read more


This Defender of Justice – Terry Franklin Guests on “Relatable with Stephanie Michele” Show

Partner Terry Franklin was a guest on “Relatable with Stephanie Michele,” a weekly YouTube livestream show spotlighting exceptional human encounters – the people who make them happen and the actions it takes to create them. On the episode, “This Defender of Justice,” Franklin shares….read more


“Disinherited Beneficiaries May Challenge Trusts, Court Says” – Bob Sacks Weighs in on Ruling in the Daily Journal

On January 23, 2020, the California Supreme Court reversed an appellate ruling and confirmed that probate courts may hear challenges from disinherited beneficiaries who allege they were removed from testamentary instruments as the result of foul play or incompetence…..read more


Meg Lodise Co-Presents Webinar – “I’m President and Sole Trustee: Resolving Conflicts When Fiduciaries Hold Entity Interests”

Partner Meg Lodise co-presented the webinar “I’m President and Sole Trustee: Resolving Conflicts When Fiduciaries Hold Entity Interests,” sponsored by American Law Institute and American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. The CLE-accredited webinar examined possible ramifications….read more


Terry Franklin Interviewed by Becker Group Business Strategy Podcast

Partner Terry Franklin was a guest on the Becker Group Business Strategy podcast discussing his Harvard Law experience as a person of color, his friendship and thoughts on Michelle Obama, his perspectives on U.S. policies, and the phrase “Make American Great Again” and what that means for….read more


Terry Franklin Featured in Daily Journal “In Recess” Profile

Partner Terry Franklin was interviewed by Daily Journal for the feature profile, “Tree of Life: Lawyer’s knowledge of trust and estate law helped him find deep meaning in his own history.”

In 2001, Terry came across an abstract of his fourth great-grandfather’s, John Sutton, will that was executed 173 years ago, and set out to discover the relationship…..read more


Terry Franklin Featured in Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Member Spotlight in Honor of Black History Month

Partner Terry Franklin was recognized in the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s (LACBA) Member Spotlight, celebrating Bar leaders in honor of Black History Month. LACBA acknowledged Terry for his more than 25 years of successfully handling complex trust and estates and probate……read more


Southern California Super Lawyers Profiles Terry Franklin in “Last Will, New Testament”

Partner Terry Franklin was featured in Southern California Super Lawyers magazine discussing his search for the story behind the relationship between his fourth great-grandfather and his “mulatto” slave Lucy, and the will that set his ancestors free. Mr. Franklin describes his journey…..read more


Partner Robert Sacks Interviewed in Daily Journal article on Baby Boomers Causing an Increase in Trust and Estate Planning and Litigation

As the parents of baby boomers pass away, their children are often left fighting over their estates, with many attorneys seeing an increase in litigation. In a recent Daily Journal article titled, “More Older People Increases Trust, Estate Cases,” Partner Robert Sacks confirmed that the changing….read more


California Supreme Court Rules that Wills May be Amended After Death

On Monday, July 27, the California Supreme Court ruled that a will may be reformed after one’s death if there is clear and convincing extrinsic evidence that the will does not accurately reflect the testator’s wishes and what the wishes were at the time the will was drafted. Historically….read more


Law360 Features Terrence Franklin in Minority Powerbrokers Q & A

Partner Terrence Franklin is featured in Law360’s Minority Powerbrokers Q&A focusing on diverse senior level attorneys and the tremendous impact they are having on the legal industry. With a quarter century of experience, Mr. Franklin notes that he is one of the very few African Americans….read more


Daily Journal Profiles Sacks, Glazier, Franklin & Lodise’s Flourishing Litigation Practice in Southern California

In the Daily Journal article, “Emotional Rollercoaster”, Sacks, Glazier, Franklin & Lodise attorneys discuss the thriving business for trusts, estates and conservatorship disputes in Southern California, which are at the heart of the firm’s litigation practice. The firm represents both sides….read more


Lisa Wick Publish Interview with the Honorable Reva Goetz for the American Bar Association

Sacks, Glazier, Franklin & Lodise Attorneys G. Lisa Wick recently interviewed the Honorable Reva Goetz of the Los Angeles Superior Court Central Division’s Probate Department as part of a series of candid interviews with probate judges across the country for the American Bar Association’s Trust and Estate Litigation Section…..read more


Newsweek “Controlling Britney” February 11, 2008

In the context of Britney Spears parents taking control of her financial matters, Ms. Lodise discussed the legal wrangling involved and obstacles faced when a person seeks to take over another adults affairs. Ms. Lodise answered a series of questions examining the two types of conservatorships; steps to establish…read more


Terry Franklin Interviewed on When It Mattered Podcast – Uncovering a pre-Civil War era will takes an estate lawyer deep into his family’s history with slavery and helps him reconcile with his sexual identity

Partner Terry Franklin was a recent guest on When It Mattered, a podcast examining how leaders are forged in critical moments and how they overcome adversity. Terry discussed how uncovering his family history transformed his mission as a trust and estate lawyer, and in an unexpected way….read more


Terry Franklin Profiled in ABA Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Newsletter

Partner Terry Franklin was featured in the article “Terry Franklin – SOGI Commissioner and Man Truly Worth Knowing” in the American Bar Association’s Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) newsletter, The Equalizer. The interview follows Terry’s path to the legal profession, discovery of his fourth great-grandfather’s will and how that shifted his understanding of what history…read more


Terry Franklin Featured in ABA Journal Article “Law Imitates Life: A trusts and estates lawyer unearths his family’s past”

Partner Terry Franklin was featured in the ABA Journal “Character Witness” column which explores legal and societal issues through the first-person lens of attorneys in the trenches who are, inter alia, on a mission to defend liberty and pursue justice….read more


Los Angeles Times “Wrangling Over Michael Jackson Estate Could Revive Sales of Online Wills” July 14, 2009

Michael Jackson’s death will create more awareness of the importance of possessing a current will and trust, according to a recent Los Angeles Times article, “Wrangling Over Michael Jackson Estate Could Revive Sales of Online Wills.” Partner Robert Sacks discussed the pros and cons to producing…..read more


BIG NEWS for Smaller Firms – State Bar of California “Bringing the Past to Trial” August/September 2008

Sacks Glazier Franklin & Lodise was featured in BIG NEWS for Smaller Firms, the official publication of the Solo and Small Firm Section of the State Bar of California. Please click here to read the article…read more


“News Chase” July 16, 2008

Partner Margaret Lodise was recently interviewed by the Korean investigative reporting show “News Chase” for a story about a Korean woman who is under conservatorship in California with properties in Korea. Ms. Lodise provided background information on the U.S. conservatorship system and described its advantages…..read more


ABA Journal “Plotting Against Probate” May 2008

In an interview, Jessica A. Uzcategui explained that probate can lengthen the time to establish the validity of a will and settle the estate, which leads to increased costs and legal fees, especially for larger estates with more complex issues….read more


Newsweek “Controlling Britney” February 11, 2008

In the context of Britney Spears parents taking control of her financial matters, Ms. Lodise discussed the legal wrangling involved and obstacles faced when a person seeks to take over another adults affairs. Ms. Lodise answered a series…..read more