Reviews

Michael helped me through a difficult process. He has decades of experience and is very professional. I would highly recommend him.

I highly recommend Michael G. Desmarais Law Office for estate planning. Michael took the time to understand my family’s unique situation, thoroughly explained the entire process, and made sure our plan was tailored to our needs. His attention to detail and genuine care were greatly appreciated.

Michael is truly the best estate/trust attorney in the Bay Area for complex cases. If you ask around you’ll definitely hear his name come up on top. He is exceptionally knowledgeable and efficient. He made a challenging endeavor much easier than I imagined. I really appreciated his professionalism and friendly staff.

Michael Desmarais is a highly esteemed attorney specializing in estate planning, administration, and litigation, with over 30 years of experience. Based in Los Gatos, California, he is a California Board of Legal Specialization Certified Specialist in Probate, Estate Planning, and Trust Law since 1990. His expertise includes will contests, fiduciary litigation, accounting disputes, and financial elder abuse cases. Mr. Desmarais has a distinguished record of recovering millions for victims of elder financial abuse. He has also served as an expert witness in civil and criminal cases, notably contributing to a significant criminal case for the San Francisco District Attorney's office. His professional accolades include an "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest for skill and ethics, and consistent recognition on the Super Lawyers list from 2006 to 2024. Clients and peers commend his legal knowledge, analytical skills, and commitment to excellence. Michael G. Desmarais is a leading choice for trust and estate legal matters, backed by a strong reputation for professionalism and client advocacy.

This guy is absolutely heartless..... I was emailing with the trustee and his lawyer regarding a trust my father set up... Michael was not even on the email list when I started my correspondence....not sure who added him... My father passed almost 3 years ago, and none of his 6 kids who are heirs, have received one dime of the principle of a 6.5 million dollar trust. Administrative fees, however, have been almost $400,000..... This was his very professionally stated response to the lawyer I was talking to: "Jim Forgive for saying that it’s nice to know that someone other than me has to put up with malicious fruitcakes ....." I am working with the San Jose Mercury news to have them investigated for the many suspicious actions that they have taken with regard to our trust. Do yourself a favor and stay far away from him... Jan 20, 2025. Update It's very interesting that within the last week 4 people have rated this guy five stars.... That's about the time that I commented back to him regarding the "malicious fruitcake" comment.... Things that make you go hmm......

Carol is great. For myself as well as my older mother. Very friendly and approachable. She made my senior mother feel at home. I highly recommend

Tom just helped me through a difficult negotiation. Throughout the process he took the time to explain everything in a straightforward language that made sense. Many requests were being made, and Tom took the time to point out the positives and negatives as they were presented. In the end the outcome was satisfactory and met my expectations. I will highly recommend Tom to my friends and family.

I retained Tom to draft my will and set up a living trust, and he was always prepared, and provided strong counsel, which I think made the process quite easy. I then retained him to help me work through an unrelated beneficiary matter where we had little information to go on. He was able to quickly understand both the legal and the emotional issues, and was a strong but calm advocate with the number of parties involved. Things resolved in a very positive manner. He is personable, highly ethical and mindful of goals and time. He communicated frequently, something that I highly value. I recommend him without reservation.

Tom Rossmeissl helped my wife and I update our trusts, wills and end of life directives. What impressed us most is the time he spent listening to our needs, advising us on alternatives and then explaining all the details to my entire family. His work is thorough, detailed and demonstrates the highest level of professionalism. He is responsive, trustworthy and dependable.

Very abrupt. After four-minutes he said my case would be too complicated yet his website reads "Guiding You Through Complex Matters". If you need someone caring, keep looking.

This office handled a conservatorship for us! Excellent service. A “10” for communication!

Very expensive but nice and friendly.