Description:

Hybrid or Remote | Remote must be Admitted to California Bar | Compensation: $130,000–$160,000 DOE + bonus opportunity

About the role:
Legal Norcal P.C. is seeking a Spanish/English bilingual Trusts & Estates Associate Attorney to join our growing team and support families across Northern California with estate planning, trust administration, probate, and related post-death matters.

This role is ideal for an attorney who wants to do meaningful, client-centered legal work while maintaining a sustainable workload and a supportive team environment. A significant part of our work involves helping Spanish-speaking families protect their homes, assets, dignity, and legacy. We are looking for someone who can communicate with warmth, clarity, and confidence in both English and Spanish while guiding clients through important and often emotional planning decisions.

You will work closely with our legal team to manage client matters, lead and support estate planning conversations, help families understand their options, and ensure matters are handled with professionalism, care, and attention to detail.

Our firm values professional growth, collaboration, modern legal technology, and a sustainable approach to legal practice. We offer a hybrid work environment or fully remote for the right fit, a 1,500-hour annual billable target, flexible time off, and the opportunity to make a real impact in the lives of clients and families.

What You'll Do:

Lead and support estate planning matters, including client design meetings, attorney review, signing meetings, trust funding strategy, property planning, Medi-Cal recovery considerations, and Proposition 19 analysis.
Communicate directly with Spanish-speaking and English-speaking clients, explaining complex legal concepts in plain language and helping clients feel informed, supported, and at ease.
Draft, review, and analyze estate planning documents, including trusts, wills, powers of attorney, advance health care directives, deeds, and related planning documents.
Administer routine and complex trusts, including trustee guidance, beneficiary notices, asset inventory and valuation, sub-trust funding for A/B and A/B/C structures, accountings, distributions, and final closure.
Manage probate matters from petition through final distribution, including intake, fee planning, petition drafting, court appearances, notices, inventory and appraisal coordination, creditor claims, accountings, and distribution.
Handle estate administration matters that fall between probate and trust administration, including small-estate affidavits, spousal property petitions, summary procedures, and matters requiring attorney judgment.
Coordinate with the firm's CPA, financial, and professional partners on more complex matters involving tax allocation, basis issues, sub-trust splits, property planning, and related client needs.
Work collaboratively with legal assistants, paralegals, and firm leadership to move matters forward efficiently while maintaining a high level of client service.
Track time contemporaneously and prepare clear, task-based, value-focused time entries that reflect the substance of the work performed.
Support the firm's long-term client relationship model by helping clients feel protected, understood, and confident in their planning.

What We're Looking For:

Active California State Bar license in good standing.
Juris Doctor from an ABA-accredited or California-accredited law school.
Professional fluency in English and Spanish required, including the ability to communicate clearly and compassionately with Spanish-speaking clients about estate planning, probate, trust administration, and family legacy matters.
Three or more years of substantive trusts and estates experience preferred; candidates with at least two years of strong, directly relevant experience may be considered.
Meaningful experience in estate planning required, including client meetings, document review, drafting, and planning strategy.
Experience with trust administration and probate strongly preferred.
Working knowledge of the California Probate Code and related rules and procedures applicable to estate planning, probate, and trust administration.
Familiarity with Proposition 19, Medi-Cal recovery, property transfers, trust funding, and family wealth transfer issues preferred.
Excellent client communication skills and a strong “bedside manner,” especially when working with families during emotionally significant moments.
Ability to explain complex legal concepts in a practical, plain-language way.
Strong judgment, attention to detail, follow-through, and ownership of client matters.
Comfort using modern legal technology and willingness to learn new systems.
Experience with tools such as MyCase, WealthCounsel, Clio Draft, DecisionVault, Lawmatics, Microsoft 365, CEB, or LexisNexis is helpful but not required.