Herbert A. Stroh

Attorney

Herbert A. Stroh

Attorney

805.541.2800

HStroh@sjmslaw.com

Herb Stroh's practice concentrates in the areas of estate planning, trust, probate conservatorship, and trust litigation.  He joined the firm in 2005, and became a principal in the firm on July 1, 2007.

Representative Accomplishments:

* Represented trust beneficiary in action to recover estate property
* Represented minor through trial and appeal to successfully restore misappropriated funds to the guardianship
* Defended trustee in elder abuse and breach of fiduciary claim of beneficiaries
* Represented professional conservators in a variety of proceedings over 15 years
* Represented executor defending will in extensive will contest
* Prepared estate plan utilizing techniques of entity creation, fractional discounting, charitable remainder trust, and insurance trust to reduce transfer taxes
* Developed business succession plan for owner of multi-million dollar family business, addressing liquidity and long-term management issues
*  Handled complex trust administration involving multiple businesses and substantial estate tax exposure 

Background:

Herb is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.  He received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1981, and his J.D. degree from Loyola Law School in 1985.  He obtained an LLM in tax from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2000.

In 1988 Herb became a partner in the law firm of Whitesell & Stroh, and practiced in Glendale until joining the firm in 2005.

Herb was on the Los Angeles County Probate Mediation Panel, and has been appointed by the court to represent proposed conservatees in more than 100 cases.  He taught in the UCLA Attorney Assistant Program for over 10 years.  His article on Conservation Easements entitled "To Protect and to Conserve" was published in Los Angeles Lawyer.

Herb has served the Los Angeles Superior Court as Judge Pro Tem, has volunteered as a Settlement Officer in the "CRASH" settlement program, acted as arbitrator for both superior and limited court cases, and as arbitrator for the Los Angeles County Bar Dispute Resolution Services.

Herb also served as a lay minister until his move to the Central Coast.

He resides in Cambria with his wife, Patti, and children, Kelly and Brian.

Professional Affiliations:

* State Bar of California, Executive Committee, Section of Trusts and Estates (Member)
* State Bar of California, Section of Trusts and Estates (Member)
* San Luis Obispo County, Los Angeles County, and Beverly Hills Bar Associations, Section of Trusts & Estates (Member) 
* Estate Planning Council of San Luis Obispo County (President 2008-2009)
 

Community Affiliations:

* Rotary Club of Cambria (President Elect 2008-2009)
* Hospice of San Luis Obispo County (Director, Treasurer)
* The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County (Director)
* Rotary Club of Cambria Sunrise Centennial (Director, Foundation Chair)
* Cambria Chamber of Commerce (Member)