Mark Abbott Lester

Mark A. Lester is a California Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law with an emphasis in trusts & estates litigation. He also has substantial experience with business transactions, business litigation, taxation, and real property law. Mr. Lester has received an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell for maintaining the highest standards of professional and ethical excellence in the legal community.

In a career spanning over 38 years, Mr. Lester is widely recognized for his legal achievements. He has been certified as an estate planning, trust, and probate law specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He is currently serving as one of 7 members of the Board of Trustees of the California Board of Legal Specialization after 5 years of service as one of the nine (9) appointed commissioners on the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization, Estate Planning Law Advisory Commission, which is responsible for writing, administering and grading the certification examination and approving the application for California attorneys seeking to become California Certified Specialists in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. In 2015 through 2019, Mr. Lester has been recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyer™ in Estate & Trust Litigation, in 2015 and 2018 in Estate Planning & Probate, and in 2018 in Corporate and Business areas of the law.

On twelve (12) separate occasions during the period 2003 to 2019, Mr. Lester has taught continuing legal educations courses for National Business Institute (“NBI”) in the areas of estate planning, will drafting, trusts and estates administration, and estate planning and recovery for elderly clients. From 2012 through May 2019, Mr. Lester has presented or co-presented programs entitled “No Certificate of Independent Review – Can the Gift to a Prohibited Transferee Otherwise be Salvaged”, “Trust Attorneys Fees and the Non-Participating Litigation Beneficiary,” “Do You Know Who Your Children Are? Determining Parentage in Probate and Trust Administration Cases,” “To Have and to Hold Out or Is DNA Enough to Claim Your Inheritance,” “Certificates of Independent Review & Gifts to Care Custodians,” “Effectively Using Petitions to Compel Accountings and to Appoint Neutral Trustees to Resolve Trust Disputes,” “Surcharges and Sanctions: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” and “Ethically Managing an Estate Planning Practice” to the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, Ventura County Bar Association, North San Diego County Bar Association, Woodland Hills Tax & Estate Planning Council, and San Fernando Valley Estate Planning Council.

Mr. Lester has an established reputation in the legal community as a respected trial attorney. His reported cases include Christie v. Kimball (2012) 202 Cal.App.4th 1407, Estate of Odian(2006) 145 Cal.App.4th 152, Askari v. R&R Land Company(1986) 179 Cal.App.3d 1101. Mr. Lester serves from time to time as Judge Pro Tem for the Probate Department of the Ventura County Superior Court and as a Voluntary Settlement Officer through the San Fernando Valley Bar Association for the Probate Department of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.