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Section | Estate Planning, Trust and Probate

Estate Planning, Trust and Probate & Probate Litigation Sections Meeting (virtual)

Red Flags: An Estate Planner’s Guide To Preparing For a Will or Trust Contest

speakers
Carmen D. Sinigiani | Weaver Currie, PC
Hon. Bradford DeMeo (Ret.)

The MCBA Estate Planning, Trust and Probate & Probate Litigation Sections June Meeting (virtual), Red Flags--An Estate Planner’s Guide To Preparing For a Will or Trust Contest, will be held virtually on Wednesday, June 3rd from 12:00 to 2:00 PM via a Zoom Webinar.

This presentation provides estate planners with a practical framework for identifying and responding to red flags that may lead to will or trust contests. It emphasizes the attorney’s duty of competence, diligence, and ethical conduct.

This presentation provides estate planners with a practical framework for identifying and responding to red flags that may lead to will or trust contests. It emphasizes the attorney’s duty of competence, diligence, and ethical conduct. The presentation highlights the estate planner’s gatekeeping role—asking “why,” meeting privately with clients, documenting decisions, and avoiding situations that could enable undue influence or elder abuse. Guidance is provided on how to respond when capacity or undue influence issues arise, including slowing the process, involving trusted professionals, seeking medical or neuropsych evaluations, and terminating representation when necessary.

Time will be reserved for questions and discussions.

***For those that are not able to attend but interested in the post-meeting recording, we require that you Register for the Event. Once the presentation is over, if the recording is adequate, we will send it to those that were not able to attend. If the recording is distorted and can not be viewed, MCBA will refund your registration fee. MCBA does not provide CLE for viewing recordings post presentation.***

MCBA IS AN APPROVED PROVIDER AND CERTIFIES THAT THIS ACTIVITY HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR MINIMUM CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT BY THE STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA IN THE AMOUNT OF 2.0 HOUR TOWARDS LEGAL ETHICS MCLE Credit.

MCLE Notice: To receive MCLE credit, for in person: you must sign in/out at MCBA registration table. If virtual: you must connect by digital device; i.e., tablet or computer. Call in by telephone only will not qualify. This activity is approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of California. MCBA is a certified provider: Provider #411

People with disabilities and/or special requests should contact MCBA regarding reasonable accommodations.

2.0 CLE | Legal Ethics

Contact

Denise Belli | Email

06/03/2026 12:00 PM 06/03/2026 2:00 PM America/Los_Angeles Estate Planning, Trust and Probate & Probate Litigation Sections Meeting (virtual) Red Flags: An Estate Planner’s Guide To Preparing For a Will or Trust Contest Zoom Webinar, , , CA, Marin County Bar Association info@marinbar.org false MM/DD/YYYY

Registration

Member Registration

Non-member Registration

Registration ends Jun 03, 2026

Members: $ 60
Non-Members: $100

$40 for MCBA Estate Planning, Trust and Probate or Probate Litigation Section Members

Date and Location

Wednesday | June 03, 2026
12:00-2:00P

Zoom Webinar

Speaker Information

Carmen D. Sinigiani

Weaver Currie, PC

Ms. Sinigiani’s practice focuses primarily on estate planning and estate and trust litigation. Carmen handles all aspects of trust and estate litigation including trust and will contests, trustee and fiduciary disputes, and other beneficiary disputes. Carmen's extensive estate litigation experience provides her a wealth of knowledge to counsel her estate planning clients on litigation prevention and family relationship preservation. She has also qualified as an expert, testifying on breach of fiduciary duties. She is also a Professor of Law at Empire College School of Law, teaching Wills & Trusts for the last 13 years. Ms. Sinigiani is a native Sonoma County resident and is active in the local community, serving on the Board of Analy Band Wagon, a music boosters for her local high school, and a member of the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa.

Website

Hon. Bradford DeMeo (Ret.)

Hon. Bradford DeMeo (Ret.) has vast experience adjudicating and resolving complex trust and probate matters, civil disputes, and CEQA/Environmental matters as a respected trial judge and mediator. Judge DeMeo spent 14 years as a California trial judge sitting in civil, probate, felony and family assignments, and was the designated California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) judge from 2022-2025. Judge DeMeo served as Presiding Judge of the Court (2020-2022). For 22 years prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge DeMeo litigated civil, probate and trust matters to successful conclusion.

Judge DeMeo has conducted hundreds of settlement conferences for the courts as a judge, and prior to his appointment to the bench as a settlement panelist, with a very high percentage of resolution.

Judge DeMeo is also and educator. He has for many years, and currently is, a member of the faculty for the Stanford Law School trial practices program offered to the students of the law school. He was a professor of law at Empire College of the Law for more than 25 years. Judge DeMeo has also participated as a presenter of over 200 continuing education programs, seminars and workshops.