Estate Planning Attorney

Talley LLP; California; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Talley Law Group, LLP in Orange, California seeks an Estate Planning & Corporate Attorney with 4–6 years of experience blending estate planning with entity formation and governance for closely held businesses and owners.

The role uses the firm's AI and legal tech platforms; paralegal support is available for overflow, not for drafting. Collaboration with CPAs on elections is expected.

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school.
• California Bar admission required.
• 4–6 years of experience spanning estate planning and business entity work.
• Experience drafting entity formation and governance documents.
• Ability to run matters independently without a dedicated paralegal.

Responsibilities

• Advise on moderate to advanced estate and gift planning strategies, including wealth-transfer structuring and tax planning.
• Draft revocable and irrevocable trusts and related transfer instruments.
• Manage trust administration and beneficiary communications for high-net-worth clients.
• Coordinate with the firm's tax group on fiduciary and estate tax filings; direct review of returns is welcomed.
• Prepare and maintain corporate governance records and effective organizational documents.
• Form entities from start to finish and maintain governance and compliance for closely held businesses.

Skills

Estate planning

Corporate governance

Entity formation

Tax planning

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

California Bar admission

Tools

AI drafting tools

Legal tech platforms

Job description

Estate Planning & Corporate Attorney

Talley Law Group, LLP | Orange, California

Billable Target: 1,500 - 1,600 hours annually

Location: Orange, California

(Full-Time, Direct Hire | Hybrid (1/2 days week in office)

About The Firm

Talley, LLP, and its affiliated entities – Talley Law Group, LLP (“TLG”), Talley Capital Group, LLC (“TCG”), and Talley Wealth Management, LLC (“TWM”) (collectively, “Talley”) – is a full service financial, tax, legal, and consulting organization serving entrepreneurially driven businesses and their owners. Talley partners with clients as business advisors, not just service providers, constantly seeking innovative ways to strengthen their bottom line.

Founded in 1989, Talley's mission is to help entrepreneurially driven businesses, their owners, and high-net-worth individuals manage their financial affairs and achieve their business objectives profitably and efficiently. Our professionals strive to become each client's Most Trusted Advisor (MTA) by delivering integrated solutions to complex financial, legal, and operational challenges.

Talley's services include audit and assurance, tax compliance and planning, business consulting, outsourced accounting and CFO services, and estate planning, business planning, M&A, and tax law delivered through Talley Law Group. Talley is a boutique firm with 70+ U.S.-based professionals and 20–30 offshore team members. Headquartered in Orange, CA, the firm has grown rapidly into a leading Orange County professional services provider, built on accountability, results, and exceptional client service.

Position Overview

Talley Law Group is hiring an Estate Planning & Corporate Attorney with approximately 4 to 6 years of experience who is equally comfortable building an estate plan and setting up a company. The role pairs estate, trust, and gift planning with entity formation and ongoing corporate governance for the closely held businesses and business owners Talley serves. Estate planning is the core craft; entity formation and corporate governance supply steady volume and are where the attorney will spend more time when planning work slows, so the desk stays full year-round.

The attorney drafts their own documents and manages their own filings, using the firm's AI and legal technology platforms for leverage. Paralegal support is available for filings, statements of information, signature packages, and administration, but is reserved for genuine overflow rather than for delegating drafting work – candidates looking to supervise and mark up someone else's drafts are not the right fit for this role. The attorney will also work directly alongside the firm's CPAs on S corporation elections, entity classification elections, and fiduciary and gift filings, rather than referring that work out.

Key Responsibilities

Estate Planning

• Advise on moderate to advanced estate, trust, gift, and income tax planning strategies, including wealth-transfer structuring, business succession planning, and tax-efficient entity structuring.
• Draft and structure revocable living trusts, irrevocable gift trusts, and advanced transfer instruments, including GRATs, IDGTs, and SLATs.
• Manage trust administration matters for high-net-worth clients, including interpretation of trust terms, fiduciary guidance, and beneficiary communications.
• Conduct legal research and prepare technical memoranda on tax and estate issues.
• Coordinate with the firm's tax group on fiduciary, gift, and estate tax filings; direct review of those returns is welcomed and would be put to use, but is not required.
• Handle estate administration, including identifying, validating, and coordinating the transfer of beneficiary-designated and jointly titled assets.
• Manage uncontested probate administration matters, including interpretation of will terms, intestate statutes, fiduciary guidance, and beneficiary communications, in collaboration with financial advisors, CPAs, and other professionals implementing integrated wealth-planning strategies.

Corporate & Entity Work

• Form entities from start to finish, including name clearance, articles and certificates of formation, statements of information, EIN applications, and initial organizational documents.
• Draft the governing documents that follow formation, including operating agreements, bylaws, shareholder and buy-sell agreements, and membership and stock transfer instruments.
• Prepare and maintain corporate governance records, including organizational and annual minutes, written consents, resolutions, officer and manager appointments, and unit and share ledgers.
• Handle entity maintenance and cleanup, including amendments, restatements, conversions, foreign qualifications, dissolutions, and remediation of gaps in a client's corporate record.
• Coordinate entity tax elections with the firm's tax group, including S corporation elections, entity classification elections, and late election relief.

Across Both Practice Areas

• Own matters end to end, including filings, signature packages, and file closeout, with paralegal support reserved for genuine overflow rather than delegated drafting.
• Use the firm's AI platform and legal technology to draft, review, and move volume, and contribute to the templates and workflows the department runs on.
• Maintain strong client relationships, deliver clear communication, and ensure a high-touch client experience throughout the planning and administration process.

Required Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
• California Bar admission required.
• Approximately 4 to 6 years of experience spanning estate planning and business entity work, including trust drafting, trust administration, entity formation, and corporate governance.
• Demonstrated ability to work on moderate to advanced estate and income tax planning matters, and experience drafting and structuring a wide range of trust vehicles.
• Experience drafting entity formation and governance documents, including operating agreements, bylaws, minutes, resolutions, and written consents.
• A track record of running matters independently without a dedicated paralegal, including preparing filings, assembling signature packages, and managing client deadlines.
• Working fluency with legal technology and AI-assisted drafting and review tools, and a willingness to adopt the firm's platforms.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with confidence interacting with high-net-worth clients.
• High attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple complex matters simultaneously.

Preferred Qualifications

• LL.M. in Taxation or Estate Planning.
• Strong background in tax law and/or prior experience in a tax-focused legal practice - candidates who enjoy the tax side of this work will find more of it here than at a standalone law firm.
• Experience in a law firm environment serving high-net worth individuals and privately held businesses, ideally at a small or boutique firm.
• Comfort reading fiduciary, gift, estate, and pass-through tax returns, including Forms 1041, 709, 706, 1120-S, and 1065. Preparing these returns is not required, but the ability to read one and spot the issue will be used often.
• Prior experience handling one's own drafting, filings, and client communication in a CPA firm setting
• Prior use of document automation, entity management, or AI-assisted legal software.