Estate planning, probate, tax law, family wealth, and business succession
Lowthorp Richards Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Group provides a complete range of trust and estate legal services. These services include preparation, implementation, and counsel with respect to estate planning for individuals and families. The firm’s trust department has extensive experience in handling all manner of probate and trust administration matters. The services we offer to our clients include the following:
• Family limited partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies
• Revocable living trusts, wills, health care directives, and powers of attorney
• Representation in estate and gift matters
• Representation in trust and probate disputes including will and trust contests
• Interpretation of trusts and wills, accounting disputes, and claims involving trustees
• Decedent's estate administration - probate and trust
• Conservatorship - establishment and administration
• Advanced estate planning including family gift programs
• Irrevocable trusts, special needs trusts, retirement plans, and insurance planning
The Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Group is assisted by our paralegal staff that has extensive experience in the group’s practice areas.
ELIZABETH T. LADIANA, CLA, is the senior probate paralegal. Employed with the firm since 1989, Liz is a certified paralegal specializing in probate and trust administration, estate planning, and tax matters.
As an enrolled agent, Liz is also admitted to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. She graduated magna cum laude from California State University-Northridge, earning a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Law.
Liz obtained her Paralegal Certification from the University of California-Santa Barbara. She is recognized as a certified paralegal, having successfully completed the CLA/CP exam administered by the National Association of Legal Assistants. Liz is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, a national honor society for business students, and a charter member of the Ventura County Paralegal Association.
She lives in Ventura with her family.
GEORGIA K. COVNER, CLA Gigi graduated from Pacific Legal Arts College in 1980 and successfully completed the CLA/CP National Association of Legal Assistants exam.
Gigi began her employment with Lowthorp Richards in 1990 as the legal assistant to Richard A. Richards who, during his forty years with the firm, specialized in complex real estate, business, and estate planning matters. Gigi continues to assist our attorneys and clients during all phases of these types of transactional matters.
Gigi is a charter member of the Ventura County Paralegal Association. Gigi has an adult son, Simon, and lives in Ventura with her husband Andrew, a civil litigation attorney.
CRYSTAL YEAGER-KORONAY, Paralegal. Crystal brings more than 30 years of legal experience to the Lowthorp Richards firm. She began her legal career in 1975 working part-time for a local law firm, while attending her senior year at Hueneme High School in Port Hueneme.
She earned her Associate of Arts Degree and a Certificate of Completion in Business from Ventura College. In June 1981, she obtained her Paralegal Certificate from Pacific Legal Arts College in Camarillo while employed by a private law firm where she worked for 28 years.
Crystal has worked with Dennis Kuttler at Lowthorp, Richards, McMillan, Miller & Templeman since February 2004, specializing in the areas of estate planning, trust administration, estate tax, probate, and real estate. She is a charter member of Ventura County Paralegal Association (formerly known as VALA) and has served on its board and in various chair positions. She is also a member of the National Association of Legal Assistants.
Crystal is a native Californian and resides in Ventura with her husband, Mike, and two teenage children, Lauren and Quinn.
