Team 1 — Goodwin Brown Gross and Lovelace

James J. Brown

Managing Partner

Jim is one of San Diego's leading probate litigators to whom other attorneys routinely refer their contested cases. He began his career in civil litigation but now focuses exclusively on trust, estate and elder abuse litigation. Jim is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estate Section of the State Bar of California, a committee that reviews and proposes revisions to the California Probate Code, and is a former Editor of the California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, a scholarly journal. Jim has received numerous accolades including Martindale-Hubbell's AV© Preeminent© rating (highest legal competence), being named "Top Attorney" by the San Diego Daily Transcript, and inclusion in the "Best Lawyers in America" and San Diego Super Lawyers from 2013 to the present. In 2013, Jim was invited to join the prestigious American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and he currently is the California State Chair and he serves on the Fiduciary Litigation Committee. Jim's practice is complemented by acting as a private mediator and expert witness, and he has been appointed as a Judge Pro Tem for the San Diego Superior Court, Probate Division.

Licenses

State Bar of California 1991
United States District Court for the Southern District of California

Education

Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, in 1991 from the University of San Diego School of Law
Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration in 1987 from San Diego State University

Professional Memberships and Affiliations

Fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel 2013–present
- Member, Fiduciary Litigation Committee
- California State Chair
State Bar of California
- Former Member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the State Bar of California (now known as The California Lawyers Association Trust and Estates Section), including participation in the following: Incapacity Sub-Committee, Litigation Sub-Committee, Ethics Sub- Committee and Chair and Editor - California Trusts and Estates Quarterly.
San Diego County Bar Association
- Member of the San Diego County Bar Association sections on Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law
Member Client Relations Committee

Publications

Ike v. Doolittle (1998) 61 Cal.App.4th 51
Munn v. Briggs (2010) 185 Cal.App.4th 578
"Out of State, Out of Mind? Not so for Conservators since Hume," California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, Vol. 13, Issue 1 (Spring 2007)

Recognitions

San Diego Super Lawyers 2013–present
Best Lawyers in America 2013–present
Martindale-Hubbell, AV Preeminent rating.
"Top Attorney" – Estate Planning, Probate and Trust, San Diego Daily Transcript, 2012

Professional Presentations

Speaker, "Common Evidentiary Issues in Probate Matters," San Diego County Bar Association, June 23, 2011
Moderator, "Court Approval of Attorney's Fees: A Bench and Bar Discussion," San Diego County Bar Association, March 22, 2012
Speaker, "Navigating Around Issues of Privilege and Privacy in Trust, Probate and Conservatorship Litigation," San Diego County Bar Association, May 24, 2012
Speaker, "Obtaining Testimony, Litigation Training #2," Probate Attorneys of San Diego, April 29-May 1, 2014
Speaker, "Mom Always Liked You Best: Mediating Trust and Estate Issues," California State Bar Annual Meeting, September 12, 2014
Speaker, "Planning for and Coping with Third Party Professional Services Disputes," North County Estate Planning Council of San Diego, April 7, 2015
Speaker, "How to Navigate Litigation & Ethical Issue in Estate Planning," San Diego County Bar Association, April 16, 2015
Speaker, "Contested Conservatorships," Probate Attorneys of San Diego Court Appointed Attorney Training Seminar, December 4, 2015.
Speaker, "Role of Guardian ad Litem and Court Appointed Counsel in Contested Conservatorship Proceedings," Probate Attorneys of San Diego Court Appointed Training Seminar, December 2, 2016.
Moderator, "One Day Evidentiary & Prove-Up Hearing for Non-Litigators," Probate Attorneys of San Diego, September 20, 2017
Speaker, "Legal Malpractice Issues in Trust and Probate Cases and Counsel's Liability to Non-Clients: When does it arise and when it doesn't, and what to do when you spot it," Probate Attorneys of San Diego, April 18, 2018
Speaker, “The Great Debate: Ethics and Duties of CAAs and GALs,” Probate Attorneys of San Diego Court Appointed Training Seminar, December 6, 2019.
Speaker, “Case Studies in Breach of Fiduciary Duties,” Annual PFAC Educational Conference (2021)
Speaker, “AB 1194 & Free Britney: A Discussion of the New Conservatorship Law,” Probate Attorneys of San Diego, February 16, 2022
Speaker, “Providing Notice: A trustee’s duty that is sometimes less than clear,” Probate Attorneys of San Diego, July 19, 2023
Speaker, “The Danger Zone: How to Survive Being Deposed as a Drafting Attorney or Trustee in a Trust Contest,” Hawaii Tax Institute, November 7, 2023
Speaker, “The Role of the Guardian ad Litem,” Probate Attorneys of San Diego Court Appointed Annual Symposium, December 1, 2023
Speaker, “California, Texas & Florida Probate Proceedings of Cross-Border Estates,” The University of San Diego School of Law- Chamberlain International Tax Institute, Merida, Mexico, February 19, 2024.
Speaker, “Guardians of Legacy: Trust & Estate Experts Unleashing Wisdom & Resolving Battles,” 9th Annual USD School of Law - RJS Law Tax Institute, July 19, 2024