A firm built
on reputation.

Serving all of Southern California, our firm is built on over a century of word-of-mouth referrals from clients, colleagues, and the professional business community.

Over 100 years of experience.

With Pasadena roots reaching back to 1891, we provide personal attention and quality legal services. Our attorneys have led the way in local organizations, including the founding of the Pasadena Bar Association, while maintaining a time-proven reputation for integrity and discernment.

A firm built
on results.

We believe that our clients’ best interests are served by assessing each individual situation and finding cost effective solutions.

Barbaro, Chinen, Pitzer, & Duke, LLP

Situated on the seventh floor of 301 East Colorado Boulevard with a spectacular view of the Pasadena City Hall rotunda and the San Gabriel mountains, our offices at Barbaro, Chinen, Pitzer & Duke, LLP, offer a broad range of expertise in estate planning, probate and trust administration, probate and trust litigation, conservatorships, guardianships, estate and gift taxation, family law, mediation and real estate.

About Us

Areas of Practice

Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning

Estate planning is the process of deciding what will happen to your assets when you die or if you should become incapacitated, ensuring that loved ones are provided for, and that your health care wishes are honored.

This is accomplished through the preparation and/or amendment of documents such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and health care directives.

Probate & Trust Administration

Probate & Trust Litigation

Probate & Trust Administration

Probate administration is a legal process by which a decedent’s estate is settled by “proving” a last will and testament in court. The court appoints an executor (personal representative), usually named in the will, giving them the legal power to dispose of the decedent’s assets as specified in the will. In the absence of a legal will, the court applies laws of intestacy in order to settle the estate.

Trust administration is the process by which the trustee transfers property from a decedent to that individual’s beneficiaries who are identified in the decedent’s living trust. It is recommended that the trustee work with an attorney to facilitate the many steps, including notice to all beneficiaries and heirs, paying decedent’s debts, filing tax returns, keeping a detailed accounting, and transferring property.

Conservatorship Administration & Litigation

Conservatorship Administration involves a court case in which a judge appoints a responsible person or organization (a “conservator”) to care for another adult (the “conservatee”) who cannot care for himself or herself or manage his or her own finances.

Conservatorship Litigation seeks resolution in court when a contest arises over the appointment of a conservator, or the failure of a conservator to act in accordance with the law or legal documents, or for the financial abuse of a conservatee.

Guardianships

A guardianship is a court case that appoints a person who is not the parent to take care of a minor child. In California, there are two types of guardianships: guardianship of the person (legal custody and responsibility for the minor) and guardianship of the estate (legal responsibility to manage the minor’s assets).

A guardian is responsible for the minor’s food, shelter, health care, education, and emotional and physical well-being.

Family Law

Family law is an area of practice dealing with legal issues involving family relationships, such as divorce, legal separation, community property division, child custody, child support, spousal support, restraining orders, and attorney’s fees.

Mediation

Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution in which a neutral third person helps the parties reach a voluntary resolution of a dispute.

Mediation is an informal, confidential, and flexible process in which the mediator helps the parties to understand the interests of everyone involved, and their practical and legal choices. It can help people resolve probate, trust, family, civil, and other matters in a less adversarial setting.

Real Property

Real property law involves the application of legal skills in matters related to real property from everyday transactions to disputes.

A firm built
on reputation.

Over 100 years of experience.

A firm built
on results.

Barbaro, Chinen, Pitzer, & Duke, LLP