About Jan Copley

EDUCATION:

Jan Copley graduated, cum laude, with an A.B. in American Studies from Occidental College in 1977.

Ms. Copley received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1981. Ms. Copley was on the Dean’s List two of her three years at Loyola and served on the law review staff.

Ms. Copley completed the Esperti-Peterson Institute’s year-long course, “Advanced Studies for Wealth and Estate Planning,” in April 2001, and, since then, has participated in the Institute’s continuation courses. She also completed one year of the Southern California Institute’s “Laureate in Wealth Strategies” program for advanced estate planning in 2004/05.

EXPERIENCE:

Ms. Copley has practiced business and estate planning since 1996. She works with her clients to create individualized plans that enable her clients to control their lives and their legacies. She also provides ongoing maintenance programs — called “Lifetime Services” for her estate planning clients and “Your Corporate Counsel Advantage” for her business clients — so her clients’ plans do not become obsolete as a result of changes in her clients’ lives or wealth, or changes in the law. Ms. Copley provides continuing education programs for her clients, their successors and advisers.

Ms. Copley served as law clerk to the Honorable Barry Russell of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California. After she completed her clerkship, Ms. Copley practiced bankruptcy law and commercial litigation in the Los Angeles area, including with the Los Angeles branch of the second-largest law firm in the United States.

Ms. Copley has served as Judge Pro Tem for the Los Angeles County Unified Courts and on the Panel of Mediators for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California.

TEACHING:

Ms. Copley taught “Opportunities in Estate Planning for CPAs” as a continuing education instructor for California State University, Long Beach and California State University, Los Angeles.

Ms. Copley, with Stephen Mancini, presented “The Uniform Acts — What Are They? What Am I Supposed to Do With Them? Why Should I Bother?” to the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys in October 2000.

Ms. Copley, with David Harrison, presented “Planning for the Significantly Younger Spouse” to the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys in October 2002.

With Brad Wiewel, Ms. Copley taught “Community Property for Common Law Lawyers” to the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys in May 2003.

With David K. Cahoone, Ms. Copley taught “Community Property Considerations with Insurance Planning” to the plenary session of the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys in July 2003. Hear the presentation at http://media.nnepa.com/audio/jan_copley.wma.

With Mark Merenda, Ms. Copley taught “Scripting the Client Experience” for “The Gathering” (a meeting of attorneys and financial professionals who work with high net worth clients) in January 2005.

With Barry W. Finkelstein, Ms. Copley taught “Basics of Marketing to New Clients and Collaborative Referral Sources” for the California Forum in June 2005.

AFFILIATIONS:

Ms. Copley has been admitted to the State Bar of California since 1981. She is a member of the bar’s Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Section.

Ms. Copley is a member of the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys and WealthCounsel, LLC.

Ms. Copley has served on the board of directors of the Women’s City Club of Pasadena and as an officer of the board of directors of the Blinn House Foundation. She is a member of the Fiduciary Round Table of the San Gabriel Valley

PUBLICATIONS:

Closing My Father’s Medical Practice — Lessons Learned, Southern California Physician 8 (May 2005).

Note, Agins v. Tiburon: The Case of the Frustrated Landowner, 13 Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review 157 (1980).

PERSONAL:

Ms. Copley is married to Louis Steinhauer. Ms. Copley’s interests include bicycle riding (she has done a double century — 200 miles in twenty-four hours!), reading, cooking and travel. Ms. Copley and Mr. Steinhauer live in Pasadena.