Let Our Experience Work for You A client centered approach is the cornerstone of our practice. Our talented and responsive team works for you to achieve your goals.
The attorneys at Cottle Keen Lopiccolo & Heyde are experts at crafting strategies and solutions tailored to each case. Our strength in the courtroom and powerful negotiating skills equal great results.
Our clients benefit from our experience. Our Orange County focused practice allows us to have vast knowledge of the Judges and how best to persuade them.
Located in the heart of Old Towne Orange, the attorneys of CKLH are connected to the community though their board leadership and philanthropy. They are legal advocates who are respected by their peers and colleagues.
Our good reputation is reflected in our excellent client reviews and hundreds of successful cases.
Integrity – Our attorneys are honest, ethical and hardworking. At the outset of each case, we ensure each client knows how the choices they make will impact their case. We provide an honest assessment of the most direct path to achieve your goals. Our attorneys are well respected in the legal community and hold themselves to the highest level of professionalism.
Experience – Cottle Keen Lopiccolo and Heyde was established by the Founders more than 35 years ago. Together, Dana Heyde and Julie Lopiccolo, the principal attorneys, have been practicing over 25 years. Ms. Heyde has represented clients in hundreds of depositions and hearings including as lead counsel at trial. Ms. Lopiccolo boasts a full roster of satisfied high net worth clients whose matter resolved without expensive litigation. Our support staff includes talented legal assistants and law clerks who collaborate with our attorneys to make sure each matter gets the best results inside and outside the Courtroom.
Personalized Attention – The team at CKLH is incredibly responsive to clients. Our clients can always reach their attorney. Every member of our firm knows our clients by name because you are important to us. CKLH puts the needs of our clients at the forefront of our representation.
Client Centered Strategies – At CKLH, we develop a case plan unique to each client that starts by listening to our clients. We spend the time to get to know YOU and what you want to achieve. We tailor our strategies to fit each client’s goals because we know that different clients have different needs. It is your case, it should be about getting the results you deserve.
I want to share a little bit of my history and how our law firm is different. Why I am a different lawyer than other lawyers out there doing the same thing. There are a ton of estate planning firms out there But not like ours. The first thing we always want to do is make sure that you and I are a good fit so that we together will achieve your goals.
Our firm Cottle Keen Lopiccolo and Heyde is located in the heart of Old Towne Orange and was founded over 35 years ago. I have been practicing law for 11 years and have been a partner in the firm since 2014. I aim to be your Trust and Estate resource. I have a passion for estate planning that comes out of my experience as a Trust litigator. Over the past 11 years I have served as counsel or co-counsel on multimillion dollar trust disputes and many smaller family disputes that regardless of how large the estate – have one thing in common. At the end – no matter the result our clients have spent thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees and their family is left in shambles. I have also litigated and settled countless family law matters – so I understand family dynamics and how conflict impacts peoples ability to make good decisions.
It is our goal to keep our clients out of court and out of conflict. We are uniquely situated to do this because we have seen how estate planning goes wrong. Our Firm takes a comprehensive approach to estate planning that goes above and beyond what most firms are offering. We assist our clients with a plan that provides a legacy for their families – not just of their tangible assets but also of their intangible assets. We use a multi-layered family protection planning system that will ensure minor children never become the subject of lawsuits, and aim to ensure that our clients wealth and legacy are preserved for many generations. We help our clients marshal their assets and instruct their fiduciaries so there is little chance of lost assets or family dissention after they are gone.
My passion is planning for my clients to keep their – I love the way that we all feel in that room when we sign those trust documents which is really an amazing gift for your children and your families. Because this process is not about you or me – it is about the people you love the most.
I love being a lawyer because of all the ways the law allows us to take control of our lives. In fact, we have the most control over our lives after we pass on.
Even in law school, I was excited by how much control someone could have over how, when, and who they give their assets to when they die. I’ve combined my experience litigating trust disputes with my passion for estate planning. I enjoy helping people create a wealth legacy, but I am also seasoned at litigating when trusts fail. Of course, not the trusts I created!
I know that one reason trusts fail is because the attorney preparing the trust did not take the time to really understand the goals of their clients. Trust provisions are only a strong tool when the estate plan ensures the testators’ desired outcome will occur. I’ve developed a Wealth Planning Session where my clients express their hopes and desires for their beneficiaries. Then, we design a Trust together that is completely individualized to them.
