For professional advisors.
For attorneys, CPAs, and care managers.
Many cases reach a moment when the right next step is a professional fiduciary in the formal role. The successor trustee named in the trust is not available, or not appropriate. The proposed conservator has a conflict that disqualifies them. The special needs trust needs a trustee who can take on the role for the long term. We take those roles, work alongside the family's existing advisors, and keep the operational work moving while you continue in your professional capacity.
Who you'd be working with.
The practice is led by Dr. Alla Patish-Preobrazhenskaya, a California Licensed Professional Fiduciary (License No. 1654) and Nationally Certified Guardian (NCG #16552). Earlier work includes ownership and operation of private clinical practices in California, with the clinical-decision discipline that brings to bear on questions of capacity, care coordination, and family communication. The Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) credential supports the cognitive-decline work that arises in conservatorship and capacity-disputed matters. Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from Western University of Health Sciences.
The practice carries the standard California PFB-required bonding. Engagement letters disclose hourly rates and billing increments in writing before any work begins, consistent with AB 1194 §6563. Document exchange runs through encrypted, access-controlled channels.
When the right next step is a professional fiduciary.
- The successor trustee named in the trust is unavailable or inappropriate. An out-of-state child, a sibling in declining health, a friend who is no longer in contact, or a named institution that has already declined to serve. The estate-planning attorney's options narrow to either court appointment or a private professional fiduciary who can step in.
- A conservatorship is needed and no family member is appropriate. The proposed conservator has a financial conflict, lives out of state, has a history that disqualifies them, or simply declines. The matter cannot proceed without a neutral professional in the role.
- A special needs trust needs a long-term trustee. Parents are aging, sibling co-trustees have their own families to manage, and the beneficiary's needs will continue for decades. Continuity matters; a professional trustee provides that.
- An agent under power of attorney needs to be a neutral. The principal does not want a family member in the role, to avoid family conflict, to preserve dignity, or because the obvious candidates have their own demanding lives. A professional agent fills that role.
- A trust or estate is in dispute and the current fiduciary needs to step aside. A neutral successor allows the matter to move forward while the dispute is resolved on its own track.
How collaboration typically works.
Intake. A first call reviews the matter at a high level: the role being contemplated, the document at issue, the family or beneficiary configuration, any open litigation, and the realistic timeline. If the matter is a fit, we move to a formal engagement letter. If it is not, we say so directly and refer where appropriate.
Engagement letter. All engagements are documented in writing before work begins. The letter sets out scope, hourly rate, billing increments, retainer (if any), categories of out-of-pocket cost, communication expectations, and termination provisions. AB 1194 §6563 fee-disclosure requirements are met as a matter of course.
Communication cadence. Advisors typically prefer a defined update rhythm: monthly summary, quarterly accounting preview, real-time alerts for material events. We work to whatever cadence the advisor and client want. Email and secure document exchange are the default; phone calls happen as matters warrant.
Document exchange. Trust documents, healthcare directives, court filings, account statements, and tax returns move through encrypted channels with documented access controls. Estate-planning attorneys, accountants, and care managers who are part of the matter receive the access they need.
Conflict checks. Before accepting any engagement we run a conflict-of-interest check against existing matters and family relationships. Conflicts that emerge mid-engagement are disclosed promptly and managed transparently.
Boundaries. We do not give legal advice, do not draft estate-planning documents, and do not handle the underlying legal disputes ourselves. The estate-planning attorney remains the attorney; the litigation counsel remains litigation counsel; the CPA remains the CPA. The fiduciary role is operational and complementary.
Where collaboration adds the most value.
Multistate coordination. Many California matters involve out-of-state heirs, out-of-state assets, or family members who have not been in California for years. On-the-ground presence to coordinate locally (bank visits, court filings, real-property work) combined with the discipline to keep an out-of-state attorney and family fully informed is often where the operational gap sits.
Capacity-disputed conservatorship. When the petitioner and the proposed conservatee disagree about capacity, a neutral professional fiduciary in the conservator role removes the family-conflict overlay and lets the substantive medical and legal questions get answered on their own merits.
Special needs trust administration. The SNT work is long-horizon: public-benefits coordination, distribution discipline that does not jeopardize eligibility, care-management oversight, and trust accounting all run on multi-decade timelines. A professional trustee provides continuity that individual trustees often cannot.
Complex care coordination alongside the legal role. Many matters need both: an agent under healthcare power of attorney making real-time medical decisions while the trustee or conservator manages the financial side. We can take both roles in the same matter, which means the medical decisions and the financial authority sit in the same place, reducing handoff friction and information loss.
Decedent estate administration where the family is grieving. Probate and trust administration after a death are operationally heavy and emotionally heavy. The advisor's role in supporting the family is preserved when the operational burden moves to a professional fiduciary.
Engagement and fees, in brief.
Engagements are billed hourly. Hourly rates, billing increments, retainer requirements, and out-of-pocket cost categories are disclosed in writing in the engagement letter before any work begins, consistent with AB 1194 §6563. The complete fee structure is available on the fee schedule page.
For court-supervised matters such as conservatorship and probate, all fees are subject to court approval. For trust matters and power-of-attorney work, fees are reported to beneficiaries and principals on the accounting cycle defined in the engagement letter.
Cost is part of the first conversation. Realistic ranges for the matter being contemplated are discussed upfront so the advisor and client can make an informed referral decision.
Consultations for advisors are by appointment and held in strict confidence.
Or call 760-33-TRUST (760-338-7878) directly.
Discretion and confidentiality are fundamental to our practice. Information submitted through this form is kept private and used solely for purposes of communication regarding potential fiduciary services.
