L'Tanya Butler | Culver City Estate Lawyer

In 2019, I was appointed by the Court as minor's counsel in a case where a young girl whose aunt had become her guardian after she lost her mother. The child's biological father had been vilified to his daughter due to issues in his relationship with her mother. He was also an ex-felon. The father presented in Court in a very loud and angry fashion, having at one point to be removed or asked to leave the courtroom. Over the course of my appointment, I was able to calm the father down, conduct a fair investigation for the Court and provide a safe place for my client, the miner, to acknowledge that she loved her father and wanted to be in his custody. I was then able to change the Court's mind about the father and win approval for the termination of the guardianship and placement of the little girl into her father's custody. In another matter, I successfully defended a local t-shirt manufacturer, against a trademark dispute and then against a breach of contract claim where a t-shirt printing company claimed that it suffered over 150k in damages due to the fact that the t-shirts it had purchased for a job were not of uniform length. In my closing argument, I pointed out that the Plaintiff had specifically requested ""odd lots"" and that the boxes the t-shirts were in indicated that they were of different styles and origins. This case led to my infamous apples and potatoes closing argument where I argued that different varieties of apples and potatoes had different uses and that it was up to me to know that or to ask someone knowledgeable about fruits and vegetables instead of blindly assuming that they were interchangeable. It was a good thing that I won this case because, in order to calm my client's nerves during the jury deliberations, I bet him my firstborn child that I would win. Darn. My efforts saved this business and this family.

I went to the Yale Law School as a single parent with a 9 month old infant. After graduation, 4I started my career at a major corporate firm that had a reputation for being hospitable to working mothers. After 5 years it became clear that the corporate life was not for me. So I hung out my shingle on Crenshaw Boulevard, as "the Crenshaw Law Center." My goal was to save the world. Instead, the world handed me my lunch. After about 5 years of having my lunch handed to me on the daily, I obtained employment with a private firm that contracted with the Couty of Los Angeles to represent the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in cases alleging civil rights violations. Booo! Hisss! Hisss! So after about 5 years of really great experience preparing and trying cases involving allegations of civil rights abuses, I hung my shingle out again, choosing to develop a specialty in probate litigation, having learned that most probate practioners abhor litigation. Most of my cases are referrals from colleagues.

Integrity and competence, consideration and respect.

Local knowledge is vital and indispensable in my practice. Probate is its own peculiar animal, seemingly designed so that only probate attorneys and judges can understand it. I have spent over 20 years practicing probate law. I know the system, inside and out.

Usually, I am able to determine what the issues are and what laws and other rules apply. I am able to advise as to whether there is a sufficient basis to initiate litigation.

The consultation usually last 20-30 minutes. If the interpretation of a will or trust is at issue, I would like to have a copy of the document emailed or faxed to me prior to the consultation. Otherwise, the potential client should be prepared to provide a brief summary of the events that have led up to their belief that an attorney is necessary to protect their interests.

I am a unicorn! I was born and raised in South Los Angeles, attended UCLA and then went on to the Ivy League. I have extensive trial experience both within and without the probate arena. In the probate area, I am essentially serving the community into which I was born, mostly lower and middle income families dealing with a unique set of issues and concerns relative to inheriting property.

Defining the problem and determining the solution. Knowing that the job was well done. I am gratified and humbled by expressions of appreciation.

I am an enthusiastic golfer and an avid reader of anything in the sci-fi/fantasy genre.

Yes, I am a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. I mentor and tutor recent law school graduates and I am a mentor and resource for young and/or inexperienced attorneys in the probate area. Also, I give seminars to real estate agents and brokers who service the same community that I do, educating them on their responsibilities (and the limits of their expertise) when involved in a probate or trust sale.

• Member | California State Bar Association

L'Tanya Matilde Butler has been a Premium Member since September 07, 2020.
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