Robert Vale | Estate Planning

McDowall Cotter Law Firm

Robert Vale | McDowall Cotter Law Firm

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Firm Summary

Bob’s primary area of practice is wealth preservation, asset protection, trust and estate administration and working with families to transition real property from parents to children without assessment.

Clients

Individuals | Families | Family and Businesses | Trustees | Successor Trustees | Executors and Beneficiaries of Decedent”s Estates

Professional Summary
Bob received his undergraduate degree at the University at California at Davis in 1976 and earned his M.B.A. from the University of Santa Clara in 1979. Bob earned his law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1982. He obtained a Masters of Law in Taxation in 2001 from Golden Gate University.

Bob is active in the County Bar where he has served as a member on various Bar Committees including as Chair of the Lawyer Referral Committee. He is an active member of the County Bar’s Estate Planning and Probate Section having co-founded the County Bar’s Elder Law Section aimed at providing local attorneys with an array of resources when dealing with elder law issues. He is a member of WealthCounsel, a nationwide group of attorneys dedicated to expanding the knowledge of its attorney members, the Peninsula Estate Planning Council where he serves as a board member and he is a charter member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners. He is a member and past President of the Peninsula Estate Planning Counsel. Bob has volunteered time as a pro bono attorney to the San Mateo County Legal Aid Society. Bob and the other members of the firm recognize the importance of service to the firm’s clients and to the community.

Bob’s publications include: Of Hearts and Minds (Guardians and Trustees); Planning for a Loved One with Special Needs; Planning Strategies for Grandparents; A Will or a Trust, that is the Question. He has also co-authored a book – What to do When a Loved One Dies. He has lectured extensively, have taught law school courses in corporations and presented on numerous estate planning topics.

Bob’s awards and recognition include: William Nagle, Jr. Award for his service to the County Bar Association, the Dorothy Wolf Award for volunteer work with the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, and numerous San Mateo County Superior Court Commendations for Service as Judge Pro Tem for Settlement Conferences and Small Claims Appeals.

In addition to maintaining an active law practice, Bob shares time with his wife, Chris, and their son, Harry. Family activities include hiking, gardening, crew and volunteer work in support of the environment and an improved society.