Greene Estate, Probate, and Elder Law Firm provides tailored estate planning solutions for individuals and families in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founder Jay Greene is also a San Francisco Bay Times columnist! We are highlighting his firm now because, this year, his firm is celebrating ten years of practice in California (and 16 years nationally).
What sets the firm apart from others is Greene’s background. In addition to being an estate planning attorney, he is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with significant experience working in the insurance and investment industry. This unique combination allows him to offer comprehensive approaches to estate planning, considering legal, financial, investment, and insurance aspects to ensure your assets are protected and your wishes are carried out effectively.
San Francisco Bay Times: What inspired you to go into law and start your own firm?
Jay Greene: I was motivated to help individuals and families after witnessing the challenges my own family faced when my grandparents did not properly plan. This wasn’t just the financial costs of extra work and complications from the lack of planning. There was a significant emotional cost of having to deal with conflict between siblings because nobody knew what mom and dad actually wanted.
Probate is a stressful process, because of navigating complex legal, tax, and financial issues. This doesn’t take into account all the personal costs and strained relationships that occur when people don’t have planning. I’m passionate about helping people plan for the future and achieve peace of mind knowing their loved ones will not experience those significant personal costs.
San Francisco Bay Times: What do you most enjoy about the location of your business?
Jay Greene: San Francisco is welcoming, vibrant, and diverse. I enjoy serving clientele who reflect this rich tapestry of people and their unique needs. We are not all the same, so our planning shouldn’t all be the same. We don’t just throw everyone into the same box for planning. We tailor the planning to meet each person’s specific goals involving individuals and family. San Francisco’s sense of community aligns perfectly with our commitment to helping families.
San Francisco Bay Times: What are some of the specific services that your firm offers?
Jay Greene: Here are five areas of service that we provide:
San Francisco Bay Times: Is most of your clientele from San Francisco, other parts of the Bay Area, or even from more remote regions? And do most of your clients come for just a one-time need or do they return to your firm over time?
Jay Greene: Our clientele is a mix of individuals and families in the Bay Area, although we are a national firm. We work with clients anywhere in the state of California. We also work with people in Florida and Alabama. We have great referrals in other states, so we always welcome initial assessments with potential clients to see if we can help them nationally. Initial assessments and initial consultations can be booked directly (www.GreeneLawFirm.com). Some matters may be a one-time consultation, so we welcome the opportunity to schedule an informative discovery session to see if we need to move forward with planning in your fact pattern. Many clients return to us as their needs evolve throughout life stages.
San Francisco Bay Times: How does your business connect with the LGBTQ+ community?
Jay Greene: I have been actively involved in the Bay Area LGBTQ community for many years. When I first moved to San Francisco in 2014, it was important to me that I connect to the historic LGBTQ organizations in this city. The Golden Gate Business Association, the first LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce in the world, (www.ggba.com), celebrates 50 years this year. I was honored to serve as a board member for the organization and their foundation for combined service of 7 years. I served on the California Department of Insurance’s Diversity Task Force for a period of 6 years. I have actively engaged with Openhouse in my service as an Elder Law Attorney focusing on planning. My whole firm is committed to providing inclusive and comprehensive estate planning services for all individuals and families, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. We understand the importance of creating estate plans that reflect the unique needs of LGBTQ individuals, including everything from pronouns to modern relationships.
San Francisco Bay Times: Please give a shout out to any members of your staff, repeat clients, mentors, or anyone else whom you wish to thank for their support.
Jay Greene: I’d like to express my gratitude to the dedicated team who works tirelessly to make sure our clients receive the highest level of service. The entire team (Rebeca, Obed, Ernest, and Baron) has done so much over the past decade, and we look forward to celebrating with all our clients, community relationships, and allied professionals at our 10 year anniversary party on Friday, April 26. Additionally, a heartfelt thank you to all our valued clients who have placed their trust in us. Your referrals and positive feedback mean the world to us and allow us to continue the important work that we do.
San Francisco Bay Times: Outside of your own firm, what other businesses do you recommend?
Jay Greene: As a business focused on legal and financial matters, we work with many allied professionals like financial advisors, insurance agents, real estate brokers, mortgage brokers, and tax professionals. With our work in the elder care space, we have existing relationships with senior placement professionals, assisted living facilities, home care companies, and moving professionals. We love to provide our clients referrals to professionals whom we believe can help them achieve their long-term goals. If you want to develop a comprehensive strategy for your future, we would welcome you scheduling an initial assessment with our office.
San Francisco Bay Times: What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced, in terms of your work?
Jay Greene: The one constant in life is change: people are born, people die, our money goes up, our money goes down, laws change. You need to be reviewing estate planning to make sure that it is adapting to what is going on in your life and the world around you. You don’t want to have a plan that worked 20 or 5 years ago, but doesn’t work today when you actually need it. We stay up-to-date on the latest legal and financial developments to ensure our clients receive the most relevant and effective advice while they are creating their plans.
San Francisco Bay Times: What are your plans and goals for your law firm in the year ahead?
Jay Greene: The biggest plan for us this year is celebrating 10 years in California this year. We are starting off the celebration on Friday, April 26. This is a private event, but if you would like an invitation, reach out to my office for more information.
As always, we are also committed to leveraging technology to enhance communication and streamline the estate planning process for our clients. In the coming year, we plan to expand our technology suite within the office and continue providing educational outreach like workshops and seminars to community organizations.
Estate planning is often seen as an intimidating process, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right team, clear communication and personalized attention will ensure you understand your options and feel confident about your finalized estate plan. We welcome the opportunity to meet with you. You can schedule with us at www.GreeneLawFirm.com
Supporting Small Businesses in the Castro and Beyond
Published on April 4, 2024
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