By: Donna Duperron
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Seth and Leann Bier of Bier Law, a firm that focuses on trusts, wills, and estate planning. Seth and Leann welcomed me into their office where I began to learn about being informed, being prepared and being free.
“Less than 1/3 of people have a plan,” stated Seth. If something unexpected happens or if you become incapacitated or pass away, would your loved ones know your health care choices, or what to do with your assets?
Bier Law begins by helping clients learn the fundamentals of estate planning because people don’t know what they don’t know. Protecting what is essential to an individual is important but that can’t be done until they have gained the knowledge to make informed decisions.
Secondly, Bier Law helps clients secure rights and guides them through the process of getting an actionable plan in place, helping to maintain control over what matters most to them.
Lastly, the goal of Bier Law is for clients to feel empowered by the knowledge they have gained through interactions that will enable them to move forward without a constant weight on their shoulders or fear that keeps them up at night.
As we continued our conversation, Seth delved into the history of Bier Law. “Prior to launching the estate planning firm, I served as a court-appointed counsel on the Los Angeles Mental Health and Probate Court Panels. For years I guided my clients through very complex legal systems and thought I was making a difference – helping vulnerable and marginalized people and their families – but when it came down to the most essential issues, including life and death decisions, I was helpless. Once you are in these court systems you lose control of your ability to make your own decisions and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
I decided to trade my time arguing in front of judges for time educating people and providing counseling in estate planning. Now I work collaboratively with my clients to create personalized financial and health care plans that will keep them out of the courts and keep their private matters private,’ explained Seth.
Leann, Director of Operations, told an inspiring story about her friend, Royana, who unexpectedly passed away at the age of 47 in July 2020. Royana had tested positive for COVID and was suffering from symptoms that were attributed to this still-mysterious virus. Eventually, she ended up at Urgent Care where they did a battery of tests and diagnosed her with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She died six days later.
“Losing Royana changed my life. It made me face the realization that anything can happen at any time. I witnessed her end-of-life moments and was grateful that she and her husband had the hard conversations throughout their marriage, so he knew exactly what she wanted, and he was able to honor those wishes,” explained Leann.
As a husband-and-wife team, Bier Law provides a personal touch from beginning to end. All meetings are with attorney Seth Bier with the focus of each client being on the conversation to ensure that the estate plan reflects their desires, goals, and visions for what happens to assets when that individual passes.
Bier Law is a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, State Bar of California, and the California Lawyers Association.
The Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce thanks Bier Law for being a member. Seth and Leann’s passion for assisting individuals in being informed, being prepared, and being free is valued. Bier Law can be reached at 323.999.1230 or www.bier-law.com.