Korn Law Group
From left to right: Chris L’Orange, Esq., Kathryn S. Korn, Esq., Cara E. Lankford, Esq., and Allison O’Neil.
Our Team
History
– 1997 – Our Founding Year
The roots of Korn Law Group date back to 1997 when our founder, Kathryn Korn, opened the doors of the Law Offices of Kathryn S. Korn. While the practice initially focused only on estate planning, it quickly grew as Kathryn expanded her professional network and became familiar with other areas of elder law.
– 2012 – Our Office Relocation
After nearly 15 years of practice in an office just outside of Orinda Theatre Square, Korn Law Group relocated to our East Bay office on the northern side of Orinda to provide more room for the growing practice.
– 2023 – Our Practice Expansion
Korn Law Group opened its second office in Sonoma County to better serve our North Bay clients. As a boutique firm, we take pride in continually providing superior legal services and making our legal services accessible to all our Bay Area clientele.
Key Staff
Allison O’Neil
Allison O’Neil is our dedicated office manager and legal assistant. She joined Korn Law Group in 2003 after having worked as a legal receptionist and bookkeeper for denDulk, Douglass & Anderson for over 5 years.
At Korn Law Group, Allison is an invaluable asset to our team. She is in charge of organizing, managing, and carrying out the daily operations of the office, including managing our calendars and reviewing all trust and probate accountings. She is a California Notary Public and a graduate of University of California, Santa Cruz.
Our Goals
Understand the client’s objectives.
At Korn Law Group, the client is our principal and we are his/her agent. While our job is to know the law and set case strategy, the client sets the goals. Our focus is to act solely in furtherance of the client’s goals.
For these reasons, we are committed to identifying and clarifying your objectives at the outset of your case. We listen to your values and point of view and create a customized legal strategy that addresses all of your issues and/or concerns.
Because your goals dictate our relationship, we are dedicated to taking the time necessary to understand what you want to achieve and ensuring your confidence in our proposed plan of action.
Ensure the client is fully informed.
Our goal is to ensure that our client is fully informed about his/her case every step of the way. From the outset, we explain the law and the client’s legal options based on the issues presented by the case as well as the availability and viability of different strategies to achieve the client’s goals.
Throughout the course of the relationship, we timely respond to client inquiries and keep the client informed about the status of his/her case. In addition, if there are alternative means of resolving the client’s case, such as mediation, all options are thoroughly discussed and weighed so the client can make an informed decision on how to proceed.
We recognize that in order to be fully informed, clients must also fully understand why a specific course of legal action is advised. Because of this, we encourage clients to be candid and ask questions when they don’t understand a certain document, legal concept, or an issue related to their case.
Exceed the client’s expectations.
While our standard is to meet the highest of client expectations, our goal is to exceed them. We consistently achieve this in several ways:
First, as a result of our prudent case management and competitive legal fees, we strive to resolve cases in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
Second, we aim to build long-term relationships with clients. Because client satisfaction and consistent, superior work have always been at the heart of our practice, we maintain a diverse client list and continue to enjoy long-standing relationships with many clients. The strength of these relationships is reflected by our new client base, which is almost entirely driven by word-of-mouth referrals.
Finally, we focus on providing creative yet pragmatic advice and dependable solutions derived from a thorough understanding of our clients’ needs. What further sets us apart is the quality of our team, the depth of our expertise at a senior level, and the value of our local experience and connections.
Testimonials
Highly Competent.
Acting as co-trustees of a trust, we sought the assistance of Korn Law Group to settle a complicated estate in San Francisco that had dragged on for 5 years due to numerous conflicts and difficulties. Their team of attorneys stepped in and satisfactorily completed the trust administration within a 4 month period. Kathryn Korn and Cara Lankford demonstrated a high level of professional competence, prepared us for the realities that could confront us, and kept us well informed throughout the process. This was especially helpful given one of us was located in a different country. We were glad to have Korn Law Group represent us in California.
- Joan S. & Hugh Q.
Patient & Experienced.
Kathryn's patient counsel guided my wife and I through the initially overwhelming estate planning process. Later, I relied on the Korn Law Group to assist me with the trust administration process after the passing of my wife. During this time the Korn Law Group intervened in an impasse involving my wife’s estate, a doctor/hospital, and an insurance company; Cara was able to convince all parties to cooperate, avoiding a complicated legal battle. For over 15 years, I have relied on the Korn Law Group for its expertise in both estate planning and litigation matters. Korn Law Group is a savvy, experienced legal firm that I implicitly trust.
- Mike V.
Personal & Reliable.
The Korn Law Group was instrumental in assisting my Mother with her estate plan, and was thankfully there seven years later when she needed a Special Needs Trust. The firm guided us through the Medi-Cal application process when my Mother entered a skilled nursing facility for an extended stay. I felt like KLG had our backs at every turn and helped our family get through a very trying time not only from a professional, legal standpoint, but also with caring and personal attention.
- Beth S.
Endless Compassion & Expertise.
In early 2012, my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and, consequently, our family faced some very difficult and complex legal issues. We were referred to Korn Law Group through another attorney who felt these issues would best be handled by an excellent estate and elder law litigation firm. With endless compassion and professional expertise, Kathryn Korn and Cara Lankford provided fantastic personal and professional advice in handling the administration of my father’s estate that was complicated by numerous trustee and beneficiary issues. All court appearances were handled with the utmost preparation and steady, firm representation. Any advice given by Korn Law Group was spot-on every step of the way, and its attorneys were always able to explain things in lay-person terms. I quickly realized I could put all of my concerns into their capable hands, and I also appreciated their office manager, Allison O’Neil, who always responded quickly and was equally personable, conscientious, and knowledgeable. Thank you to Korn Law Group for helping me through many stressful times and for the highest quality representation one could hope to find.
- Dana L.
Sound, Solid Counsel.
Korn Law Group provided sage counsel to my mother in setting up her will and trust. Later, I was forced to defend her estate as Trustee. I felt very fortunate to have the expertise of Kathryn Korn as well as the outstanding guidance and skillful representation of Cara Lankford. Ms. Lankford took care to ensure I understood the various options available but set realistic expectations. She provided sound, solid counsel throughout the process which gave me peace of mind and yielded a positive outcome! I have since recommended Korn Law Group to others and will continue to do so. They have the legal experience to get the job done right and are a pleasure to work with!
- Kris F.