News

30 Jan 2012

DLA Piper expands Trusts and Estates practice in California

Press Release

DLA Piper today announced that S. Andrew Pharies has joined the firm as a partner in the Trusts and Estates group of the San Diego office.  Pharies is joined by associate Michelle C. Glasser. Pharies and Glasser both move to DLA Piper from Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, where Pharies was the head of the firm's Private Client Group.

Pharies and Glasser focus their practice on estate planning, trust and estate administration and taxation. This includes counseling clients on estate planning, charitable planning, post-mortem trust and probate administration and litigation, exempt organizations, transfer tax (estate, gift and generation-skipping) planning, income tax planning, business planning and tax controversies.

"We know Andy well, and he is a prominent member of the Trusts and Estates Bar in California," said Ellen H. Whelan, Senior Partner of DLA Piper's Trusts and Estates group in California. "The arrival of Andy and Michelle continues our longstanding tradition of serving the complex estate planning needs of our clients. They also bring experience handling matters with international tax implications, which matches well with DLA Piper's global platform, and will be important as we grow the practice."

"Andy is a well-recognized and highly experienced counselor on all manner of estate planning matters," said Robert Brownlie, managing partner of DLA Piper's San Diego office.  "We're excited to have Andy and Michelle join us as we continue to expand the San Diego office, as well as our capabilities in California."

Pharies currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the State Bar of California and Chairs its Income and Transfer Tax Subcommittee. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the UCLA-CEB Estate Planning Institute and has served on the faculty of many continuing education programs for lawyers and accountants throughout California. Pharies currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego County.

Pharies received a B.S. from the University of California, Riverside and a J.D. from the University of Oregon, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Oregon Law Review. Glasser received a B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Arizona and an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of San Diego.

DLA Piper has one of the largest and most respected estate planning practices in California. For more than 80 years, the firm has counseled leading figures in the business, investment and technology communities regarding lifetime planning, testamentary wealth transfers, charitable giving, business succession planning, and all other aspects of estate planning.