Aggressive Litigators.
Strategic Advocates.
Creative Problem Solvers. 
Probate & Trust Litigation Specialists

Over the past 25 years, Bradley R. Kirk & Associates, Inc. has specialized exclusively in Trust and Probate matters. We are litigators who have represented hundreds of Trust and Probate clients through trial and appeal. We are proud to be known as one of the elite Trust and Probate Litigation firms in Southern California.

Irvine Probate Lawyers

Litigation & Administration Services for Southern California Trust & Probate Matters

Our practice areas include the following:

Unsure of what service you need? Click the button below to find out where to start.

At the Law Offices of Bradley R. Kirk & Associates, we handle all manner of estate and trust administration. But, we are also one of Orange County’s few boutique firms that specialize in disputed Trust and Estate matters. We are trained trust and probate litigation attorneys who have over 50+ years combined experience in litigating disputed Trust/Estate matters through trial and appeal. Should you need legal assistance in dealing with your trust and/or probate matter, call us for a free consultation and determine whether we can put our specialized trust and probate experience to work for you.


For more information about Bradley R. Kirk & Associates, Inc. or our services, arrange a consultation with us by calling (949) 220-0969 or by filling out our online contact form.


Our Founder, Bradley Kirk, Esq.

Our Attorney, Brad KirkOur Lead Litigation Attorney, Bradley R. Kirk, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Pepperdine Law School in 1992 – earning high academic honors and performing as one of the top students in his class. During law school, Mr. Kirk also interned on the United States Court of Appeal (Ninth Circuit) for the Honorable Pamela Rymer.

After graduating from law school, Mr. Kirk worked as an attorney for Morrison & Foerster – the largest law firm in California. Mr. Kirk started his own law firm in 1994. He subsequently became a State Bar certified specialist in Trust and Probate Law and to date has represented hundreds of trust and probate clients in the Southern California Courts.

Mr. Kirk is the lead litigation attorney at the firm. He handles all manner of complex trust and probate cases and manages a team of skilled trust and probate litigators.

Real Clients. Real Reviews.

  • Help in a very difficult situation

    “What a blessing you have been to my husband and me! At a time of great need and awful insecurity due to the impending unknown, you provided the help, trust and peace we needed to believe in ourselves ...”

    - Elizabeth
  • Always Good to Hire Correctly

    “Mr. Kirk is an outstanding trial lawyer who has purposely chosen to direct 100% of his legal and trial acumen towards various complex probate and/or trust matters; rather than the more common and less ...”

    - anonymous
  • Thorough, Diligent and Knowledgeable - Highly Recommend

    “I have worked with Mr. Kirk and his firm for over a year correcting the wrongful and hostel actions that my only brother and his wife took from the family Trust. Both my father and I were shocked at ...”

    - Laura
  • Great representation

    “You and team were great! I would recommend Brad Kirk for any litigation needs. Brad and Christian were very helpful and understanding”

    - Anon
  • Thank you for your hard work and great service.

    “If I hear of anyone in the OC that needs a good attorney, I will definitely recommend you and Brad.”

    - S.B.
  • My experience with Mr Kirk

    “It is with disbelief that I read the negative review of a client thee months ago. His experience certainly wasn't mine! I found Brad and his staff extremely responsive. All our communication i.e. ...”

    - anonymous
  • Experience, knowledge and communications

    “Upon the sudden death of a friend, I became Executor of her Estate and Trustee of her Trust. All of the beneficiaries were out of state. I didn't know where to start, but Jacob of Bradley Kirk & Assoc ...”

    - anonymous
  • Winning spirit

    “I had a very complicated case, not one that was easy to defend. I employed two attorneys prior to Brad who were unable to successfully resolve the case. Brad and his staff were thorough in their ...”

    - Diane
  • Are you looking for an excellent trial attorney?

    “Bradley Kirk is a joy to watch at what he does best - a trial attorney. He can judge people fast and respond appropriately on the spur of the moment. One couldn't be in better hands.”

    - Linda
  • Great representation.

    “You and the team were great! I would recommend Brad Kirk for any litigation needs. Brad and Christian were very helpful and understanding”

    - Former Client
/

Actual Results That Speak for Themselves

  • Elder Abuse Case - Huge Award Won in Court Elder Abuse

    In 2019, our client represented the guardian-ad-litem of an elderly woman who had been financially abused. After a nine-day trial in Orange County Probate Court, our client obtained an award for elder abuse damages including double damages, punitive damages and attorney’s fees.

  • Fraudulent Will Thrown Out in Court Will Contest

    In 2016, our client’s spouse had passed away, and relatives claimed that the Decedent had signed a last-minute Will which allegedly disinherited our client. After going to trial, our client received a judgment in her favor which included payment of her costs.

  • Funds Frozen, Client Wins Elder Abuse/Theft/Trust Fraud

    Our client, who believed that he was the Trustee and beneficiary of his mother’s Trust, learned that while his mother was sickly and mentally infirm, his daughter had manufactured a situation where the mother did last-minute changes to her Trust which supposed to disinherit the son. After aggressively litigating the case, we obtained a settlement for our client where he received virtually all of the frozen funds.

  • Generous Settlement Won through Litigation Trust Contest/Fraudulent Trust

    Prior to our client's mother’s death, when the mother was mentally incompetent, the sister took the mother to a lawyer and had her estate planning documents changed – purportedly disinheriting the brother from the mother’s $10 million estate. The matter proceeded in litigation for 4 years, during which our firm relentlessly fought in Court for our client. Finally, the sister conceded, and our client received a generous settlement.

  • Court Victory Trustee Litigation/Real Property Dispute

    In 2017, we were hired to defend against a claim brought against trustees of their deceased mother's trust by their father for a 50% interest in a $9 million property in Laguna Beach, CA. After a trial that spanned over 2 ½ months, the Court reduced the father’s claim to 25% of the Property and awarded none of the $1,000,000 being sought by the father.

  • Massive Settlement Win for Client Elder Abuse Defense/Trust Litigation

    In 2014, our client’s husband died. His daughter from a prior marriage sued our client for millions of dollars in assets that the husband had gifted to our client. The children were assisted in their litigation by the Decedent’s ex-lawyer who he had named as Trustee of his Trust. After vigorously defending our client in all of these Courts for four years, we forced a settlement of the entire matter which strongly favored our client.

  • Elderly Client Gets His Life Back Elder Abuse/Trust Litigation

    Our firm was hired by an elderly gentleman who was being financially abused by his neighbors. After being hired, we obtained elder abuse restraining orders against the neighbors, and we counter-sued for elder abuse and to have all of the fraudulent estate planning documents voided. After we vigorously litigated the matter for two years, the neighbors finally gave up – released all of the client’s assets back to him – and relinquished all claims to his Trust.

  • House Returned Along With Other Valuable Assets Estate Plan

    Our clients (brothers) lost their mother. The father, who was a successful orthopedic surgeon, was aging and began to lose his capacity. A new woman injected herself into his life and began to take over. She moved into his house, put her name on his bank accounts, and supposedly got him to change his estate plan to disinherit his sons. At trial in the matter, we were able to get the house back for our clients in addition to many other valuable assets that the woman had tried to steal from our clients.

  • Successful Elder Abuse Defense Elder Abuse Defense/Breach of Fiduciary Duty/Surcharge

    In July of 2018, our client, who was the Trustee of her deceased mother’s trust, was sued by her sister for breach of fiduciary duty, elder abuse, removal as Trustee, and surcharge. Our Firm vigorously defended the claim and although the initial claim was for in excess of $1 million, we settled for pennies on the dollar. All charges for elder abuse, surcharge and removal were dismissed.

  • Total Victory for Trustee Breach of Fiduciary Duty/Surcharge/Accounting/Real Property Dispute

    In 2015, we represented a client in a dispute with his sister, where his sister was claiming that he wrongfully took a parcel of real property from their father. Our client was sued for breach of fiduciary duty, removal as Trustee, accounting dispute, and surcharge. After a 7-day trial in 2017, our client won a total victory. The Court denied all claims against him and found no liability.

/

Executors and Trustees

If you have been identified as the executor under a Will or as the trustee of a trust, you need legal assistance. In your duties as executor or trustee, you will be required to navigate through the complex web of California’s Probate laws. If you do not execute your duties according to every dictate of the law, you can be sued and held personally liable. Per California law, your own personal assets are at stake if you are found to have breached any of your duties.

Accordingly, it is imperative that you retain expert probate trust counsel to assist you in carrying out your duties. Our Firm specializes in providing the highest level of legal counsel for our trustee and executor clients. We are intimately familiar with California’s ever-changing laws and their requirements for trustees, executors and fiduciaries. We thoroughly enjoy being experts in this area of the law, and we would be happy to provide to you with a free consultation to see if our Firm is the right fit for you.

Skill & Expertise You Can Rely On

Ready to discuss your probate and trust matter? Trust our team of experts to handle it. Get in touch with our attorneys today.

  • California Board of Legal Specialization
  • Orange County Bar
  • California State Bar

What You Can Expect

  • Honesty, Transparency & Accessibility
  • Aggressive Representation. Optimal Results.
  • Over 50 Years of Legal Experience
  • Board Certified Specialization in Probate & Trust Litigation

Contact Us for Legal Assistance

If you are in need of an attorney’s assistance for a dispute that arises during probate or the trust administration process, we can provide the legal help you need to fight for what’s important to you. Bradley R. Kirk & Associates, Inc. can also provide legal guidance and services for trust and/or probate administration to help estate representatives fulfill their fiduciary duties and protect against liability.

For more information about what we can help you accomplish, please reach out to our probate attorneys in Irvine by calling (949) 220-0969 or by contacting us online.

Handling Complex Legal Issues for Over 25 Years

Schedule a Consultation Today
  • Please enter your first name.
  • Please enter your last name.
  • Please enter your phone number.
    This isn't a valid phone number.
  • Please enter your email address.
    This isn't a valid email address.
  • Please make a selection.
  • Please enter a message.