Serving The Bay Area And All Of California For More Than A Decade

Photo of the reception room of Johnston, Kinney & Zulaica LLP
M. Jean Johnston

M. Jean Johnston

  • Partner

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Practice Areas:

  • Complex Estate Planning
  • Trust and Probate Administration
  • Individual and Fiduciary Taxation

Education

  • University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, (formerly U.C. Hastings), San Francisco, California, J.D., 1983
  • Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, California, L.L.M.
  • University of California, at Irvine , California, B.A.

Biography

Jean is a Partner at Johnston, Kinney & Zulaica LLP. Jean is a tax attorney and focuses her practice in the areas of complex estate planning, trust and probate administration, and individual and fiduciary taxation. Jean represents individuals in their estate, tax and business planning, and fiduciaries and beneficiaries in probate and trust administration. Jean also acts as a consultant or expert witness in litigation involving trusts and estates and tax related issues.

Jean is a frequent lecturer in the areas of tax and estate planning and has spoken at numerous seminars, including the American Bar Association, State Bar of California, American Bankers Association, Continuing Education of the Bar, and Practicing Law Institute.

Jean has written several papers on tax and estate planning and authored "Income, Gift and Estate Tax Considerations for Domestic Partnerships" for the CEB publication "California Domestic Partnerships." She also has served as consultant on other CEB publications.

Jean received her B.A. from the University of California at Irvine, her J.D. from University of California College of the Law (formerly UC Hastings), and has her LL.M in Taxation from Golden Gate University. She is a member of the State Bar of California - Taxation and Estate Planning Sections; BALIF; and the Horizons Foundation Advisory Board. Jean is married and lives in San Francisco, CA.

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1983

Professional Associations

  • San Francisco Bar Association, Member, Present
  • BALIF, Member, Present
  • American Bar Association, Member, Present
  • State Bar of California, Taxation and Estate Planning Sections, Member

Speaking Engagements and Publications

  • Income, Gift and Estate Tax Considerations

Community Involvement

  • Member, Horizons Foundation Advisory Board
  • Native American Arts Association
  • Georgia O'Keefe Museum
  • ACLU

Classes & Seminars

  • Tax Conundrums Post Oberfell, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 2016
  • Estate Planning Post DOMA, Northern Trust, 2014
  • Estate Plan Drafting, CEB, 2013
  • 2010 Income Splitting Decision, San Francisco Bar Association, 2011
  • Evolving Issues in Planning, California State Bar, 2010
  • Reconciling Non Conventional Relationships and California Community Property Law, American Bar Association, 2008