STAFF PROFILES

Gerard W. O'Brien, ESQ.
Gerard W. O'Brien, or Jerry O'Brien as he is more commonly known, is a California licensed attorney who began practice in June, 1991.

Jerry earned a Bachelor's Degree in History at Brooklyn College in 1979. During his education he had the privilege of studying with Professor Edwin Burrows, Pulitzer Prize winning author of “GOTHAM.”

After graduating from Brooklyn College Jerry went into the culinary arts field, cooking professionally in New York City, Paris, France, and Orange County, California. In 1980 Jerry participated in the New York Restaurant School's Culinary Arts Program. Two days after finishing the program, Jerry went to France to work as Chef of the MacAdam Restaurant in Paris.  Returning to the USA, Jerry cooked in both New York City and Orange County California.

Jerry created the Parties by Panache Web Site, which gets about 20,000 visits per month and publishes "The Panache Experience", which at the end of 2007 has run to 37 issues.

Jerry has written two novels, “The Sweet Water”, and “A Field Guide to the Angels in Brooklyn”.  He is currently seeking publication of “A Field Guide to the Angels in Brooklyn” . Jerry publishes the critically acclaimed “O'Brien's Literary Speculator”. He also hosts the Web sites, www.obriensliteraryspeculator.org  and www.obrienzspeculator.wordpress.com.  Jerry also completed a certificate program in fiction writing at Cal State Fullerton. Mr. O'Brien has over twenty five interviews, articles, and reviews published on www.Jazzreview.com.

Pertaining to the practice of law:
In 1987 Jerry began Law School at Western State University, College of Law from which he graduated in the top quarter of his class in 1990. Jerry won an AmJur award for Bankruptcy and placed first in his class in Community Property. Mr. O'Brien conducted a solo legal practice in Brea, CA from 1991 to 2000, at which point he went in-house at his family's business Parties By Panache, Inc. While counsel at Parties by Panache Jerry undertook several projects relating to marketing in addition to over seeing contracts, corporate, employment law matters.

Member of the California State Bar Association

- Trust and Estates Section
- Business Law Section

Member of the Orange County Bar Association

- Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section
- Tax Law
- Trusts and Estates

Member of Wealth Counsel, LLC

- Mr. O'Brien teaches a course on Estate Planning and Wealth Transfer for Financial Professionals

Jeremy O'Brien

Executive Assistant

Jeremy O'Brien is currently assisting Gerard W. O'Brien in the operation of his Brea Law Office and is studying estate planning techniques and strategies. Jeremy does not plan to be a lawyer.

Jeremy has spent several years studying cinema and movie making technique with an emphasis on Film Noir, Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy film making. He is currently at work on a history of the American influence on Japanese animation arts.

PRACTICE AREAS

SENIORS AND THE LAW | You as a senior have many rights and with those rights, protections. You need to know what your rights are and you need to how and when to assert them. We can help you.

ESTATE PLANNING | Your successor Trustee wants to complete the process as quickly as possible, while minimizing family disharmony.

RETIREMENT PLANNING | Maximize the benefits you have earned while preserving transferability, stretch, principal.

HEALTH CARE DOCUMENTS | You need a power of attorney for health care, a HIPAA declaration, and a living will. Without them your preferences during incapacity will not be followed.

ASSET PROTECTION PLANNING | Keep your assets out of the hands of creditors, predators, and the public treasury, ethically and legally.

ESTATE & GIFT TAX PLANNING | Effective tax planning will not only lower income taxes while you’re alive by implementing optimal tax deferral and other strategies, but it will also free up cash for investment, business, or personal purposes.

POWERS OF ATTORNEY | Perhaps the most flexible tool in an estate plan most people including many attorneys do not understand what can be accomplished using this device.

BUSINESS PLANNING | From years of planning experience, we have developed a systematic process that is both practical and client-friendly.

CHARITABLE GIFT PLANNING | Most people work to better not only their family's situation but the community they live in and the world in which their community is a citizen. We will help you transfer values as well as assets. Perhaps the most flexible tool in an estate plan most people including many attorneys do not understand what can be accomplished using this device.

PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS | Some families and individuals are charitably minded and interested in directing their gifts to charities over an extended period of time. These people often find Foundations the right choice to accomplish this goal.