Before private practice in Sherman Oaks, Rodney Gould worked as a civil prosecutor handling mail fraud cases for the United States Postal Service in Washington, D.C. and then served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. After that federal career, he provided legal services to MCI, Bank of America, USAA, and Starbucks. Established in 2008, the Law Office of Rodney Gould applies those nearly three decades of accumulated legal experience to estate planning and elder law for individuals and families in the Los Angeles area — a shift in scale from federal prosecution and corporate counsel to the personal work of helping clients plan for death and incapacity.

Overview

The Law Office of Rodney Gould is a Sherman Oaks, California firm established in 2008. Rodney Gould (California State Bar #219234) focuses on estate planning, living trusts, wills, elder law, probate, and trust administration for individuals and families in Los Angeles and surrounding communities. The firm offers free consultations during extended office hours — Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday appointments available — which reflects an awareness that many clients cannot reach an attorney during standard business hours.

Outside his legal practice, Gould is an active philanthropist. He serves or has served on the boards of AIDS Project Los Angeles, Project Angel Food, Eureka College Board of Trustees, Christian Church Homes, and Disciples Seminary Foundation. These are not peripheral affiliations — they represent sustained engagement with nonprofit organizations serving vulnerable populations, which is consistent with the personal engagement that characterizes the firm’s elder law practice.

Practice Areas

Living Trusts and Estate Planning. The firm’s primary service is the preparation of comprehensive estate plans centered on living trusts. A revocable living trust allows the client to maintain control of their assets during their lifetime, provides for management in case of incapacity, and distributes assets to beneficiaries after death without the time, expense, and public exposure of probate court. Rodney Gould prepares both the trust document and the accompanying instruments — pour-over wills, advance directives (health care directives), and powers of attorney — that complete a functional estate plan.

Wills. For clients whose circumstances call for a will rather than or in addition to a living trust, the firm prepares testamentary wills that direct asset distribution after death and designate executors and guardians for minor children.

Advance Directives and Healthcare Planning. The firm prepares advance directives that document a client’s wishes regarding medical treatment and end-of-life care. In California, these instruments include the Advance Health Care Directive, which combines a living will and healthcare proxy into a single document. These instruments ensure that medical providers and family members have clear guidance when a client cannot communicate.

Powers of Attorney. A durable power of attorney designates an agent to manage the client’s financial and legal affairs if the client becomes incapacitated. The firm prepares these documents as part of comprehensive estate plans and for clients who need standalone authorization documents.

Probate and Trust Administration. When a client’s estate must go through probate or when a trust requires administration following the grantor’s death, the firm assists personal representatives, successor trustees, and beneficiaries through the process. California probate can be time-consuming and expensive; Gould helps families navigate it and, where possible, avoid it through proper planning.

Elder Law. The firm serves older adults and their families, addressing the legal issues that accompany aging: asset protection, long-term care planning, beneficiary designations, and coordination of estate documents with the realities of aging and potential incapacity.

DMV Representation. The firm includes California DMV representation among its services — assistance with matters before the Department of Motor Vehicles that may arise in the context of elder law or estate administration.

Affidavits and Determinations of Heirship. For estates that do not require full probate proceedings, the firm handles affidavits of heirship and determinations of heirship, which are streamlined procedures to establish who is entitled to a decedent’s property.

Spendthrift Trusts. The firm prepares spendthrift trusts for clients who want to protect inherited assets from a beneficiary’s creditors or from the beneficiary’s own financial management challenges.

Attorney Profiles

Rodney Gould is the founder and sole attorney. He earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and is admitted to the California State Bar (Bar #219234). He began his legal career as a civil prosecutor handling mail fraud cases for the United States Postal Service in Washington, D.C. He then served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, handling matters in the federal court system. Following his federal career, he provided legal services to major corporate clients including MCI, Bank of America, USAA, and Starbucks. He established the Law Office of Rodney Gould in 2008 and has nearly three decades of total legal experience. He serves or has served on the boards of AIDS Project Los Angeles, Project Angel Food, Eureka College Board of Trustees, Christian Church Homes, and Disciples Seminary Foundation.

Location and Service Area

The Law Office of Rodney Gould is located at 15233 Ventura Blvd, Suite 1020, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. Phone: (818) 740-3763. The website is www.rodneygouldlaw.com/

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday appointments are available. Free consultations are offered. The firm serves Sherman Oaks, Studio City, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and surrounding Los Angeles communities.

Client Focus

The firm’s primary clients are individuals and families in Los Angeles who are planning their estates — often older adults who want to put living trusts and related documents in place, and families who have lost a parent or spouse and need help with probate or trust administration. The elder law component of the practice is oriented toward older adults who need legal documents that address both their current capacity and the possibility of future incapacity.

The extended office hours and weekend availability reflect a practical accommodation: many clients with estate planning needs are retired or nearing retirement and have flexibility in scheduling, while adult children managing their parents’ affairs often work full-time and need evening or weekend appointments. Free consultations allow prospective clients to assess the firm without financial commitment before deciding to engage.

FAQ

Why does a former federal prosecutor now practice estate planning?
Rodney Gould’s career moved from criminal and civil prosecution in federal government, through corporate legal work for major clients, to private practice in estate planning. Each phase built on the previous one in different ways — federal prosecution required attention to evidence and procedure; corporate work required managing complex legal relationships; estate planning requires understanding what clients actually need and documenting it in a way that holds up when tested. The movement is not unusual for attorneys who began in high-demand, high-intensity environments and later chose to build a practice organized around direct client relationships.

What is the difference between a living trust and a will in California?
A will directs the distribution of your assets after death but takes effect only through probate court, which is public, can take many months, and involves court fees. A living trust holds your assets during your lifetime and transfers them to beneficiaries through the trust mechanism after your death, typically without court involvement. California probate is particularly time-consuming and costly for larger estates, which makes living trusts a frequent choice for California residents. Rodney Gould evaluates which approach is appropriate for each client’s situation.

What does a spendthrift trust accomplish?
A spendthrift trust restricts the beneficiary’s ability to transfer their interest in the trust to others and protects trust assets from the beneficiary’s creditors. This is useful when a client wants to provide for a beneficiary who has difficulty managing money, has addiction issues, or is likely to face creditor claims. The trust continues to provide for the beneficiary through trustee distributions rather than giving them direct control over the assets.

Can the firm help with estate administration after a family member dies?
Yes. Rodney Gould assists successor trustees with trust administration and personal representatives with probate proceedings after a death. This includes identifying and valuing estate assets, satisfying debts and taxes, and distributing what remains to the rightful heirs and beneficiaries.

Are weekend consultations actually available?
Yes. The firm offers Saturday and Sunday consultations by appointment. This is listed as a regular feature of the practice, not an exception, and reflects the firm’s awareness that client availability varies.

Closing

Nearly three decades of legal experience spread across federal prosecution, major corporate representation, and private estate planning practice, combined with active board service across five nonprofit organizations and extended office hours that include weekend availability — Rodney Gould brings to his Sherman Oaks practice a professional history that runs considerably deeper than the specific documents he now prepares. For clients in the Los Angeles area who want an estate planning attorney whose experience extends well beyond estate planning itself, that range of background is the defining feature of the engagement.