Overview
Established in 1990, Moravec, Varga & Mooney has practiced estate planning, probate, and tax law from its office in San Marino, California for more than 35 years. The firm has maintained an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the peer review system’s highest designation, reflecting recognition by legal peers and the judiciary of both legal ability and professional ethics. The practice is a boutique: its work is concentrated in estate planning, trust administration, probate, beneficiary and trustee representation, and Medi-Cal planning. It does not practice in unrelated legal areas.
The firm serves individuals and families in San Marino, Pasadena, Alhambra, and surrounding communities in the Los Angeles area. Its office is located at 2233 Huntington Drive, Suite 17, San Marino, CA 91108, and it can be reached at (626) 793-3210. The website is www.moravecslaw.com/. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Practice Areas
Estate Planning: The firm constructs comprehensive estate plans designed to preserve and transfer wealth according to client wishes. Planning tools include revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives. The firm also advises on asset protection strategies and works with clients to structure their estates in ways that reduce exposure to taxes and claims.
Medi-Cal Planning: This is a specialized area within elder law that not all estate planning firms address. California’s Medi-Cal program, the state’s Medicaid program, provides healthcare coverage for individuals who meet income and asset eligibility requirements. Planning to qualify for Medi-Cal benefits while preserving assets for a surviving spouse or heirs requires knowledge of both federal Medicaid rules and California-specific regulations. The firm assists clients in structuring their assets to qualify for or maintain Medi-Cal benefits. This planning is particularly important for elderly clients who face long-term care costs, which can deplete estate assets rapidly.
Probate: When a person dies with assets that require court-supervised distribution, the probate process governs how those assets are identified, valued, and transferred to heirs. The firm guides clients through probate proceedings, handling asset collection, appraisals, court approvals, and tax settlements. It represents both trustees who are administering an estate and beneficiaries who have an interest in the outcome.
Trust Administration: When a revocable trust becomes irrevocable at the death of the grantor, the trustee must administer it in accordance with its terms and applicable law. Trust administration involves notifying beneficiaries, gathering assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing the remaining assets. The firm guides trustees through this process to ensure they meet their fiduciary obligations.
Beneficiary and Trustee Representation: Disputes involving trusts and estates can arise between trustees and beneficiaries, among co-trustees, or among competing claimants. The firm represents both trustees and beneficiaries in trust-related disputes and proceedings, advocating for its clients’ interests within the estate and probate system.
Tax Law: Tax considerations are integrated throughout the firm’s estate planning work. The probate process involves tax settlements, and sophisticated estate plans are structured to minimize estate taxes, gift taxes, and income taxes on inherited assets. The tax dimension of the firm’s practice is inseparable from its estate planning and probate work.
Asset Protection: The firm develops strategies to protect a client’s net worth from creditor claims and tax exposure. These strategies are coordinated with estate planning to ensure that protection measures do not conflict with clients’ succession goals.
Attorney Profiles
Linda Varga
Linda Varga is a key attorney at the firm and is listed as an estate attorney serving the Alhambra area and surrounding communities. Client accounts consistently describe her as professional, responsive, empathetic, and thorough. Her practice includes estate planning, trust administration, and probate.
The individual credentials for the attorneys whose names appear in the firm name as Moravec and Mooney were not found in publicly available sources.
Location and Service Area
The firm is located at 2233 Huntington Drive, Suite 17, San Marino, CA 91108, and can be reached at (626) 793-3210. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The firm serves clients in San Marino, Alhambra, Pasadena, and the surrounding Los Angeles County communities.
San Marino is a residential community adjacent to Pasadena in the San Gabriel Valley. The firm is well positioned to serve the estate planning needs of the area’s established families and professionals.
Client Focus
The firm serves individuals and families who need estate plans built around their specific circumstances, trustees and beneficiaries who need guidance through trust administration or probate proceedings, and elderly clients who need planning to qualify for or preserve Medi-Cal benefits. The boutique structure of the firm means clients work with attorneys who have concentrated experience in these specific areas rather than generalists who practice across many fields.
The firm is listed in the Retirement Watch directory, indicating recognition within the financial planning community that serves retirement-age clients and their advisors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a revocable trust and an irrevocable trust?
A revocable trust is one that the person who created it can modify or revoke during their lifetime. Assets held in a revocable trust avoid probate at death but are still counted as part of the grantor’s estate for tax purposes. An irrevocable trust, once established, generally cannot be modified or revoked. Assets transferred into an irrevocable trust are typically removed from the grantor’s taxable estate, which can have significant tax and asset protection advantages. The appropriate type of trust depends on a client’s goals, family situation, and asset profile.
What is Medi-Cal planning and who benefits from it?
Medi-Cal planning involves structuring assets and income in ways that allow individuals to qualify for California’s Medicaid program, which can cover long-term care costs. Without planning, individuals with significant assets may be required to spend those assets down to qualify for Medi-Cal, leaving little for a surviving spouse or heirs. The rules governing Medi-Cal eligibility are complex and subject to change. Clients who are approaching or already in retirement, or who have an elderly parent whose care costs are significant, may benefit from this planning.
What happens if someone dies without a trust or will?
When a person dies without a valid will or trust, California’s intestate succession laws govern how assets are distributed. The distribution may not match the deceased person’s actual wishes. Additionally, assets that would have passed through a trust without court involvement must typically go through probate, which is a court-supervised process that takes time and incurs costs. An estate plan avoids this default outcome.
Does the firm represent beneficiaries who dispute how a trust is being administered?
Yes. The firm represents both trustees and beneficiaries. If a beneficiary believes a trustee is not properly administering a trust or is acting in a manner inconsistent with the trust’s terms, the firm can evaluate the situation and, where appropriate, represent the beneficiary in asserting their rights.
What is the AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and how long has the firm held it?
The Martindale-Hubbell AV designation is awarded through a peer review process in which other lawyers and members of the judiciary evaluate an attorney’s legal ability and professional ethics. The designation signals that peers in the legal community have reviewed the attorney’s work and found it to meet the highest standards available under that system. Moravec, Varga & Mooney has maintained this rating throughout its more than 35-year practice in San Marino, a tenure that provides a sustained record of peer recognition rather than a single point-in-time evaluation.
Closing
Moravec, Varga & Mooney has practiced estate, probate, and tax law from San Marino since 1990. The firm’s AV Martindale-Hubbell rating, its 35-year presence in the San Gabriel Valley community, and its specialized focus on areas including Medi-Cal planning position it as a resource for individuals and families in the Los Angeles area who need sustained, knowledgeable guidance through the estate planning and probate process. The firm is located at 2233 Huntington Drive, Suite 17, San Marino, CA 91108, and can be reached at (626) 793-3210 or at www.moravecslaw.com/.