About Robinson & Wilson, ALC · San Diego
Robinson & Wilson, ALC is a San Diego estate planning law firm based in Rancho Bernardo that focuses exclusively on wills, trusts, probate, and tax planning. Founded by Roberta J. Robinson and now partnering with Daniel J. Wilson, the firm is staffed by two California State Bar Board Certified Specialists in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law with more than 55 years of combined experience. The firm takes an educational approach, walking clients through options for estate plans, probate administration, and trust administration with compassion and clarity.
Robinson & Wilson, A Law Corporation, was founded by Roberta J. Robinson in San Diego and has grown into a focused estate planning practice serving families and individuals across San Diego County and the North County Inland Corridor, including Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Mountain, Poway, Escondido, Vista, San Marcos, Carmel Valley, Rancho Penasquitos, Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa, La Jolla, Encinitas and Carlsbad. Both named partners, Roberta J. Robinson and Daniel J. Wilson, are California State Bar Board Certified Specialists in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law, an elite credential held by only a small percentage of California attorneys. The firm distinguishes itself with an educational approach to estate planning — clients fill out a planning data sheet before their first appointment and receive educational materials — and brings the same clarity and compassion to probate and trust administration matters. Daniel J. Wilson further holds a Master of Laws in Taxation (LL.M.) from the University of San Diego School of Law (2012), giving the firm deep expertise in estate, gift, income, and property tax planning. Robinson & Wilson was named the number-one Estate Planner in the Best of North Inland 2020 Readers Poll, and clients on Google, Yelp, and Nextdoor consistently highlight the team's professionalism, clear explanations, and genuine care.
- In business
- More than 55 combined years of attorney experience (Roberta J. Robinson has practiced since 1977, ~49 years; firm founded by Roberta J. Robinson)
- Owner
- Roberta J. Robinson (founder); partner Daniel J. Wilson
- Serves
- San Diego County and the North County Inland Corridor, including Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Mountain, Poway, Escondido, Vista, San Marcos, Carmel Valley, Rancho Penasquitos, Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa, La Jolla, Encinitas, and Carlsbad
- Rating
- 5.0 on Google (9 reviews); 5.0 on Yelp (3 reviews); featured on Expertise.com Best Probate Lawyers in San Diego
Our Firm
Robinson & Wilson, A Law Corporation, sits in Rancho Bernardo and represents clients throughout San Diego County and the North County Inland Corridor. The firm's mission is to make sure clients fully understand their estate planning options so they can make educated, informed decisions about their assets and their families. With more than 55 years of combined experience, the attorneys are State Bar of California Certified Legal Specialists in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law. The firm takes an educational approach: clients fill out an estate planning data sheet before their first appointment and receive educational materials to prepare them. When families face the death of a loved one, the firm brings that same clarity and compassion to probate and trust administration.
- Founded by Roberta J. Robinson
- Office in Rancho Bernardo, San Diego
- Two-attorney firm specializing exclusively in estate planning, trusts, and probate
- Educational, client-first approach
Legal Services
All of the firm's practice is concentrated in estate planning, probate, and trust work. The attorneys draft and review wills and living trusts, prepare powers of attorney and advance health care directives, plan for estate, gift, income, and property taxes, and represent executors, administrators, and trustees in probate and trust administration. The firm is also equipped for advanced planning strategies such as irrevocable trusts, grantor retained annuity and unitrusts, qualified personal residence trusts, life insurance trusts, and charitable remainder and lead trusts.
- Wills and Living Trusts
- Probate and Trust Administration
- Tax Planning (estate, gift, income, and property)
- Power of Attorney
- Advance Health Care Directives
- Advanced Estate Tax Planning (GRIT, GRAT, GRUT, QPRT, ILIT)
- Charitable Planning (CRAT, CRUT, CLT)
Wills and Living Trusts
A will designates beneficiaries — including alternative beneficiaries — and names a personal representative to settle the estate and distribute assets after probate. A living trust is a legal document that can help a client avoid probate, save money, and protect privacy. Robinson & Wilson drafts both simple and complex wills and living trusts.
- Will drafting and review
- Living trust drafting and review
- Beneficiary and personal representative designations
- Will and trust amendments
Probate and Trust Administration
Probate is the court-supervised process of validating a will, paying debts, and distributing a deceased person's property. Trust administration is the trustees' management of trust property according to the trust document for the benefit of beneficiaries after the settlor's death. The firm represents executors, administrators, and trustees throughout the process and helps heirs understand what their loved one wanted and what to expect at each step.
- Representing executors and administrators in probate
- Representing trustees in trust administration
- Compassionate guidance through every step
Tax Planning
Both federal and state taxes applied to an estate can significantly shrink what beneficiaries actually receive. The firm uses a comprehensive understanding of estate, gift, income, and property tax laws to optimize strategies that reduce, eliminate, or postpone the impact of those taxes. Daniel J. Wilson's LL.M. in Taxation from the University of San Diego School of Law underpins this practice area.
- Estate tax planning
- Gift tax planning
- Income tax planning
- Property tax planning
Advance Health Care Directives
An advanced health care directive informs physicians, family, and friends of a person's health care preferences — including the kinds of special treatments they do or do not want at the end of life. The document also names someone to make health care decisions if the person no longer can.
Power of Attorney
A Power of Attorney (POA) is a document in which one person grants another the ability to act on the grantor's behalf. POAs are a common estate planning tool used for incapacity planning and can cover business and financial transactions as well as medical decisions.
Attorneys
The firm is built around two Board Certified Specialists. Together they bring more than 55 years of focused estate planning experience to every client engagement.
Roberta J. Robinson — Founder and Partner
Roberta J. Robinson is the founder of Robinson & Wilson, ALC, and a California Board Certified Specialist in Probate, Estate, and Trust Law. She has more than 40 years of experience helping families set up estate plans that match their goals in a process that is easy to understand. She guides families through trust administration and probate and is widely known for explaining complex ideas clearly. She is an enthusiastic speaker on estate-planning topics for the community and, sensitive to family dynamics, delivers her services with compassion. Roberta earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Irvine in 1974 and a Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1977. Her practice areas include will and living trust drafting and review, powers of attorney, advance health care directives, will and trust amendments, tax planning, avoiding-probate techniques, representing executors and administrators, representing trustees, advanced estate tax planning (irrevocable trusts, gifting trusts, GRITs, GRATs, GRUTs, QPRTs, life insurance trusts), and charitable planning (CRATs, CRUTs, CLTs).
- California Board Certified Specialist in Probate, Estate, and Trust Law
- J.D., University of San Diego School of Law, 1977
- B.A., University of California, Irvine, 1974
- Co-Chair, San Diego North County Bar Association Probate, Trust and Estate Planning Section
- Member, California State Bar Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Advisory Commission
- Member, San Diego County Bar Association Probate, Trust and Estate Planning Section
Daniel J. Wilson — Partner
Daniel J. Wilson is a California Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law. He received his Master of Laws in Taxation (LL.M. Tax) from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2012. He is outcome-oriented with a focus on efficiency and clarity, and he understands that estate planning, trust administration, and probate are often brand-new to clients. He strives to explain each matter in a way that is clear and concise. Daniel's practice areas include drafting wills and living trusts, powers of attorney, advance health care directives, estate planning reviews, will and trust amendments, estate, gift, income, and property tax planning, techniques for avoiding probate, and representing executors, administrators, and trustees in probate and trust administration.
- California Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law
- LL.M. in Taxation, University of San Diego School of Law, 2012
- Juris Doctorate
- Board Member, Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation
- Member, Rancho Bernardo Business Association
- Member, Probate Bench-Bar Committee
- Member, San Diego County Bar Association
- Member, North County Estate Planning Council
- Member, San Diego North County Bar Association
Accreditations and Recognition
Robinson & Wilson has been recognized by Expertise.com as one of the Best Probate Lawyers Serving San Diego and was named the number-one Estate Planner in the Best of North Inland 2020 Readers Poll. Expertise.com hand-picks firms based on a manual review that grades each business on availability, qualifications, reputation, experience, and professionalism.
- #1 Estate Planner — Best of North Inland 2020 Readers Poll
- Listed, Expertise.com Best Probate Lawyers Serving San Diego
Testimonials
Clients describe the firm as professional, knowledgeable, and compassionate. Reviewers consistently highlight how clearly the team explains the process and how much they feel their best interests are being considered.
- Ray S.: "Professional, knowledgeable and he cares! He was able to help us setup our estate plan very quickly."
- Sara H.: "After interviewing other attorneys, I decided to hire Daniel because he took the time to listen to my concerns and his clear way of explaining the process."
- Annette R.: "Roberta was very helpful in helping us prepare our family's estate plan. Every time I sent an email I received a timely response."
- Robert J. and Dianne J.: "We feel highly confident in referring Roberta and Daniel to others. We were pleased with both the high level of professionalism and the constant concern for our best interest."
Service Area and Contact
Robinson & Wilson, ALC is located at 11665 Avena Place #108, San Diego, CA 92128, in the Rancho Bernardo community. The firm's mailing address is PO Box 270099, San Diego, CA 92198. The office serves clients throughout San Diego County and the North County Inland Corridor, including Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Mountain, Poway, Escondido, Vista, San Marcos, Carmel Valley, Rancho Penasquitos, Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa, La Jolla, Encinitas, and Carlsbad. The firm aims to return all communications within one business day.
- Address: 11665 Avena Place #108, San Diego, CA 92128
- Phone: (858) 485-1990
- Fax: (858) 487-8240
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing: PO Box 270099, San Diego, CA 92198
- Typical response time: within 1 business day