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Paula A. Clarkson is an attorney with the Orange County law firm Brown & Streza, LLP. Paula concentrates her practice on planning for estates of all sizes including drafting basic probate avoidance plans to sophisticated pre and post mortem estate and tax planning for individuals and families. Paula also has experience with all aspects of trust and estate administration including probate procedures. Paula works in a team approach with trust officers, financial planners, insurance agents, and accountants to customize and implement plans to her clients’ specifics needs and objectives.
Paula is certified as a specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. Paula also routinely speaks on advanced estate planning and tax issues to audiences of attorneys and other financial professionals throughout Southern California.
Paula began her career in the Private Client Advisor group of Deloitte & Touche, LLP where she focused on estate, gift and individual tax planning for high net worth individuals from the accounting side. After receiving her LL.M. in Taxation, Paula moved to the legal side of estate, gift and individual tax planning but still maintains her accounting background with the preparation of gift tax returns, estate tax returns, and court accountings for trusts, estates, and conservatorships.
Paula earned her undergraduate degrees in Economics and Business Administration from California State University San Bernardino, her J.D. degree from Southwestern University School of Law, and her LL.M. in taxation from Golden Gate University School of Law. Paula is a member of Mariners Church in Irvine where she frequently volunteers.
In 2011 and 2012 Paula was named a “Southern California SuperLawyers-Rising Star” by Los Angeles Magazine – a distinction recognizing just 2.5% of attorneys under age 40 for excellence in the practice of law. In 2012, Paula received an AV® Preeminent™ Rating through Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating possible. Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings are established by lawyers and judges who have personal knowledge of an individual attorney’s work and ethical standards.
Paula happily lives and works in Orange County and enjoys spending time with her young daughter, dog, and training for mini triathlons.
Estate Planning, Income Tax Planning
- Basic Estate Planning – Wills, Trusts, and Probate
- Advanced Estate Tax Planning
- Charitable and Noncharitable Income-Tax-Deferral and Tax Mitigation Techniques
- Life Insurance Techniques for Income Tax, Estate Tax, and Charitable Planning
General Representative Transactions
Creation, representation regarding, or utilization of:
Estate Tax Planning
- Living Trusts
- Dynasty Trusts
- Asset Protection Planning
- Entity Planning
- Onshore Trusts
- Entity Planning
- Business Continuity
- Discounting Techniques
- Estate Freeze Techniques
- Life Insurance Planning
- ILITs
- Split Dollar Planning
- Estate Tax Controversy
Income Tax Planning
- Income Tax Deferral Techniques
- Pre-Transaction Tax Planning for Business Sales
- Pre-Transaction Tax Planning for Real Estate Sales
- Income Tax Controversy
Post Mortem Administration
- Probate Administration
- Trust Administration
- Preparation of Estate Tax Returns
- Preparation of Gift Tax Returns
- Preparation of Court Approved Accountings
- Petitions for Court Instruction
- Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization – 2012
- Brown & Streza LLP, Irvine, California – Associate Attorney – 2009-Present
- Freeman, Freeman & Smiley, LLP, Irvine, California – Associate Attorney – 2008-2009
- Ferruzzo & Ferruzzo, LLP, Newport Beach, California – Associate Attorney – 2002-2008
- Deloitte & Touche, Los Angeles, California – Senior Tax Associate – 1998-2002
- Master of Law in Taxation, Golden Gate University School of Law - 2002
- Juris Doctor, Southwestern University School of Law – 1998
- Tax Law Society President – 1997
- Phi Beta Kappa: Member
- Bachelor of Administration, Economics with Honors, California State University San Bernardino – 1995
- Bachelor of Administration, Business Administration, California State University San Bernardino – 1995
- Licensed to practice law in California
- 2011 and 2012 “Southern California SuperLawyers-Rising Star”
- Published by Los Angeles Magazine and The Journal for Law & Politics. Only 2.5% of Southern California lawyers in Los Angeles and Orange Counties receive this prestigious honor.
- Estate Planning Council of South Orange County, Laguna Hills, California, October 5, 2010
- Avoiding Litigation: Common Challenges to Estate Plans and Administration and How to Avoid Them
- California Society of CPAs, Financial Planning Interest Group, September 16, 2010
- Trustees: Appointing the Wrong One Can Cost Your Family Time, Money, and Relationships
- National Business Institute, December 2009
- Advanced Estate Planning Techniques
- National Business Institute, September 2008
- The Probate Process Start to Finish
- Orange County Bar Association, Trust and Estates Section, 2007
- Orange County Bar Association, Trust and Estates Section – Past Board Member; Member
- Orange Coast Estate Planning Council – Member
- American Bar Association – Member
- California Bar Association – Member
- Mariners Church - Member
- Provisors
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David Allen Brown
Richard Streza
Vanessa Gregor, J.D., LL.M.
Matt Brown
David Keligian, J.D., M.B.A., CPA
Vincent Le Pore III
Casey Hale
Stephen Stafford, J.D., LL.M.
Anita Nyhuis, J.D., LL.M.
Paula Clarkson, J.D., LL.M.
Greg Lambourne
Jenny Tran
Greg Cragg
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