Brennan-Stacey

Stacey K. Brennan

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“I’m an estate planning, administration and probate lawyer who works with a group of six professionals who have expertise in almost all aspects of trust, probate and tax law. I do complex estate planning and business succession planning, but also spend a large part of my practice on dispute resolution and litigation of probate cases.”

Stacey Brennan’s estate planning practice includes preparation of wills, revocable trusts, life insurance trusts, charitable remainder trusts and property agreements; and tax planning to minimize estate taxes, gift taxes, income taxes and property taxes. Her probate practice includes formal probate proceedings, summary administration proceedings, conservatorship proceedings, trust administration and litigation proceedings and probate litigation. Stacey’s tax practice includes preparation of estate tax returns with emphasis on discounts and various elections to minimize estate taxes, and representation of clients in estate tax audits.

After receiving her B.S. in Economics, Stacey spent ten years living and working in the Washington, DC area. Her career focused on implementing new technology for large law firms. She first worked in a large law firm for five years and then worked as a consultant, project manager, operations manager, and eventually a director of the legal services division at a technology company based in Fairfax, Virginia. Stacey returned to the Sacramento area with her family in 1999.

In Sacramento, she worked as a paralegal for her mother, Madeline Davis, in the areas of estate planning and estate administration. She then obtained her law degree from McGeorge School of Law in December 2005, and continued working with her mother until the two attorneys joined Boutin Jones Inc. in January 2008.

Stacey currently spends some of her time supporting Woodland clients. She worked with attorney Richard Hoppin during his four years with Boutin Jones (2008-2012), and continues to support his former clients as well as establishing many new client relationships. She has thoroughly enjoyed creating relationships with clients and professionals in Woodland and always enjoys the time she spends with them.

“My mother, Madeline K. Davis, shaped my law practice more than anyone. She began at the McDonough, Holland & Allen firm in the mid-70s as a probate paralegal and then moved with my father to Mississippi in 1990. While there, she persevered and at the age of 50 obtained her law degree from Ole Miss Law School, and then rejoined the McDonough firm as an attorney when they moved back to Sacramento in 1993. In 1999, she formed a small firm and in 2000, I joined her and began my law school career. Eight years later, we both joined the Boutin law firm.  My mother loved practicing law because her passion has always been helping others.  I strive every day to continue her good work.”

I love to travel and have taken more than ten cruises, but my first form of transportation was a race car called a quarter midget. As a kid, I raced alongside one of NASCAR’s most famous drivers. I’m now an avid NASCAR fan and watch every race.

Experience

  • Assisted a trustee in obtaining a court order allowing a charitable gift in excess of $1M to be distributed immediately to the charity, instead of waiting until the death of a sixty year old income beneficiary.
  • Assisted a trustee in researching, identifying and implementing a strategy to carry out the Decedent’s intent of creating a scholarship fund.
  • Handled numerous estate administrations in Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, El Dorado, Yuba and Sutter Counties.
  • Represented a private professional fiduciary and a trust department of a large bank in their respective capacities as successor trustee, administrator of an estate, or as a conservator of the person and/or estate.

Involvement

Presentations

2011
“Estate Planning – What Does it Accomplish?”, Presenter

Honors

Sacramento Magazine Top Lawyer, 2016 – 2018

Law School: Graduated With Great Distinction, Order of the Coif, Traynor Honor Society, Witkin Awards for Appellate Advocacy and Legal Process