Contact Information

555 Capitol Mall 9th Floor

Sacramento CA 95814-4692

916.325.4513

pbrown@mhalaw.com

Practice Focus

Estate Planning

Probate

Trusts & Estates

Penny Brown | Attorney

Professional Experience

Penny is a member of the Estate Planning & Probate team at McDonough Holland & Allen PC. Her practice focuses on post-death administration of estates and trusts, as well as pre-death estate planning involving revocable and irrevocable trusts for married, single and same-sex partners. Prior to joining McDonough in 2007, Penny fully developed and implemented the post-death administration practice at Strategic Wealth Legal Advisors, Inc., in Sacramento. With a background encompassing all stages of estate planning and probate, Penny also gained valuable experience assisting clients in bankruptcy proceedings, dissolution proceedings, and family law while working for Community Legal Services at the University of the Pacific.

Representative Matters

Established a Special Needs Trust and obtained Court approval for such trust for disabled child, who was named as the beneficiary of a retirement plan. The child at the time of father’s death was receiving SSI and Medi-Cal benefits. By creating and obtaining the Court’s approval of the Special Needs Trust, the minor’s entitlement to SSI and Medi-Cal Benefits continued and the retirement plan benefits remain available for the child’s supplemental needs.

Obtained court approval to appointment of successor trustee to a revocable living trust where the individuals named to serve had predeceased or were unavailable to serve. In working with the court appointed successor trustee and beneficiaries of the trust, the parties were able to resolve the distribution of the trust property in a manner equitable and agreeable to all beneficiaries. Court approval for the distribution was required based on the court appointment of the successor trustee. The agreement as to the property distribution was presented to the Court and approved.

Represented a successor trustee regarding distribution of a deceased beneficiary’s trust share to that beneficiary’s two children; one born during marriage and one born out-of-wedlock. Filed Request for Special Instructions with the Court seeking instructions regarding the interest of each child and asking for Court approval of the distribution to the children to protect the trustee from any breach of his duty regarding the proposed distribution. Worked with all parties and their attorneys to resolve Request for Special Instructions and approve a plan for distribution.

Leadership Positions

Member, Soroptimists International of Greater Sacramento

Member, Sacramento Estate Planning Council

Member, Women Lawyers of Sacramento

Member, State Bar of California - Trusts and Estates Section

Member, Sacramento County Bar Association - Probate and Estate Planning Section

Clerkships

Law Clerk. Law Offices of G. Cat Stokes, Sacramento, CA

Law Clerk. McGeorge Community Legal Services, Sacramento, CA

MHALaw Search

Admitted to Practice

State Bar of California, 2001

Education

University of the Pacific,
McGeorge School of Law

J.D., 2001

University of California, Davis

B.A., English, 1998

Senior English Honors Program

American River College

A.A., Language and Literature, 1995