OC WILLS & TRUST ATTORNEYS - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Administrative Assistant
• Member of the Search Team
• Administrative Assistant at the Irvine

Ammi Ruiz is the administrative assistant at the Irvine office and works closely with the Client Services Coordinator and firm staff to provide excellent customer service to every client. She primarily assists with the day-to-day operations, correspondence, coordinating appointments and assisting the managing attorney. Ammi joined the OC Wills and Trust Team in late 2020. She graduated from California State University, Long Beach in 2019 with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and has previous experience in customer service, hospitality and interning at a public relations firm in the city of Los Angeles. In her spare time, Ammi enjoys dining out, traveling, and keeping up with the latest news.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Search Team
• of Counsel

Anthony received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego, and received his Juris Doctor Degree from Case Western Reserve University, School of Law. During Law School, Anthony served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Robert J. Johnston, Judge, Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court, District of Nevada and as an intern at the Department of Justice, Office of the United States Trustee in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to joining the firm, Anthony practiced civil litigation in Los Angeles. When his father passed away without an estate plan, he decided to look into it himself and immediately discovered the value of having a well done estate plan. Anthony now looks to provide other families with the tools to avoid having to go through the tedious and costly probate process that he had to go through.

Job Titles:

• Founder
• Managing Partner
• Member of the Search Team
• Principal
• Member and Contributor for the Forbes Business Council

Brian Chew, the managing partner of the firm, has extensive experience in the areas of estate planning, asset protection planning, business succession planning, long-term care planning, and veterans' benefits. By devoting his practice to estate planning matters, he has founded a firm that strives to provide exceptional service to their clients by working closely with individuals and their families to create comprehensive and customized estate plans. For the past twenty five years, Brian has served thousands of clients in the matters of estate planning and business law. Born and raised in the San Francisco Peninsula, Brian received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Southern California. Brian is an accredited attorney with the Veterans Administration, and is a member of the Academy of Veterans Administration Pension Planners, State Bar of California Trusts and Estate Section and Orange County Bar Association. Additionally, Brian is a member of the ARAG attorney network and Hyatt Legal Plan network. Lastly, Brian has been featured in several publications including, the OC Register and OC Metro as a Top Lawyer. In 2019 Brian became a member and contributor for the Forbes Business Council, to read his recent posts please click here. Brian currently resides in Orange County with his wife Michelle and their two children.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Search Team
• Administrative Assistant & Licensed Notary

Diana received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a Minor in Communication Studies from California State University of Long Beach. Diana began her professional career interning at an Immigration firm and later became a valued employee at a well-known Civil Litigation law firm in Long Beach. Since graduating, she has obtained her Notary Public license and is currently studying to obtain a Spanish Interpreter certification. On her free time, Diana loves giving back to her community and enjoys taking long and scenic runs on the beach.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Search Team
• of Counsel

Since joining OC Wills & Trust Attorneys in 2016, Ellie has guided hundreds of clients in their estate planning matters. She is dedicated to understanding the individual needs and unique objectives of each client, in order to craft customized estate plans that reflect the client's goals. Ellie received her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Judge Bartkowicz of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Political Science from the University of California, Davis. Prior to joining the firm, Ellie practiced civil litigation, with a primary focus in the areas of medical malpractice defense and product liability defense. Ellie is a member of the Orange County Bar Association and the Orange County Asian American Bar Association.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Search Team
• of Counsel

Emilie provides counsel to firm clients regarding their estate plans and prepares their comprehensive estate planning documents. She also has substantial general civil litigation experience and has counseled employers on legal issues affecting the employment relationship and has represented foreign and domestic corporations in matters involving commercial litigation, product liability defense and trademark infringement prosecution at both the trial court and appellate levels. Emilie received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at San Diego, and received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego, School of Law. During law school, Emilie attended the Institute on International and Comparative Law, through the University of Paris in Paris, France. She also served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Anthony C. Joseph, Judge of the Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Diego. Emilie currently resides in Orange County with her husband Brian and their two children.

Job Titles:

• Client Services Coordinator
• Member of the Search Team

Erika Cortez is our Client Services Coordinator. Since joining the team early 2020, Erika serves as the bridge between patrons and attorneys, is committed to managing the needs of each patron, enhances our firm's growth through positive client-to-business engagement, keeps accurate correspondence records, updates client records, and manages office support. Erika holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine, where she was a secretariat of the UCIMUN organization, promoting global and international awareness. Erika began her professional career working in local government for the City of Laguna Beach and as a Human Resources manager in the private sector, where she gained substantial client and employee relations experience. Erika is a fluent Spanish speaker, Orange County native, an active volunteer for the National Marrow Donor Program (Be the Match), and "Citizen of the World". Her curiosity has taken her all over the world, as far as the Arctic Circle, Africa, and Indonesia.

Job Titles:

• Business Development Manager
• Head of Operations
• Member of the Search Team

Karen is the Business Development Manager and Head of Operations. She has specialized in client customer relations and has had over 10 years' experience. She oversees all communication with existing and prospective clients to ensure that fast, efficient, and thorough information is relayed, and internal processes are followed. She is the primary mouthpiece of the firm and often works in conjunction with the Marketing Representative and the Client Services Coordinator. Her main focus is to ensure the firm provides the highest level of customer satisfaction at every level and is always striving for new innovative ways in which to improve. She received her A.A. in Communication Studies at College of the Sequoias and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from California State University, Long Beach. On the weekends she enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends and visiting her parents who are senior Pastors of a Christian Church in Central California, which is where she grew up.