O'GRADY LAW - Key Persons
Every day, John O'Grady guides people through some of their most challenging conversations. Death, terminal illness, messy family disputes, aging, trauma, money, grief-none of this is easy to talk about.
John knows because he has been there, too.
His mission as an estate lawyer is deeply personal. Shortly after John graduated from law school, his sister, her husband, and their infant son tested HIV-positive. John's journey through the illness and loss of his loved ones was the most painful and transformative experience of his life.
It led him to leave a big law firm to form O'Grady Law Group. Since 1989, he has successfully steered hundreds of clients through inheritance, co-ownership, and business disputes. In those three decades, John's unique understanding and empathy have helped those stuck on life's rockiest terrain find resolutions with clarity and grace-and talk about what they want their legacy to be for the people and organizations they care about.
It takes compassion, persistence, and non-judgmental listening to break down the walls around the unspeakable. John is adept at encouraging people to open up communications and navigate together through seemingly insurmountable conflicts, especially those about family finances, power struggles, and elder care that can escalate over time and put essential relationships at risk. John asks the big questions-about loss, love, life, and death-to help clients avoid expensive, complicated court battles and reach the long-term agreements and priceless peace of mind that updated wills and trusts provide.
John helps his clients craft creative solutions to address their particular concerns. He leads a full-service estate planning practice that includes wills, trusts, trust management, mediation of disputes, probate, complex and sophisticated wealth management, and the development of multi-generational tax strategies.
John O'Grady earned his J.D. and LL.M. (Taxation) from Golden Gate University and a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. In 2020, he received The Bar Association of San Francisco's Crystal Award for Outstanding Services to Diversity Education Programs for his mentoring of new lawyers. John served as the 2012 chairman of the Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco. O'Grady Law Group's clients include real estate investors, business owners, executives, corporate trustees, other attorneys, and homeow ners.
Leslie's father enlisted her to file medical charts, answer phones, and disinfect patient rooms when she turned sixteen. She immediately knew the medical field was not for her, especially after seeing her father's powerless frustrations defending himself during a medical malpractice lawsuit. The legal process of that lawsuit and the filing of her income tax returns intrigued her. Leslie decided to study law and taxation.
She is an invaluable resource on trust accounting, estate and gift taxation; estate tax audits; and tax compliance for individuals, trusts, and estates. Leslie began her career with several years in the tax department of a national accounting firm. Her experience makes her a deep and practical tax practitioner. Leslie is adept at breaking down complex tax matters to make them easy to understand.
Leslie became an intern in John O'Grady's office while pursuing her master's degree in taxation. She continued collaborating with John on tax projects upon completion of the internship. After Leslie's first child's birth, she wanted to continue working alongside John, and she also wanted greater flexibility in her schedule. John, fully supportive, has continued to count on Leslie for tax counsel. Leslie regards John as a lifelong mentor.
Leslie earned her JD from the South Texas College of Law and her LLM (Taxation) from Golden Gate University. She also holds an MBA (Accounting and Taxation) and a BBA (Finance) from the University of Houston. Leslie has served as the Chair for the Estate Planning, Probate, and Trust Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco and as a professor of federal estate tax at Golden Gate University.
After her father passed away from cancer without estate planning, Mia had the desire to support others in avoiding the turmoil she faced. She decided to pursue a career in estate planning and trust administration.
Today, Mia serves individuals and families by keeping them informed on progress and being attentive to their needs. She is committed to providing our clients with a positive experience. Our clients appreciate Mia's listening, communication, and organization.
Mia is thrilled to be on the O'Grady Law Group team. She appreciates the strong work ethic and compassion of her colleagues. Each day, she looks forward to collaboratively working with individuals who are deeply committed to serving clients and fostering their own personal and professional development.
Mia earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame, where she studied Political Science, Peace Studies, and French. She also earned her Paralegal Certificate from the University of California, Irvine - Division of Continuing Education. In her free time, Mia enjoys being in nature and attending concerts (she has seen over 400 artists!).