Christopher D. Carico

Christopher D. Carico is a board-certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law with 35 years of legal experience. His practice includes all facets of trusts and estates, and he represents families, individuals, professional trustees, conservators, guardians, and beneficiaries.

Chris has a wealth of experience in both the estate tax planning and litigation components of trust and estate law. Because of this dual expertise, Mr. Carico designs estate planning instruments that can stand up to the closest scrutiny, and he knows how to challenge others’ instruments from the ground level up.

Chris divides his time between: (1) representing beneficiaries and fiduciaries in dispute resolution, will and trust contests, financial elder abuse actions, fiduciary surcharge, removal and accounting litigation,  and property characterization disputes; and (2) counseling clients on advanced estate planning techniques including family limited partnership, family limited liability companies, designated beneficiary trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, and life insurance trusts.

Chris has frequently served as a court-appointed expert to provide his opinions and recommendations to the probate court in the following types of actions: trust reformation proceedings, fiduciary accountings, actions for breach of fiduciary duty, actions for fiduciary suspension and removal, fee petitions, and compromise of creditors’ claims.

Committed to helping individuals resolve trust and estate disputes as quickly and efficiently as possible, Chris volunteers time as a mediator on the various court-sponsored pro bono probate mediation panels, and is currently acting as a volunteer Probate Settlement Officer on Los Angeles County Superior Court’s Probate Settlement Conference Panel. Chris served from 2014 through 2018 on the Executive Committee for the Trust and Estate Section of the State Bar of California, now the statewide California Lawyers Association.

Honors & Recognitions

Best Lawyers in America®, Trusts & Estates, 2010–2026

Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation – Trusts & Estates, 2011–2026

Southern California Super Lawyers® Top 100 Southern California Lawyers, 2021–2026

Southern California Super Lawyers®, Estate & Trust Litigation, 2009–2026

Southern California Super Lawyers®, Estate Planning & Probate, 2009–2026

Martindale Hubbell Rating, AV, 1998–2025

Los Angeles County Bar Association Trial Advocacy Project, Graduate Volunteer Prosecutor: 2003

California State Bar, Board of Legal Specialization, certified specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, 1994–2025

Client Alerts

Publications