Law Offices of Robert P. Bergman
(408) 247-0444Schedule (opens in a new window)

Cupertino, California

Estate Planning Attorney in Cupertino, California.

Robert P. Bergman has served Cupertino families since 1980. He is a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Most Cupertino plans turn on tech equity coordination (RSUs, ISOs, ESPP) and Proposition 19 planning on a home whose market value far exceeds its assessed value. Bob personally drafts every plan and handles both topics as part of the standard estate plan engagement.

Schedule a Plan Design Meeting(408) 247-0444

How Bob serves Cupertino families.

Cupertino is a Silicon Valley town with a particular planning profile. The concentration of tech employees at Apple, Microsoft Silicon Valley, and the larger campuses up and down 280 means that a meaningful share of every Cupertino family’s net worth sits in employer equity. Vested RSUs, exercised options, ESPP shares, and unvested grants all need to coordinate with the trust and the durable power of attorney for the plan to actually work in an emergency.

The other half of the Cupertino conversation is the home itself. A Cupertino home bought in the 1990s or earlier carries a Prop 13 assessed value that is a small fraction of today’s market value. Proposition 19 narrowed the parent-to-child exclusion in 2021. For families planning to leave the home to a child, the math has changed and the trust language has to change with it.

Bob handles both topics as part of the standard estate plan engagement. The trust, the will, the powers of attorney, and the advance health care directive form the foundation; the equity coordination and the Prop 19 planning get the Cupertino-specific details right.

What the engagement looks like.

The first step is a Plan Design Meeting, in person at the Ross Avenue office in San Jose or by Zoom for clients who prefer remote. Bob asks about your family, your assets, your equity comp situation, and the people you want to involve. He gives you a written plan recommendation and a fixed fee estimate at the end of the meeting.

After you decide to move forward, Bob drafts the documents himself. A draft review meeting walks you through every clause in plain English so you understand exactly what you are signing. The signing appointment formalizes everything in person at the Ross Avenue office. Funding (retitling the home, the brokerage account, and updating beneficiary designations) is the final step, and Bob walks you through it.

Most Cupertino plans are signed within three to six weeks of the initial meeting.

What sets this work apart.

  • California State Bar Certified Specialist.

    Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Held by roughly 1% of California attorneys. Re-certified every five years.

  • Practicing in Santa Clara County since 1980.

    Forty-six years of estate planning experience. Other Silicon Valley attorneys send their hardest trust petitions to Bob.

  • Tech equity coordination.

    RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, ESPP shares, Section 83(b) elections, QSBS coordination. The estate plan fits the equity plan, not the other way around.

  • Prop 19 planning for Cupertino homeowners.

    Trust language and timing strategies that preserve as much of the original Prop 13 basis as the law allows after 2021.

Read the full guide.

Estate Planning at the Law Offices of Robert P. Bergman

The full estate planning service page: the four-document plan, what is included, how the engagement works, costs, and the FAQ visitors ask most.

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Common questions

Estate Planning Attorney in Cupertino, California FAQ.

Robert P. Bergman is a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law serving Cupertino families. He has practiced in Santa Clara County since 1980 and personally drafts every plan. Most Cupertino conversations turn on tech equity coordination (RSUs, ISOs, ESPP) and Proposition 19 planning on appreciated Silicon Valley homes; Bob handles both as part of the standard plan.

A standard Cupertino estate plan from Bob includes a revocable living trust, a pour-over will, durable powers of attorney, an advance health care directive, Prop 19 planning for the home, and beneficiary designation coordination on retirement and brokerage accounts. The fee depends on the family situation and the asset structure. Bob gives a written fee estimate at the Plan Design Meeting.

Not strictly local to Cupertino, but local to Santa Clara County matters because California probate (if needed) is filed in the Probate Division of the Santa Clara County Superior Court at 191 North First Street in San Jose. An attorney with established practice in that court moves cases faster and knows the local clerk practice. Bob has filed in Santa Clara County since 1980. The office is 15 to 25 minutes from Cupertino via Highway 85.

Yes. Tech professionals in their 30s and 40s with significant RSU and option positions, a Cupertino home, and minor children are exactly the families that benefit most from getting a plan in place early. The plan handles incapacity (which can happen at any age), names guardians for minor children, coordinates with the equity plan so vested shares route correctly, and locks in the trust structure that will eventually avoid probate. Updating the plan as the family and the equity grow is much easier than starting from scratch later.

The first step is a Plan Design Meeting (60 to 90 minutes), in person at the Ross Avenue office in San Jose or by Zoom. Bob asks about your family, your assets, your equity comp, and the people you want to involve, and gives you a written plan recommendation and fixed fee at the end of the meeting. Drafting takes one to two weeks, followed by a draft review meeting, the in-person signing appointment, and the funding step. Most plans are fully signed within three to six weeks of the initial meeting.

Schedule a Plan Design Meeting with Bob.

Bob reads the documents you bring, listens to your situation, and gives you a written recommendation and fee estimate. The first meeting is the Plan Design Meeting.

Schedule a meeting(408) 247-0444