Protecting Estates.
Protecting Legacies.

Erin A. Norcia

profile
  • Equity Partner

Location:

Danville, CA

Phone:

Fax:

(408) 998-9700

Email:

Erin A. Norcia is a partner at Temmerman, Cilley, Kohlmann & Norcia, LLP. She joined the firm in 2005. Ms. Norcia's practice focuses on trust, probate, and conservatorship litigation, including but not limited to will contests, trust contests, financial elder abuse, fiduciary removal and surcharge, accounting disputes, reformation, modification, and interpretation of estate planning documents, disputed real property claims, contested conservatorships, and related civil litigation.

Ms. Norcia handles every stage of litigation, including pre-lawsuit negotiation, discovery, law and motion, mediation, arbitration, early neutral evaluation, trial, and appeal. Ms. Norcia is admitted to practice law in all superior courts of California, all appellate courts of California, the Supreme Court of California, and all federal district courts in California.


In addition, Ms. Norcia represents trustees, executors, agents, and beneficiaries in contentious trust and estate administrations, as well as assists clients with preparation of their personal estate plans, including living trusts, wills, durable powers of attorney, advance health care directives, nominations of guardians, and all property transfer documents.

In 2019, Ms. Norcia was elected on to the California Lawyers Association Trusts and Estates Executive Committee which reviews and proposes revisions to the California Probate Code, and she is an editor of the California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, a scholarly journal. In 2022, Ms. Norcia . Ms. Norcia was selected as a fellow of the prestigious American college of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACETC). Ms. Norcia is also an Adjunct Professor of the Wills & Trusts Course at Santa Clara University School of Law.

Areas Of Practice

  • Trust, Probate, and Conservatorship Litigation
  • Estate Planning

Bar Admissions

  • California, 2006

Education

  • Santa Clara University School of Law, Santa Clara, California
    • J.D. – 2006
    • Honors: Witkin Award for Estate Planning and Taxation, 2006
    • Honors: Best Oral Advocate Award, 2005
    • Honors: CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Legal Research and Writing, 2004
    • Honors: Santa Clara University Pro Bono Plaque for volunteer legal services provided to the community
    • Honors: National Moot Court Competition, Represented SCU
    • Law Review: Santa Clara Law Review, Business Editor, 2005 – 2006
  • San Jose State University
    • B.A. – 2002
    • Major: Biology
  • Oxford University, 2004
    • Major: Comparative Intellectual Property Law Program

Published Works

  • Co-Author, “Additional Property Transfer Obstacles for Married Persons and Registered Domestic Partners,” CEB California Estate Planning, May 2021 & 2020 Updates
  • Co-Author, “How to Invade Someone’s Privacy 101,” California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, 2021
  • Co-Author, “The Planning, Administration, and Litigation of the ‘HEMS’ Standard,” California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, March, 2017
  • Author, “Grandma Got Scammed by a Reindeer”, Contra Costa Lawyer Magazine, December, 2015

Classes / Seminars

  • Speaker, Joint ownership and Property Division Issues, Santa Clara County Bar Association and Contra Costa County Bar Association, 2022
  • Speaker, California Recent Developments; A Look Back at the Remote Times, Santa Clara County Estate Planning Council, 2021
  • Speaker, Community Service Alert: Annual Updates Have Always Been Endemic!, Estate Planning Council of Stanilaus County, 2012
  • Speaker, How to Invade Someone’s Privacy 101, Sacramento County Bar Assocaition, 2022
  • Speaker, Developing a Theory of the Case and Rules for Admitting and Excluding Evidence in Probate Court Trials, California Lawyers Association,2021
  • Speaker, California Recent Developments; A Look Back at the Remote Times, Santa Clara County Estate Planning Council, 2021
  • Speaker, T&E Current Developments, Estate Planning Council of Stanislaus County, 2020 – 2021
  • Speaker, The Planning, Administration, and Litigation of HEMS, Bar Association of San Francisco, Silicon Valley Bar Association, San Mateo County Bar Association, East Bay Trusts and Estates Lawyers, 2015 – 2021
  • Speaker, Financial Elder Abuse Nuts & Bolts, California Lawyers Association, 2020
  • Speaker, Omitted Family Members, Putative Spouses, and Adopted Children Do I get a Share and How?, California Lawyers Association & East Bay Trusts and Estates Lawyers, 2019
  • Speaker, Probate Boot Camp, National Business Institute, 2018
  • Speaker, Recent Developments, Contra Costa County Bar Association, Estate Planning and Probate Section, 2014
  • Speaker, Estate Planning Basics, Law Review CLE, 2013
  • Speaker, Trust Administration: Preventing and Litigating Fiduciary Liability, National Business Institute, 2011

Past Lists

  • Northern California Super Lawyers list 2018 – Present

Honors And Awards

Professional Associations And Memberships

  • California Lawyers Association Trusts and Estates Executive Committee, 2019 – Present
  • Diablo Valley Estate Planning Council, 2018 – Present
  • California Lawyers Association, 2013 – Present (Trusts and Estates Section, Member)
  • Contra Costa County Bar Association, 2013 – Present (Member, Estate Planning & Probate Section)
  • Tri-Valley Estate Planning Council, 2013 – Present (Member, Former Board Member)
  • California Dept. of Real Estate, 2005 – Present (Broker)
  • Phi Delta Phi, 2005 – Present (Legal Honor Fraternity)

Pro Bono Activities

  • Santa Clara University School of Law Pro Bono Plaque, 2005

Languages

  • English
State Bar of California | California Board of Legal Specialization
AV Preeminent | LexisNexis | Martindale-Hubbell | Peer Review Rated | For Ethical Standards and Legal Ability | 2011
Rated By Super Lawyers | Temmerman, Cilley, Kohlmann & Norcia, LLP | Selected in 2018 | Thomson Reuters
ACTEC