META law is a firm that specializes in trust and estate planning. Our clients have worked hard and have built a good life for themselves, but they worry about what will happen to their families and their assets after they die. We serve our clients with a unique combination of technical expertise and a caring, understanding atmosphere. We take the time to listen carefully and we help our clients clearly express their goals. We then prepare time-tested, state-of-the art legal documents that will carry out their wishes. The outcome for the client is a sense of satisfaction and peace of mind.
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Our Core Values

Combining Compassion & Expertise. Estate planning is about more than just possessions and taxes. It’s about people and families. META law’s attorneys combine outstanding technical knowledge with a love of people and a desire to ensure their best futures.

Specialization & Ongoing Education. META law focuses exclusively on business, estate and trust law. Their Certified Specialists ensure that their clients receive the best and most up-to-date estate planning legal advice. All members of the META law team participate in continuing education activities and exceed the requirements for their professional standards.

Truly Independent Counsel. META law receives no incentives from third parties. While META law has fostered long-term relationships with reputable professionals and can provide referrals you can trust, their sole incentive in doing so is their care for you and your families.

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Our Approach to Estate Planning

We know that even considering estate planning is a daunting task, but we will do all we can to make it as positive an experience as possible. We also know that there is a lot of confusion about what estate planning is. At META law, part of our mission is to educate you about the estate planning process, so that you will be comfortable that you are making the best possible choices for the future.

"Ted was outstanding. His attention to my desires made the process smooth and
I felt very confident in his skills."

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NEXT: What is an estate plan? 

What is an estate plan?

Your estate plan does three things:

  • It will express how you would like to be cared for – both physically and financially – if you become unable to care for yourself during your lifetime.
  • It directs how you would like your assets to be distributed after your death.
  • It will help minimize costs to your estate after your death – probate fees and taxes.

"Ted, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you, Marilyn,
and the rest of your staff for allowing me the comfort
of knowing my family is well taken care of."

 BACK: Our Approach to Estate Planning  || NEXT: How are these outcomes achieved? 

How are these outcomes achieved?

At the most basic level, an estate plan will consist of these documents:

  • Health care directives – specifying your wishes regarding your medical care including life prolonging medical procedures and who will make these decisions on your behalf if you become unable to make them for yourself.
  • Financial powers of attorney – designate who will make financial decisions for you if you become unable to make these decisions for yourself.
  • A tangible personal effects trust – this trust will hold those personal items that are important to you – things that you want to go to a specific person after you die.
  • A revocable living trust – most of your significant assets will be held in the trust. During your lifetime, you will have full control over your assets in the trust.
  • Wills – to cover any assets that may be left out of your trust.

Depending on your personal circumstances, there may be additional documents in your estate plan.

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The Legacy Discovery Process

We will begin by asking you for some basic information on a simple questionnaire. Then, in your initial meeting with an attorney, we will have a conversation about what’s important to you: what your goals are for the future, for your family, and for the community. From this we will be able recommend the type of plan that we feel will best accomplish your goals and present you with a fee quote and a timetable for completion of your estate plan.

Once you authorize us to begin, you will receive some worksheets to complete – detailed personal information and financial information that we will need to complete your estate plan. After we receive your completed worksheets, you will meet with us to discuss your specific choices for your estate plan. Based on these choices and the information the worksheets, we will draft your estate plan and meet with you to review it. Once you are satisfied that the estate planning documents meet your wishes, we will prepare final documents for your signature. Our paralegal will meet with you to witness and notarize the documents. As a final step, we will prepare and process all of the necessary documents to transfer your assets into your new trust.

"Marilyn is wonderful! She helped me understand things I wasn't sure about.
She made everything very easy, and I enjoyed working with her!!!"

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How long will it take and how much will it cost?

For a simple trust, our goal is to have it completed and assets transferred to the trust within four weeks of the day you tell us to proceed with the project. At the beginning, we will outline a time frame for completion of each step. During the project, you will need to set aside time to complete the worksheets, meet with us, and review and sign the documents.

The cost will vary depending on your circumstances and your wishes. Before we begin your estate plan, we will quote you a fee for our services. In most cases, we will be able to quote you a flat fee. As an example, for a married couple of moderate means, the cost for a simple probate avoidance trust starts at $2,750. If you have diverse assets, children from a previous marriage, or if special provisions are required for any of your heirs, the cost may be higher. If you have a business requiring succession planning, significant assets requiring tax planning or long term provisions to provide for future generations of your family, the cost will be higher – starting at $4,500 and up.

 BACK: The Estate Planning Process  || NEXT: I’m ready to begin, what’s the next step? 

I’m ready to begin. What’s the next step?

To get started, you just need to complete our Confidential Estate Planning Questionnaire and return it to us.

Protect your Estate Planning investment with club META

club META is a service designed exclusively for our META law clients to assist you in keeping your unique plan up-to-date. As a member, we will help put your mind at ease and protect your investment by offering you:

  • No fee calls
  • Discount on legal fees
  • Customized META Planner
  • Annual Tax & Law Report
  • Keeping Current Workshop
  • meta-mail Updates
  • Special Workshop Offerings

Click HERE to view our club META brochure.

 BACK: I’m ready to begin. What’s the next step?  || NEXT: Legacy Fulfillment: Trust Administration & Probate 

Legacy Fulfillment: Trust Administration & Probate

At META law we know that when the time comes to fulfill our clients' legacies, the utmost care and sensitivity must be given to guide the family throughout the trust administration process. Our firm prides itself in providing kindness and compassion to the loved ones left behind, insuring that they know their spouse or parent's wishes are carried out and the best outcome for the family is achieved.

Whether it is trust administration or probate, our Legacy Fulfillment Department is here when the time comes to work through the many details, make the load a whole lot lighter and help to bring a good plan to life.

Click HERE to view the Five Phases of Trust Administration.

 BACK: NEXT: Protect your Estate Planning investment with club META  || NEXT: Home 

Who is F. T. "Ted" Muegenburg?
Ted has lived in Ventura, California with his wife and four children since 1964. Over the years he has been active in a leadership role in his children's youth activities, his church, the Rotary Club of Ventura East, Community Memorial Hospital, the former Ventura County Symphony, and the Ventura County Bar Association, as the founder of the Probate and Trust Law Section.

Ted has a BA in Economics from Claremont McKenna College and a law degree from Hastings College of the Law, University of California. Ted is certified by the California State Bar as a specialist in trust, estate planning and probate law. In addition, Ted is rated as an "AV" attorney by Martindale & Hubbell, who confer in confidence with local attorneys and judges to determine other lawyers' skill and ethical performance levels. An "AV" rating is the highest awarded and describes the lawyer as "outstanding to pre-eminent."

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Ted has practiced law in Ventura County since September, 1964, first as a trial/litigation attorney as a Ventura County Deputy District Attorney, then in private practice with the trial and business law firm of Heily, Blase, Ellison & Muegenburg. In October, 1972, Ted elected to transition out of trial law and open his own office where he could focus on business, tax and estate planning law. Ted took evening classes in those areas of specialty at the USC Law Center in Los Angeles. On October 1, 1986 Ted merged his planning practice with a local trial firm and formed Muegenburg, Norman and Dowler in Ventura. In that firm, in addition to his own client work, he was the firm's managing partner as well as being responsible for the business/estate planning department. The firm grew to 15 lawyers with a staff of 20. After nine years of carrying these multiple responsibilities, Ted longed to return to a sole practice dealing with just the estate and succession planning matters that were important to his own clients. On April 1, 1996, Ted left the firm in an amicable separation, to return to a sole practice, and for years remained in the same building that he occupied with his former partners and staff. On October 1, 2007, Ted established META law, inc. and moved his office to its present location.

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META law, inc. does upscale wealth succession/estate planning and trust administration for clients whose net worth is in the range of $1,000,000 to $400,000,000. The firm's practice involves a very close working relationship to educate the clients on a variety of approaches to the transfer of wealth to their family and community in a manner that will achieve the clients' aspirations and goals. Ted feels that he has done his job well only if the clients' wealth is transferred in a manner that enhances the life experience of the clients' family and improves the community in which they have an interest. The technical side of Ted's work involves navigating complex tax and state law rules regulating trusts and the passage of assets from one generation to the next. It is a very exciting, challenging, rewarding practice. In developing and implementing succession plans, Ted works with his clients' other trusted advisors including their accountant, financial advisor and insurance advisor. Ted believes that only through close team work can the optimum outcome be achieved for the client.

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Who is Dianna Wilke?
Dianna M. Wilke is a Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. As such, she has strong academic and professional qualifications, but an even stronger conviction for planning with the client's values as the centerpiece.

A Ventura native, Dianna attended Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, where she now serves on the school’s Board of Directors. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in history, with a minor in political science from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law. She also holds a Master of Laws in Estate Planning from the prestigious program at the University of Miami School of Law.

Before joining META law, Dianna worked for nine years at Wells Fargo Private Bank in Roseville, California. As a Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Director, her responsibilities included creating comprehensive wealth plans with complex tax and estate planning for Wells Fargo’s ultra high-net worth clients. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Dianna was an attorney specializing in sophisticated estate planning at firms in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

Dianna and her husband David are returning to Ventura to be closer to their families. They enjoy waterskiing, traveling and spending time with their three children.

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Who is Marilyn Perez?
Paralegal Marilyn Perez has worked with Ted since 1980, when she started as a legal secretary. She attended the UCSB paralegal program and has taught in that same program. She has served on the boards and committees of both the Ventura County Legal Secretaries and Ventura County Paralegals Associations. A native of Ventura County, Marilyn plays an active role in educational support associations such the local high school music association.

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Who is Pam Hackler?
Paralegal Pamela Hackler rejoined the firm in 2005, having formerly been with the firm from 1998-2003. Trained through the Oxnard College Legal Assistant’s program, she focuses in assisting our clients with trust administration and probate. Pam was born and raised in Ventura County.

In addition to working with the firm, she is an ordained minister holding an associate's degree in music and a doctorate in theology. Pam ministers to youth through Zion Ministries, Inc., conducting annual youth camps in California and bi-annually in the Philippines. Pam teaches theology and Bible classes at Golden Grain Bible College and Seminary in Visalia, California throughout the year.

She enjoys reading, music, swimming and travel.

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Who is Esther Benedict?
Esther Benedict has worked in legal administration since 1982. For over 15 years she worked in accounting and administration at the Los Angeles firm of Stephens, Berg and Lasater. In 1997 Esther moved to Ventura County to take a position as Firm Administrator in a large Ventura County firm. She joined the META law team in 2005, and is involved all aspects of firm administration and client development.

Esther holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Cal State Fullerton. She and her husband of nearly 30 years, Bruce Miller, live in Oxnard. In her spare time, Esther enjoys the textile arts: spinning, weaving and sewing.

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Who is Melinda Muegenburg?
Client Services Assistant Melinda Muegenburg graduated from San Francisco State University in 1999, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Hospitality Management. She went on to be part of the opening team of a 4-star hotel in San Francisco as the Food and Beverage Director.

Melinda moved back to Ventura five years ago, just in time for her 20 year reunion at Saint Bonaventure High School. Most recently, Melinda was a Customer Service Representative for Rabobank. In her free time she volunteers as Classroom Chef at the Ventura High School’s Culinary Academy.

Melinda enjoys helping people and excels at customer service.

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META law has hired an independent company to obtain feedback from our clients.
Here's what they're saying about us:
Avg. Score
(out of 5)
In your initial consultation with your attorney:
Your attorney listened, understood, and was empathetic to your wishes and concerns.5.0
Your attorney explained your trust design options in an understandable way.5.0
You left the meeting comfortable with your decisions regarding your estate planning.5.0
In your subsequent meetings with the paralegal:
The paralegal listened and addressed your questions and concerns in an empathetic and understandable way.5.0
The Legacy Discovery Process includes four successive meetings.
Please rate the helpfulness and productivity of each one:
The Project Meeting (where you received the Project Workbook and were introduced to the Personal, Financial and Choices Worksheets) was helpful and productive.5.0
The Choices Meeting (where you reviewed your Worksheets and Choices with the paralegal) was helpful and productive. 4.9
The Drafts Meeting (where the paralegal delivered and reviewed your draft estate planning documents with you) was helpful and productive. 5.0
The Signing Meeting (where you executed your completed estate planning documents) was helpful and productive. 5.0
Please rate the helpfulness of the written materials in the Project Workbook:
The Personal and Financial Worksheets were well laid out and easy to understand and complete. 4.9
The Choices Worksheets were well laid out and easy to understand and complete. 4.8
The Trust Funding Instructions were well laid out and easy to understand and follow. 4.9
Overall:
I believe that the META law team honestly cares for me and wants the best outcome for me and my family. 5.0
The work performed by META law and the estate planning documents that I received were top-notch. 5.0
The fees that I paid were reasonable for the results achieved. 4.9
How likely would you be to recommend META law to a friend? 4.9
Click on a team member's e-mail address to send that person an e-mail.

If you're not sure to whom you should address your message, click HERE to send us a message through our website.

The message will be forwarded to the appropriate person for a response.

Ted Muegenburg
Attorney
Certified Specialist, Estate Planning,
Trust & Probate Law, The State Bar of
California Board of Legal Specialization 		805.856.3401
Ted@METAlawinc.com
Esther Benedict
Firm Administrator 		805.856.3404
Esther@METAlawinc.com
Marilyn Perez
Paralegal 		805.856.3405
Marilyn@METAlawinc.com
Pamela Hackler
Paralegal 		805.856.3407
Pam@METAlawinc.com
Melinda Muegenburg
Client Services Assistant 		805.856.3411
Melinda@METAlawinc.com

Our offices are located at 1893 Knoll Drive in the San Buenaventura Business Park.

Click a link below for a printable page with detailed directions.

Or, click HERE to view an interactive map at the Google Maps web site.

Events & Workshops


Solutions for the most common estate planning anxieties.


Session 1:
Weds., May 23, 2012
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

Session 2:
Thurs., May 24, 2012
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

Session 3:
Thurs., May 24, 2012
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

For reservations call:
805.856.3400
"What Worries You?"
You probably don’t want to think about it.
You definitely don’t want to talk about it.
It’s what worries you.
What happens after you’re gone?
With over 30 years of estate planning experience, we’ve found some common themes in these concerns:

  • Owing unnecessary taxes
  • Issues with specific family members
  • Loss of control if you become disabled
  • Worry about extra costs and loss of privacy
  • Concerns about creditors or legal action against your heirs

    In this workshop we’ll discuss the estate planning techniques available to alleviate these concerns. You’ll also receive a diagnostic tool to help you gauge your personal level of concern on these issues. Our goal is to help you put these worries behind you.

    Held at our office, this workshop is free of charge to our club META members and $25 per family for non-members. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.


    		•
    Your Digital Legacy:
    What it is &
    how to protect it.

    Session 1:
    Weds., Nov. 2, 2011
    1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

    Session 2:
    Thurs., Nov. 3, 2011
    1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

    Session 3:
    Thurs., Nov. 3, 2011
    5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

    For reservations call:
    805.856.3400
    		“The times they are a changing” – fast! What was once the paper trail of a life – letters, photographs, diaries, bills, bank statements, even calendars – now may only exist on computer drives, smart phones or “in the cloud.” All of these and more comprise your “digital legacy.”

    This information has personal, family, financial and even historical value. How can you protect it? How do you control access now, and permit access as needed if you become disabled and after you pass away? How do you preserve your family heritage and your privacy?

    These are tough questions, and it’s enough to make anyone long for the days of just putting it all in a shoe box in the attic! Moreover, there are no clear cut answers or perfect solutions yet.

    But because we’re all about creating a legacy here at METAlaw, we will attempt to address these questions in this workshop, along with discussing tools and strategies for creating, managing and preserving your digital legacy.

    Held at our office, this workshop is free of charge to our club META members and $25 per family for non-members. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
    Trustee Training:
    Ready for the Road Ahead

    We're sorry you missed it! For a copy of the presentation, click here.
    		When the time came for your children to learn to drive, you didn’t just hand over the keys and hope they figured out what to do. You took time to teach them how to operate a vehicle and how to follow the rules of the road. You also taught them the responsibilities that came with being a driver and how to make good decisions when the unexpected occurred, so that when you eventually handed over the keys you were confident your children were ready for the road on their own.

    As trustee of your own trust you have responsibilities that will someday be handed over to your co-trustee or successor trustee. We’ve designed this workshop to help you better understand your role and help your successor trustee understand what to expect when it’s time to take the wheel.

    In this workshop we will discuss:
  • The responsibilities of trustees and successor trustees
  • What to consider when selecting a successor trustee
  • Talk about the responsibilities of successor trustees;
  • How to prepare your successor trustee for their future responsibilities
  • How to coordinate your team of advisors – attorneys, accountants, financial and insurance advisors

    This workshop is highly recommended for both our clients and the people they have selected as their successor trustees.
    		•
    Deciphering the New Estate Tax Laws:
    A guide for advisors.

    Session 1: For Accountants & Tax Advisors
    Thurs., Feb. 10, 2011
    5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

    Session 2: For Financial & Insurance Advisors
    Weds., Feb. 16, 2011
    2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

    For reservations or more information call:
    805.856.3400
    		It seems like every time we turn around, there are changes to the tax laws affecting estate plans that are, well, monumental. 2011 is no different, with the last minute changes made by Congress last December. They even changed the rules for 2010 – with just 10 days left in the year!

    But the new laws do offer unique opportunities for our clients, as well as challenges for us, their advisors. We can help you thoroughly understand these challenges and opportunities in order to provide your clients with the best guidance.

    In the workshop for Tax Professionals we will answer these questions that apply specifically to your practice:
  • Your client made a gift in 2010 that they now regret because of the law change.
    What can they do?
  • How can you create the best tax outcome for the estate of a client who died in 2010?
  • What opportunities are created by the increased exemptions for Gift and GST Taxes in 2011 and 2012?
  • What do we do now to help clients benefit from the increased exemptions and low rates for the next two years and going forward??

    In the workshop for Financial and Insurance Advisors we will answer these questions that apply specifically to your practice and provide you with easily understood talking points for your clients:
  • What can your clients do to capitalize on the opportunities in the new transfer tax laws?
  • Why may insurance be the safest bet in 2011 and 2012?
  • What do we do now to help clients benefit from the increased exemptions and low rates for the next two years and going forward?

    Held at our office, these workshops are free of charge to our valued colleagues. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

    • Not your grandmother's nursing home:
    Understanding Today's Eldercare Options.

    Session 1:
    Weds., Sept. 29, 2010
    1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

    Session 2:
    Thurs., Sept. 30, 2010
    5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

    For reservations call:
    805.856.3400 or click here to download the event flier and reservation form.
    		The brochure shows a happy, active couple playing golf or picnicing on the beach. But you might remember parents or grandparents in a noisy, depressing “nursing home.” The reality is probably somewhere between the two.

    70 percent of people over age 65 will require long-term care services at some point in their lives. 40 percent will spend some time in a “nursing home.” But what does that mean and how do you separate hype from reality?

    Today’s seniors have a wider array of residential and care options than ever before. Because we’re all about planning here at META law, we’d like to help you understand your options before you need them. And we’ll do this in a relaxed, no sales-pitch, no-pressure setting.

    In this workshop we will:
  • Talk about options including home care, residential care, assisted living and skilled nursing;
  • Discuss the relative costs of each option and ways to plan for the potential cost; and
  • Provide tools that will help you evaluate the level of care and facility that meets your needs when the time comes.

    This workshop is recommended for both our clients and their family members who may help them make future care decisions.

    Held at our office, it is free of charge to our club META members and $25 per family for non-members. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

    • Beyond Planning:
    Bringing a good plan to life.

    Session 1:
    Weds., July 21, 2010
    1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

    Session 2:
    Thurs., July 22, 2010
    5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

    For reservations call:
    805.856.3400
    		A good plan is essential. But a plan must be implemented and carefully tended to bring your goals to fruition. That is what the trust administration process is all about.

    We know that even the best estate and financial plan must be maintained and administered with care and skill. Too many people don’t understand the continuing care and responsibility that is necessary to fulfill a lasting legacy for the future.

    You already have an estate plan. We’d like to help you understand what needs to be done to maintain it during your life time and help your family understand what needs to be done after you’re gone.

    In this workshop we will:
  • Discuss the importance of ongoing care for a plan during your lifetime;
  • Discuss the importance and essential steps of the trust administration process;
  • Talk about the responsibilities of successor trustees;
  • Provide information that will help prepare successor trustees for their future responsibilities;
  • Discuss coordinating the work of the team of advisors – attorneys, accountants, financial and insurance advisors.

    This workshop is highly recommended for both our clients and the people they have selected as their successor trustees.
    		•
       
    Estate of Confusion:
    Making informed estate planning decisions in confusing times.

    Session 1:
    Weds., March 24, 2010
    1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

    Session 2:
    Thurs., March 25, 2010
    5:30 – 7:00 p.m.     		Where did Congress leave us? No one thought it would come to this! All of the experts, and even Congress itself, assumed that there would be some sort of meaningful estate tax reform by now.

    But here we are, it’s 2010 and there’s no estate tax – this year only. And a new limited step-up-in-basis law means that for the first time there may be capital gains tax on inherited property when it is sold. Next year the estate tax exemption drops back to $1 million from its previous high of $3.5 million.

    Ted recently attended the prestigious Heckerling Estate Planning Institute. He is back with information to clarify the new rules for you and provide some ideas about how to deal with the confusion.

    In this workshop Ted will:
  • Explain how the law stands today
  • Explain what the law will be next year if Congress does not act
  • Explain how these changes in the law affect commonly used planning techniques
  • Discuss planning scenarios for various personal situations
    		•