Matthew Owens

Matt is a partner in the trust and estate litigation team. Matt focuses his practice on trust, estate, and inheritance disputes. He has prosecuted and defended a wide range of matters in probate court, including trust contests, elder abuse actions, accountings, contested conservatorships and claims involving breach of fiduciary duty. His clients include high net worth individuals and families, corporate trustees, and private professional fiduciaries. Matt has successfully handled numerous trials and arbitrations of trust and estate disputes. He has also handled many appeals, including the following cases that resulted in published opinions: Dunlap v. Mayer (2021) 63 Cal.App.5th 419 Funsten v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (2016) 2 Cal.App.5th 959 Matt is a certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He frequently speaks and writes on trust and estate litigation topics, is a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM), and served as Chair of the Executive Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association’s Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law Section. He was recognized as a Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” each year since 2021, has been a Super Lawyers Rising Star each year since 2013, and has been on Legal Week’s Private Client “Ones to Watch” list each year since 2017. Matt holds a B.A. from the University of Mississippi and a J.D. from Santa Clara University. Matt is also a registered foreign lawyer in the UK.