Case Manager: Katy Jones
Bette Epstein, Esq. has been mediating trust and estate disputes since 2000. Following a remarkable career as a trust and estate litigator, she turned her focus to alternative dispute resolution 22 years ago and has been helping parties settle their disputes ever since. She is now available as a full-time mediator and discovery referee.
Ms. Epstein is highly regarded as one of the Bay Area’s leading probate specialists. In conjunction with her work as a mediator, she spent nearly three decades handling trust and estate disputes, contested conservatorships, elder abuse claims, and serving as an expert witness in conservatorship, trust & estate litigation proceedings. She represented individuals, banks and private professional fiduciaries. As an associate and partner at Crosby Heafey Roach & May (now Reed Smith), she was responsible for building up its trust and estate litigation practice, and eventually went on to become a managing partner of its Oakland office in 2007.
Ms. Epstein has lectured at the University of San Francisco School of Law and Golden Gate University Law School on the subject of legal ethics and is a frequent MCLE presenter on the topic of mediating trust and estate disputes.
“Thank you for your fine efforts in facilitating the settlement in this difficult family dispute, including your dedication to work overtime four hours to help get the settlement agreement written, approved, signed and delivered by 9 pm. We appreciate your tenacity, professionalism and hospitality, including from your staff at ADR. Hopefully the Court will approve the settlement, and we can all move on. Thanks again.”
“Bette Epstein, Esquire, lived up to her reputation, personal, articulate, friendly and dogged in getting a settlement for us. Thank you.”
“I’m sure I speak for all counsel involved in the mediation in thanking you for vital role you played in making it a success, against some pretty formidable odds. Your firm hand in keeping the negotiations going and in dealing with the unrepresented parties is much appreciated. Of course there may be problems down the line, and we are all glad that you will be available to solve them.”
“As far as I am concerned, she pulled a rabbit out of the hat. This mediation was 12.5 hours and she was firing on all cylinders the whole time. This was a messy probate/trust dispute between 3 children who have been fighting since the first time in a sandbox together. Ms. Epstein was extremely effective in communicating reason with each of them. The matter settled well within my expected range, and there was a good amount of fence mending along the way. I highly recommend her for probate/trust issues but am sure her wheelhouse covers much more than that.”
“With a client as difficult as mine, Bette did a phenomenal job talking about the facts and keeping her on track. She was calm, very prepared and didn’t take sides, just presented information so that my client could understand some of the risks of not settling.”
“Bette is wonderful. Very knowledgeable, empathetic, and great at helping both sides reach resolution.”
“I appreciated Bette’s honest assessments. Very effective, successful mediation result. Thank you very much.”
“I want to thank you for your perseverance towards mediating the challenging settlement between my sister’s adult children and me. When I thought it seemed a lost cause, Ed Koplowitz would let me know you were continuing ongoing negotiations. I appreciate your competence and efforts.”
“As far as I am concerned, she pulled a rabbit out of the hat. This mediation was 12.5 hours and she was firing on all cylinders the whole time. This was a messy probate/trust dispute between 3 children who have been fighting since the first time in a sandbox together. Ms. Epstein was extremely effective in communicating reason with each of them. The matter settled well within my expected range, and there was a good amount of fence mending along the way. I highly recommend her for probate/trust issues but am sure her wheelhouse covers much more than that.”
“I’m sure I speak for all counsel involved in the mediation in thanking you for vital role you played in making it a success, against some pretty formidable odds. Your firm hand in keeping the negotiations going and in dealing with the unrepresented parties is much appreciated. Of course there may be problems down the line, and we are all glad that you will be available to solve them.”
“Our client and this firm are especially grateful for Ms. Epstein’s intercession and assistance in what has been a miserable case. The settlement was an important development that will allow all-concerned, including counsel, to move forward.”
“I was very nervous and didn’t know what to expect, and was impressed with Ms. Epstein’s personal approach and guidance. She were very easy to speak to and I did not feel as though I was being judged, as the picture that was painted of me.”
“Bette Epstein was amazing. Our firm will use her services again.”
“I have used Bette in four heated cases. I chose Bette because I think she’s very well versed in trust and estate law, and I think she really knows our cases. She will break down the case and talk about what she sees as the likelihood of success, the strengths and weaknesses. She is terrific for cases where emotions may run high. She has that psychology background, which is really helpful for us when we’re dealing with very sensitive family dynamics. When you’re having a litigation that involves a death in the family or an older adult with cognitive impairment, it’s very, very sensitive. And we use her in cases where we have those very sensitive family issues, and we know our clients are coming in with a lot of emotion. We know Bette is going to make our clients feel heard and then also help them with a resolution and ask tough questions but do it gently.”
“Bette has a very, very calm demeanor. Even when things are getting out of control, Bette stays on this calm but concerned level, which helps clients a lot because it brings down the tone. There are just some people that when you talk with them you know they’re really listening, and Bette is just really good at that. And that works well for me when I have a client who is frustrated and highly emotional.”
“Bette’s knowledge of trust and estate disputes is extensive. Trust and estate cases have an interposing of tax, and Bette is conversant in tax, so when I say she has a deep knowledge base of this area of law, she is conversant in tax as well, so that is very, very helpful – rather than having a mediator who perhaps is not well versed on those issues.”
