Melinda M. Luthin

Top rated Estate Planning & Probate attorney in Corona Del Mar, California

Melinda Luthin Law
Melinda M. Luthin
Melinda Luthin Law

Practice Areas: Estate Planning & Probate, Civil Litigation, Employment & Labor; view more

Licensed in California since: 2007

Education: University of California Davis School of Law

Selected to Rising Stars: 2015 - 2017

Melinda Luthin Law

2721 East Coast Highway Ste. 201
Corona Del Mar, CA 92625 Visit website

Details

The founder of Melinda Luthin Law, Melinda M. Luthin has a varied practice that includes estate planning and administration, real estate and business transactions, employment law, civil litigation, intellectual property, and the obtaining of protective orders for victims of domestic violence. Located in Corona del Mar, California, she provides representation to her company and individual clients throughout Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside counties and other parts of the state. Ms. Luthin has been admitted to practice in California since 2007, and she is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Central, Eastern, and Southern Districts of California and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Ms. Luthin has extensive experience in the preparation and review of wills, irrevocable and living trusts, health care and financial powers of attorney, advance medical directives, and business succession plans. She has also represented entrepreneurs who are contemplating launching a new venture, and in this regard, she has advised them as to the most applicable form of legal entity for the company. Once it has been established, Ms. Luthin prepares employment agreements and other contracts and guides them through mergers, acquisitions, and sales as well as providing advice and counsel on regulatory compliance.

An accomplished civil litigator, Ms. Luthin has handled disputes regarding contract breaches, intellectual property, unfair business practices, and securities law violations. Her real estate practice has encompassed eminent domain, construction defects, and homeowners association matters. Highly regarded by her colleagues, Ms. Luthin has received an “Excellent” peer review rating through Avvo. She received her Juris Doctor with highest honors from the University of California, Davis School of Law in 2007. While she was there, she served on the UC Davis Journal of International Law & Policy.

Practice areas

Estate Planning & Probate, Civil Litigation: Plaintiff, Employment & Labor: Employee, Real Estate: Consumer, Family Law, Intellectual Property

Focus areas

Domestic Violence, Estate Planning, Intellectual Property Law, Landlord/Tenant, Probate & Estate Administration, Trusts, Wills

First Admitted: 2007

Professional Webpage: https://www.melindaluthinlaw.com/about

Bar/Professional Activity:
  • Warren Fergusson, American Inns of Court
  • The Ninety Nines, International Organization of Women Pilots
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • U.S. District Courts: Central, Northern, Southern & Eastern District of California
  • California State Courts
  • Member: American Bar Association Orange County Bar Association Orange County Women Lawyers Association California Women Lawyers Association
Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):
  • APPELLATE REVERSAL IN FAVOR OF CLIENT The 28th Trust, # 119, City Investment Capital as Trustee v. Crouch et al. 2013 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 5069 On June 27, 2013, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court ruled in favor of my clients, the Crouches and reversed the trial court's judgment of unlawful detainer against them.  The matter arose from the Federal Protecting Tenant's at Foreclosure Act (PTFA).  The client was a tenant who rented a home that a consortium (CIC, or "City Investment Capital") purchased on the courthouse steps at a foreclosure sale.  Instead of honoring my clients' lease, as required by law, CIC chose to evict them. I was brought on as appellate counsel with the Public Law Center.  This was a year-long battle that was hard-won., 2013
  • Anneta Realty v. City of La Quinta Melinda Luthin Law negotiated settlement dismissing administrative citation against client, short-term rental owner. , 2021
  • Shanahan-Dutch v. Julie Laughton General Contractor Melinda Luthin Law negotiated settlement of case in client's favor against contractor in five-figure home renovation dispute., 2019
  • Clarizio v. City of Newport Beach Melinda Luthin Law obtained judgment in favor of client, short-term rental owner in challenge to administrative citation. , 2022
Representative Clients:
  • Vacation Rental Owners and Neighbors of Rancho Mirage:  Representing clients in Constitutional challenges to Short-term rental municipal code ordinances., 2023
Transactions:
  • Melinda Luthin Law assists clients with business entity government compliance and maintaining corporate records., 2023
Special Licenses/Certifications:
  • Private Pilot, IFR rated, 1998
Pro bono/Community Service:
  • Melinda Luthin Law represents tenants in habitability issues and wrongful eviction matters., 2023
  • Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce 
  • Beyond volunteering for charitable legal causes, Melinda Luthin Law strives to make a difference outside the legal profession.  Ms. Luthin contributes time and resources to various non-profit organizations throughout Orange County.  Among other things, she is a member and donor of the Newport Harbor Educational Foundation; past board member of the Assistance League of Newport Mesa; and volunteer for the Toshiba Classic Golf Tournament that benefits the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital.
  • Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce
  • Melinda Luthin is dedicated to providing legal services to those who cannot afford to pay.  Her firm regularly takes on pro bono cases assigned through the Public Law Center (PLC).  
Honors/Awards:
  • Ms. Luthin is recognized in the 2012 edition of Southern California's Top Rated Lawyers.
  • Beginning in 2009, and for each year thereafter, Ms. Luthin has earned the highest Martindale-Hubbell® peer rating of AV® Preeminent.™ 
  • Ms. Luthin earned the Martindale-Hubbell® Client Distinction Award in 2013.
  •  Ms. Luthin is recognized in the Martindale-Hubbell® Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers™ - exclusively for women attorneys who have received the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards from their peers.  Less than 5% of women lawyers have been recognized with an AV® Preeminent™ rating., Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers™, Martindale-Hubbell®
Educational Background:
  • Ms. Luthin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of California at Davis., 1991
  • Ms. Luthin graduated in the top five percent of her class (the highest honors) at U.C. Davis School of Law. She is a member of the Order of the Coif and the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. During her law school career, Ms. Luthin received the Wilkin Award of Excellence for top grades in Property Law, Real Estate Finance Law and Evidence. She was also appointed to the Trial Practice Honor Board.
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
  • Co-Author: San Bernardino Storm Water Regulations; New Development Guidelines for Riverside County Drainage Area Management Plans
  • Enforcement of Foreign Money Judgments, 14 U.C. Davis J. Int’l L. & Pol’y 111 (2007)
  • Editor of industry/state report to Governor Wilson regarding regulatory overlap
  • Co-Author: API Publication 1669, Results of a Retail Gasoline Outlet & Commercial Parking Lot Storm Water Runoff Study
  • The 28th Trust #119, City Investment Capital as Trustee v. Leslie Crouch et al. 2013 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 5069

Office location for Melinda M. Luthin

2721 East Coast Highway Ste. 201
Corona Del Mar, CA 92625

Phone: 949-673-1161

Selections

3 Years Rising Stars
  • Rising Stars: 2015 - 2017

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