Practice areas: Estate Planning & Probate
Licensed in California since: 2004
Education: University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
Unique Law
6002 Barrett AvenueEl Cerrito, CA 94530 Phone: 510-289-2288 Email: Kathleen Hunt Visit website
I am the founder and principal attorney of Unique Law, a law practice providing estate planning and probate services to unique individuals and their families throughout the greater Bay Area. I offer evening and weekend appointments, as well as free consultations.
I'm a member of the Contra Costa County Bar Association, as well as the California State Bar Association. I have served as the Community Service Director for the El Cerrito Rotary Club, in addition to my work on the Board of Directors for the nonprofit Center for Sex and Culture in San Francisco and the nonprofit think-tank The Feilding Foundation. I have been a certified mediator with the Better Business Bureau Auto-Line, and an EPA Green Power Partner. I was the first attorney to become a Certified Green Business in Contra Costa County. My publication credits include a guide to alternative dispute resolution, distributed to all federal judges in the Ninth Circuit; a national guide to the treatment of evolution and creationism in public schools; and essays published in such diverse locations as Gay.com and Contra Costa Marketplace.
If I'm not helping my clients to plan their estates or guiding them through the probate process, I most love spending time with my family (especially my perfect son - just ask me!), and reading. Everything. Science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, Supreme Court opinions, comic books, romance, cereal boxes . . . everything. When there’s a little time left over, I'm an enthusiastic Scrabble player, a racing fan, a music lover, and an avid Francophile.
First Admitted: 2004
Professional Webpage: https://uniquelaw.com/about-kathleen-hunt/
Bar / Professional Activity
- Judge Pro Tem (Probate, Contra Costa County), 2017
- Judge Pro Tem (Probate, Contra Costa County), 2016
- Judge Pro Tem (Probate, Contra Costa County), 2015
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- Represented an internationally-known author against his former business manager; obtained a judgment in excess of $300,000 for fraud, elder abuse, defamation, and more, 2019
Videos
Representative Clients
- Estate planning for a young couple with minor children, 2024
- Estate planning for unmarried adult, 2024
- Estate planning for a retired child-free couple, 2024
- Helped transgender client obtain legal name change, 2023
- Assisted with adult adoption, 2023
- Estate planning for a 94-year-old widowed individual, 2022
- Estate planning for a polyamorous family, 2022
Special Licenses / Certifications
- Certified Green Business, 2015-present (the first attorney in West Contra Costa County to qualify); re-certified every two years., 2024
- Notary public 2008-2024 (consecutive commissions), 2024
- Certified Mediator: BBB Auto Line, 2008
Pro bono / Community Service
- Member, Contra Costa County Bar Association Pro Bono Honor Roll Selected for inclusion every year since this award was inaugurated - currently five years, 2024
- Berkeley Animal Care Services - volunteer weekly, 2022
- Pro bono Wills Clinic (Contra Costa County Senior Legal Services), 2020
- Sponsor, Rotary Club of El Cerrito "Sip and Savor" fundraiser each year
- Speaker, Rotary Club of El Cerrito, 2019
- Member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Sex and Culture (San Francisco, CA)
- Member of El Cerrito Rotary Club (and past board member)
- Member: Paul Harris Society (Rotary International), 2014
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Feilding Foundation
Educational Background
- Editor-in-Chief, Hastings Communication and Entertainment Law Journal,, 2002
- M.S. in Education, as well as Single Subject and Multiple Subject teaching credentials - California State University, Hayward, 1993
- B.A. in English - University of California at Berkeley (having been admitted as a freshman at age 14), 1990
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Office of the Circuit Executive - I wrote this guide to Alternative Dispute Resolution for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Office of the Circuit Executive. It was distributed to every federal judge in the entire Circuit., ADR Guidebook, 2003
- Guarding the Schoolhouse Gate - This was an overview of the state of then-current law related to creationism and intelligent design in the public schools. It was intended to help school districts deal with threats to the teaching of evolution., National Center for Science Education, 2001
Honors
- Best Attorney, Best of El Cerrito, 2023
- Best Attorney, Best of El Cerrito, 2022
- Best Lawyer, Expertise.com, 2022
- Named Best in the East Bay in the only year that this category has ever been included in the East Bay Express' annual round-up., Best of the East Bay: Attorney-Trusts & Estates, East Bay Express, 2021
- I was named among the top probate attorneys based on my expertise and professionalism, among other criteria., Best Probate Attorney, Expertise.com, 2021
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2014
- Top Women Attorneys, Northern California, Super Lawyers, 2014
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2013
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2012
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2024 - 2026
- Rising Stars: 2012 - 2014