John A. Hartog

John A. Hartog is a partner in Nutter’s Private Client Department. He focuses his practice on estate planning, trust and probate administration, including dispute resolution, and taxation matters. He has particular expertise in counseling trustees administering living trusts and in resolving disputes among beneficiaries and fiduciaries. He is regularly engaged as an expert consultant and testifying expert in high stakes fiduciary disputes. Mr. Hartog is a California certified specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, as well as a California certified specialist in Taxation Law.

Mr. Hartog is a highly trained mediator who seeks to help his clients resolve their disputes and find solutions to their issues as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. He also regularly serves as counsel to beneficiaries and fiduciaries, providing invaluable insight and support to them as they carry out their roles during estate and trust administration.

After graduating cum laude from Pomona College in 1974, Mr. Hartog attended the University of California Hastings College of the Law, where he obtained his Juris Doctor in 1979. In 1984, he received his LL.M. in taxation from the Golden Gate University School of Law. He also practices before the Supreme Court of California, the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, and both the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the New York State Court of Appeals.

Throughout his career, Mr. Hartog has earned numerous awards and honors for his professionalism and service. He receives consistent recognition from The Best Lawyers in America, and for three consecutive years, Worth magazine voted him among "America's Top 100 Lawyers." In 2025, Daily Journal named him a "Top Estate and Wealth Management Lawyer."

Widely regarded as a leader in his field, Mr. Hartog has numerous publications to his credit. He currently serves as lead consulting editor for the Matthew Bender Practice Guide: California Trust Litigation, and he has also conducted lectures and seminars across his region on a variety of legal topics related to trusts and estates law.

A consummate professional, Mr. Hartog maintains an active presence in many local, state and national bar associations, including serving as past chair of The State Bar of California Trusts and Estates Section Executive Committee and the Board of Legal Specialization, Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Advisory Commission. He is also a member of the American Bar Association's taxation, real property, and probate and trust law sections, among his other affiliations.

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