Alma Soongi Beck
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Estate Planning & Probate Attorney in Palo Alto, CA
Alma Soongi Beck is a partner in the Trusts and Estates Group of Lakin Spears, LLP, and is a certified specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law with the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization.
Alma’s practice focuses on estate planning and administration, with particular experience working with same-sex and unmarried couples, Medi-Cal and long-term care planning, IRA inheritance trusts, and special needs trusts.
Alma conducts public and private workshops on a variety of estate planning topics such as marriage, domestic partnership, estate planning and property issues for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) individuals, couples and families, as well as Medi-Cal, long-term care and IRA Inheritance Trust planning.
In recent years, she has conducted public programs for the San Mateo County Law Library, San Mateo County Pride Initiative, Our Family Coalition (for LGBT parents and families), Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA), Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community (APIQWTC), Openhouse (for LGBT Seniors), the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), and the Horizons Foundation.
Alma has served on the board of Transgender Law Center, Our Family Coalition, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF), and the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California (KABA-NC).
Alma graduated law school from Georgetown University in 1998, and has an LL.M. in Taxation from Golden Gate Law School from 2004. For college, she graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in American Studies (Ethnic Studies concentration), and for high school, she attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts (1988).
White Papers
- Critical Elder Law Issues in Estate Planning to Prevent Financial Crisis in One’s Golden Years (2015)
- Debunking Myths About Medi-Cal: How Planning Documents Can Protect Your Family and Assets (2014)
- Why Everyone Should Care about the New 2017 Medi-Cal Recovery Laws (2017)
- Who Should Get Married After DOMA Repeal (2015)
- How Transmutation to Community Property Can Save Hundreds of Thousands for Married Couples (and Domestic Partners too) (2015)
- The Property Tax Trap for Unmarried Couples and Avoiding the Pitfalls of Property Co-Ownership (2016)
- IRA Inheritance Trust: A Powerful Addition to Your Estate Plan (2014)
- Potential Tax Changes in 2017 (2017)
- Post-Obergefell – California Same-Sex Couples and the New Era of Federal and State Marriage Recognition (2015)
About Alma Soongi Beck
First Admitted: 1998, California
Bar/Professional Activity
- Former Board Member, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom
- Former Board Member, Transgender Law Center
- Former Board Member, Korean American Bar Association of Northern California
Educational Background
- LL.M. Taxation, Golden Gate University Law School, 2004
- J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1998
- B.A., Yale University, 1992
Honors/Awards
- Each year, the AIDS Legal Referral Panel gives an award to a local San Francisco Bay Area attorney whom they feel best exemplifies the pro bono community service work of the organization serving the legal needs of people with AIDS and HIV, Attorney of the Year, AIDS Legal Referral Panel, 2007
- BALiF recognized Alma's extensive range of public educational programs serving the San Francisco Bay Area LGBT Communities, on legal issues relating to domestic partnership, property taxes, and same sex marriage, and the impact of the legal changes on the estate planning and property issues of same-sex and other LGBT couples and families, Outstanding Services to the Legal Community, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALiF), 2007
- GGBA recognizes the public education programs serving the LGBT community relating to estate planning, property, domestic partnership, and the evolution of marriage rights, Business Advocate of the Year, Individual, Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA), 2006
Special Licenses/Certifications
- Certified Specialist, Estate Planning, Probate, Trusts, California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, 2008
- LL.M. Taxation from Golden Gate University Law School, 2004
Additional Sources of Information About Alma Soongi Beck
Visit my FindLaw® profile
Last Updated: 6/16/2022