John M. Goralka

John M. Goralka, the founder and lead attorney of The Goralka Law Firm assists business owners, real estate owners and successful families to achieve their enlightened dreams by better protecting their assets, minimizing income and estate tax and resolving messes and transitions to preserve, protect and enhance their legacy.

John dedicates his time to helping individuals and families navigate the complexities and legal aspects of business income tax and estate planning. He has 30+ years of experience and deep knowledge in the areas of business tax planning, tax litigation, asset protection planning and implementation, business and corporate law, shareholder and business buy/sell agreements for estate planning and business continuation, sales of business and real property, estate planning, trusts, probate and trust administration. 

John is professionally licensed to practice law in the State of California and is one of few California attorneys certified as a Specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization in both Taxation and Estate Planning, Trust and Probate. He received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from California State University, Sacramento and then went on to attend the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where he obtained both his Master of Laws in Taxation (LL.M.) and his Juris Doctor (J.D.). As a member of the State Bar of California and the Sacramento County Bar Association, John is also actively involved with California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Sacramento Estate Planning Council’s Board of Directors.

In addition to be being named a Super Lawyer in estate planning and probate, tax and business law every year since 2016, John's high ethical standards and long list of successful results earned him the highest peer rating possible of AV Preeminent* from Martindale-Hubbell.  Martindale-Hubbell also awarded John its Distinguished Client Service Award yearly since 2014. He is recognized in Sacramento Magazine's "Top Lawyer" list for business and corporate law in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. 

John is a Blue Star Wealth Professional and approved educator for the California Department of Insurance and the California Certified Financial Planner Board, is recognized as a top attorney in the United States by US News and World Reports for Taxation and Estate Planning and as a top taxation attorney in the United States by Premier Tax Planners. Since 2020, John has been recognized by Best Lawyers as one of the best in the country in the area of tax law and trusts and estates, and in 2022, because of his expertise and excellent reputation in the legal community, earned Tier 1 status in tax law. 

Over the course of his practice, John has represented many clients in cases with varying degrees of complexity and challenges, & because of his care and dedication to the needs of his clients, he now has many families that he's represented for over 20 years. John represents multiple generations including grandparents, children, and then grandchildren from the same family. He also helps administer their estates and businesses and continues to assist their future generations for years to come. 

As an estate planning, asset protection, tax, and business attorney, John's goal is to help his clients to make a transformative change in their lives for the better. By transformative, he means making a substantial improvement that will benefit the client family for generations into the future. At his firm, John Goralka seeks to identify and apply uncommon knowledge and unique solutions to the challenges, risks, and opportunities faced by his clients.

 * AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.