J. Melissa Schmitt

Attorney J. Melissa Schmitt offers high-quality estate planning services to families in San Jose, California. She has been a dedicated senior attorney at the law firm of Temmerman, Cilley & Kohlmann, LLP, since the time she was licensed to practice in California in 2016.

Ms. Schmitt understands that discussing wills and estate planning can be overwhelming and uncomfortable for most people, and takes a comprehensive, highly engaged approach to each individual situation. She assists her clients with estate planning, probate and trust litigation, health care directives, nursing home and long-term care planning, contested and noncontested conservatorships, elder abuse litigation, fiduciary surcharge actions and accounting. 

A skilled and competent professional, Ms. Schmitt’s litigation skills have been hugely endorsed by her peers, adversaries and former clients. She frequently accepts appointments as a counsel in conservatorship and guardianship proceedings at the Contra Costa County and Santa Clara County courts. As a board member of the Santa Clara University School of Law – La Raza Law Student Association, she also provided school students with an awareness of certain concepts and laws, encouraging them to pursue the legal profession.

A dean’s list graduate of Saint Mary's College of California, Moraga, Ms. Schmitt majored in political science and government and completed her Bachelor of Arts in 2012. She earned her Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2015. She served as a legal intern at the County of San Mateo District Attorney's Office and the Santa Clara Public Defender’s Office. She also won a scholarship to travel to France and Italy from Saint Mary's College of California to complete an art and history course.

Fluent in English and Spanish, Ms. Schmitt has authored a few articles for esteemed publications. She is an active member of the Contra Costa County Bar Association and the Santa Clara County La Raza Lawyers Association.