Introduction
Dan has been a civil litigator for more than 29 years, of which he has focused his practice on trust, estate, and family disputes for nearly 25 years. He is well known among his peers and colleagues as a smart, trustworthy, and fair negotiator, with excellent interpersonal skills. As a result, he has been requested to serve as a mediator, arbitrator, and referee in more than 100 matters in almost every type of dispute involving trust and estates, including claims for elder financial and physical abuse, undue influence, lack of capacity, contested conservatorships, legal and accounting malpractice, wrongful death and various personal injuries.
In addition, Dan has mediated cases involving various family law issues such as characterization of assets and allegations of spousal breach of duty. Dan has facilitated the creation, adoption, and effectuation of difficult and/or complex family succession plans. Dan has further helped to settle multiple cases involving complex business and real estate disputes which have included claims for breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, title disputes, and buyer-seller disputes.
Since 2020, Dan has also served as Pro Tem in the Sacramento County Superior Court’s Civil Settlement Conference Department and its Probate Division. Dan was part of the original bench-Bar committee that established a mediation panel in the Probate Division.
Dan is a subject matter expert in the field of trust and estate law. He serves on the Executive Committee for the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (“TEXCOM”), has been designated as a SuperLawyer in the field of Trust and Estate Litigation since 2010, and has been named Best of Bar for Trusts and Estates and ADR in the Sacramento Region since 2019.
As a neutral, Dan has earned a reputation for his deep knowledge of trusts and estates and for having a thoughtful, pragmatic, and effective approach to resolution. One attorney commented, “Dan is a compassionate and patient mediator. He has a gift of flexibility and can adapt to any situation which allows a path of resolution.“ Another said, “I have chosen Dan to settle several matters for our firm because he has a deep understanding of trust and estate litigation. Many times, these matters are emotional and contentious; he handles all the parties with care and knows how to make them feel comfortable and focused on resolution.”
Practice Areas
Hobbies & Interests
Dan’s primary interests start with his immediate family, his wife, and their two grown daughters. He deeply enjoys the company of friends with whom they strive to make memories filled with laughter and occasional wonder. He loves to play golf, tennis, ping-pong, pickle-ball, corn-hole, dominoes, cribbage, or cards as well as listening and watch music, and enjoys the camaraderie of learning or even creating a piece of music with fellow enthusiasts. He also enjoys the adventure of discovery, whether it is out of the country or in his own backyard.
Testimonials
"Dan is a very experienced, thoughtful, and incisive mediator. "
- Attorney on an Estate Law/Probate Matters case
"Mr. Spector was absolutely phenomenal. Not only was he able to guide the parties to a legal resolution, but he was also able to meet their non-legal needs in providing closure."
- Attorney on an Estate Law Probate Matters case
"Thank you Dan for all you did to help us reach a resolution. Well done. Always enjoy working with you. "
- Attorney on a Probate case
"Dan was great. He was very personable in addition to knowing the law and being familiar with the facts of the matter. The experience was very good. My client enjoyed working with Dan and thought he was very strong as a mediator."
- Attorney on an Estate Law Matter
"Mr. Spector had very creative ideas for resolving this case. The parties couldn't execute an agreement but I believe it was for reasons outside of his and the attorneys' control. His creative thinking has given me good direction for exploring further settlement with the other parties."
- Attorney on an Estate Law/Probate case
"Dan Spector did an excellent job assessing the various claims, pointing out weaknesses, and giving the parties a chance to express their points of view. Bottom line, we got the case resolved and for that, he deserves much credit. "
- Attorney on a Estate Law Probate case
"We really appreciated Dan's focus and diligence in helping to resolve our case."
- Attorney on a Probate case
"Very knowledgeable as to the subject matter and mediation process. Patient with both parties, even though a great deal of time was spent in negotiations. Mr. Spector's calm but assertive attitude was meaningful to my clients, who understood the benefit of resolving the case. "
- Attorney on an Elder Abuse case
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