Sacks Glazier Franklin & Lodise

What Sacks Glazier Franklin & Lodise does

Sacks, Glazier, Franklin, Lodise, McMurtrey & Scheerer, LLP is a Los Angeles-based boutique law firm founded in 2001 that practices exclusively in trust, estate, and conservatorship litigation and dispute resolution throughout California. The firm is organized as a Limited Liability Partnership and is privately held by its partner attorneys; its legal name was expanded in April 2025 from the original Sacks, Glazier, Franklin & Lodise, LLP to recognize Managing Partner Matthew W. McMurtrey and Partner John A. Scheerer. Its core offering comprises five integrated practice areas: Estate Litigation, Trust Litigation, Conservatorship Litigation, Estate/Probate/Trust Appeals, and Estate/Probate/Trust Mediation, delivered through a team of approximately 10 attorneys plus support staff.

The firm serves high-net-worth individuals, charitable organizations, educational institutions, large and small businesses, and corporate and individual fiduciaries involved in disputes over substantial estates. It has represented clients such as the Barron Hilton Trust (benefiting the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation), the University of Oregon, the Michael Jackson Estate (Guardian Ad Litem role), and fiduciary clients in precedent-setting matters including O'Connor v. O'Connor (26 Cal.App.5th 871) and Moeller v. Superior Court. Three of its five partners are Fellows of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), and Margaret G. Lodise serves as ACTEC President for the 2026-2027 term.

The firm operates an hourly billing professional services model, with rates described as competitive with larger firms offering comparable specialized services but not publicly disclosed. It acquires clients primarily through attorney referrals, professional reputation, industry recognition (Chambers and Partners Band 1 for High Net Worth Private Wealth Disputes in California for eight consecutive years, Best Lawyers Tier 1, Super Lawyers, Lawdragon, Benchmark Litigation), thought leadership publications, and direct engagement. There are no technology products, no API or software offerings, and no disclosed AI capabilities.

Name

Sacks Glazier Franklin & Lodise

Legal name

Sacks, Glazier, Franklin, Lodise, McMurtrey & Scheerer, LLP

Website

https://trustlitigation.la

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sacks, Glazier, Franklin, Lodise, McMurtrey & Scheerer, LLP is a Los Angeles boutique law firm founded in 2001 that practices exclusively in trust, estate, and conservatorship litigation throughout California, serving high-net-worth individuals, charitable and educational institutions, and fiduciaries involved in substantial estate disputes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: The firm provides legal representation services billed on an hourly basis. Rates are competitive with larger firms offering comparable services. The firm handles complex trust, estate, and conservatorship litigation matters for substantial estates throughout California.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sacks Glazier Franklin & Lodise is a national boutique law firm that provides litigation legal services focused on trusts, estates, and conservatorships. The firm represents high-net-worth individuals, charitable organizations, educational institutions, businesses, and fiduciaries in will contests, breach of fiduciary duty actions, trust administration disputes, conservatorship disputes, related appellate work, and mediation.

Product overview

Sacks, Glazier, Franklin, Lodise, McMurtrey & Scheerer, LLP is a specialized trust and estate litigation law firm offering a unified suite of legal services focused exclusively on trust, estate, and conservatorship disputes. The firm provides five integrated core services: Estate Litigation, Trust Litigation, Conservatorship Litigation, Estate/Probate/Trust Appeals, and Estate/Probate/Trust Mediation. These services are offered collectively by a team of experienced litigators who handle pretrial, trial, appellate, and mediation proceedings for high-value estates throughout California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trust Litigation Litigation representation in disputes involving trusts, including breach of fiduciary duty claims, trustee disputes, trust administration challenges, and contests over trust instruments. Services are provided to beneficiaries, settlors, trustees, charitable beneficiaries, and educational institutions.
• Estate and Probate Litigation Litigation representation in will contests, probate disputes, executor and personal representative disputes, and contested estate administration matters. Services are provided to heirs, beneficiaries, executors, personal representatives, and interested parties in high-value estates.
• Conservatorship Litigation Litigation representation in contested conservatorship matters, including disputes over appointment, removal, and conduct of conservators, and fiduciary obligations over protected persons' estates. Services are provided to proposed or appointed conservators, family members, and interested parties.
• Estate, Probate and Trust Appeals Appellate representation in state and federal appellate courts involving trust, estate, probate, and conservatorship matters arising from lower-court decisions. Services are provided to clients seeking review or defense of trial-court rulings.
• Estate, Probate and Trust Mediation Mediation services for resolving trust, estate, probate, and conservatorship disputes outside of litigation, facilitated by attorney-mediators with substantive fiduciary law expertise. Services are provided to disputing parties in contested fiduciary matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully defended $3 billion claim against Barron Hilton Trust in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)coreOthers · 1 January 2026ACTEC is a national nonprofit association of approximately 2,300 lawyers and law professors. Three of the firm's partners (Franklin, Lodise, McMurtrey) are ACTEC Fellows. Margaret Lodise serves as President (2026-2027). The firm has filed numerous influential amicus briefs through ACTEC, including multiple briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law SectioncoreOthersFirm attorneys hold leadership positions within the ABA RPTE Section. Robert Sacks serves as Council Member and Liaison to National College of Probate Judges. John Scheerer serves as Vice-Chair, Professional Responsibility. Terrence Franklin has held numerous positions including Council Member and Committee Chair roles.
• California Lawyers Association Trusts and Estates Section (TEXCOM)coreOthersMargaret Lodise and Matthew McMurtrey both served as Chair of the CLA Trusts and Estates Section Executive Committee (TEXCOM). The firm actively contributes to the section's publications and programs.
• USC Gould School of LawmajorOthersTerrence Franklin has served as Chair of the USC Gould School of Law Trust and Estate Conference since 2019. The firm regularly sponsors and presents at this major annual educational program for trust and estate professionals.
• Bet Tzedek Legal ServicesmajorOthersThe firm helped establish the UCLA School of Law Postgraduate Fellowship for Racial Equity in Trust & Estate Law, hosted by Bet Tzedek Legal Services. Terrence Franklin helped secure nearly $200,000 in funding from Los Angeles firms for this fellowship.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Flicker, Garber & Associates: Southern California probate and trust litigation boutique that competes for HNW estate disputes and fiduciary matters. Comparable in size, specialty focus, and target clientele.
• Krigor & Bolotin: California boutique concentrating on trust, estate, and conservatorship litigation for HNW and celebrity clients. Directly competes for the same high-profile, high-value California matters.
• Schorr Law, APC: Los Angeles-based trust and estate litigation boutique with a comparable focus on contested probate matters for HNW clients in California. Direct competitor for the same referral and client pool.
• Sack & Tackovic: Southern California trust and estate litigation boutique; closely comparable niche focus and client base.
• Feinberg Day Kramer Alberti Lim Tonkovich & Belloli: California boutique focused on trust, estate, and conservatorship litigation; comparable niche, geographic market, and clientele.
• Rosenbach & Lipschultz LLP: California-based trust, estate, and fiduciary litigation boutique; comparable specialization and case profile.

Regional players

• Burnham Brown: Northern California full-service firm with a notable trust and probate litigation practice; comparable specialty but broader service mix and geographic concentration in the Bay Area.
• Lewitt Hackman: Los Angeles/Ventura county firm with a recognized trust and estate litigation practice serving HNW clients across Southern California. Comparable practice area with broader firm footprint.
• Sideman & Bancroft: Bay Area firm with a strong trusts and estates litigation practice serving HNW clients in Northern California; comparable work type but operates in a different sub-region.

Broad incumbents

• Proskauer Rose LLP (Trusts & Estates Litigation Practice): Am Law firm with a national trusts and estates litigation practice that competes for high-end fiduciary disputes; broader footprint but overlapping capability on bet-the-estate matters.

Market position

Strengths6 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tr?id=442563859276995&ev=PageView&dpo=LDU&dpoco=0&dpost=0
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2968726

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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