| Position | Areas of Practice | Education |
| Published Works | Affiliations | |
JAMES K. LEESE is a partner in the law firm of Ferruzzo & Ferruzzo, LLP. He was born June 6, 1953, in Dayton, Ohio, and admitted to the California bar in 1979. The State Bar of California recognizes him as a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. He received his bachelors degree from The Defiance College in 1975, his juris doctor degree from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1978, and a masters degree in taxation from Golden Gate University in 1992.
Mr. Leese is primarily responsible for the firm's estate and business succession planning departments. He limits his practice to transactions involving business, estate and gift tax planning, preparation of trusts and wills, probate and trust administration for individuals and owners of businesses. He works in a team approach with trust officials, financial planners, insurance agents, accountants, and appraisers to design and implement plans that will best meet the client's needs and objectives. Mr. Leese works with the high net worth client, using sophisticated estate planning strategies and tools, as well as with the client who has non-tax related planning goals in mind.
Since 1994, Mr. Leese has taught the fundamentals of estate planning and advanced estate planning courses in the Personal Financial Planning Certificate Program at the University of California at Irvine Extension. He also has taught a layperson course on estate planning for UCI Extension. He speaks frequently to such professional groups as the National Business Institute, the Orange County/Long Beach Chapter of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Arthritis Foundation, and the Easter Seals Society. He has contributed to the Estate Planning text Estate Planning and Taxation, Joan C. Bost, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company; and is a co-author of the textbook used at UCI Extension entitled Advanced Estate Planning for Financial Professionals.
Mr. Leese resides in Tustin Ranch, California, with his wife, Jennifer, and their children, Lauren, Angela, Alyssa, Ryder and Dylan.
Current Employment Position(s):
Business Organizations
Contracts
Estate Planning, Trusts & Wills
Estate & Probate Administration
Certification/Specialties:
Bar Admissions:
Juris Doctor
Golden Gate University, San Francisco, California, 1992
M.S. in Taxation
The Defiance College, Defiance, Ohio, 1975
B.S. in Political Science
Honors: Cum Laude
Estate Planning & Taxation, (Contributor), Kendal-Hunt, 1996
Business Succession Planning, a Critical Element for Family-Owned Businesses, Uncertainty About Fate of Estate Tax Increase, Urgency for Effective Planning, Orange County Business Journal, Vol. 25, No. 42, 2002
Classes/Seminars Taught:
Teacher, Estate Planning for the Layperson, UCI-Extension, 1995 - Present
Speaker, National Business Institute
Speaker, Orange County/Long Beach Chapter of the CA Society of CPAs
Speaker, Easter Seals Society
Teacher, Advanced Estate Planning, PFP Certificate Program at UCI-Extension, 1996 - Present
Speaker, Arthritis Foundation
Professional Associations and Memberships:
Past President
Irvine Swim League, 1999 - 2001
President
State Bar of California, Sections on Estate Planning, Trust & Probate, 1979 - Present
Member
Listed as Super
Lawyer, Southern California, Estate Planning & Probate,
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 (Super Lawyers identifies the top
5 percent of attorneys in each state, as chosen by their
peers and through the independent research of Law &
Politics); listed by Orange Coast Magazine, as a 2010
Five Star Wealth Manager, Estate Planning (represents 3
percent of wealth managers in Orange County); and AV
Preeminent Rated Attorney (Martindale-Hubbell® Peer
Review Rating).



