Laura Nichols is a Shareholder in Buchalter’s San Diego office, and a member of the Tax, Benefits and Estate Planning practice group. Ms. Nichols is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and is also certified as an Accredited Estate Planner® by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. Only approximately five percent of California’s attorneys are certified as specialists by the State Bar.

Ms. Nichols has considerable experience in the areas of estate planning, trust and probate administration. She advises clients on sophisticated estate planning issues including multigenerational family business succession planning; estate, gift, generation skipping taxation planning and property tax planning including charitable gift planning. She also represents individuals, private professional fiduciaries and corporate trustees as fiduciaries through trust and estate administrations.

She recently finished serving her term as President of the Estate Planning Counsel of San Diego, a 65-year-old San Diego organization.  In 2016, she received the “Top 40 Under 40 Award” by The Daily Transcript, and in 2020 she was recognized by San Diego Metro’s 40 Under 40 Award.  Ms. Nichols was an Adjunct Professor at California Western School of Law where she taught “The California Pre-Bar Program” and “Advanced Legal Analysis.” Ms. Nichols has also been recognized in the Best Lawyers in America, Trusts and Estates, in 2023 -2025.

Bar Admissions

• California

Education

• California Western School of Law
• University of Southern California

• Beware of Proposition 19 Property Tax Increases—Planning Opportunities Still Exist for a Brief Window