A Case Study of Fiduciary Surcharges

Hon. Glen M. Reiser (Ret.) has vast experience adjudicating and resolving thousands of complex commercial, real property/environmental, trust and family law disputes as a respected trial judge and litigator. Judge Reiser spent more than 20 years on the Ventura County Superior Court, serving as both supervising probate judge and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) judge for more than a decade. Prior to his appointment to the bench, he litigated hundreds of civil cases to successful conclusion in trial and appellate courts throughout California. Judge Reiser regularly teaches California judges trust, probate, and conservatorships through the Judicial Council of California’s Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER). Judge Reiser is known for using his thoroughness, intellect, attention to detail and breadth of knowledge to develop creative solutions to disputes of all types.

Jim is one of San Diego’s leading probate litigators to whom other attorneys routinely refer their contested cases. He began his career in civil litigation but now focuses exclusively on trust, estate and elder abuse litigation. Jim is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estate Section of the State Bar of California, a committee that reviews and proposes revisions to the California Probate Code, and is a former Editor of the California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, a scholarly journal. Jim has received numerous accolades including Martindale-Hubbell’s AV© Preeminent© rating (highest legal competence), being named “Top Attorney” by the San Diego Daily Transcript, and inclusion in the “Best Lawyers in America” and San Diego Super Lawyers from 2013 to the present. In 2013, Jim was invited to join the prestigious American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and he currently serves on the Fiduciary Litigation Committee. Jim’s practice is complemented by acting as a mediator and expert witness and he has been appointed as a Judge Pro Tem for the San Diego Superior Court, Probate Division.