If you are setting up a living trust in South Orange County, or settling the estate of someone who has died, two firms with Laguna Niguel offices may come up. Parker Law Offices is an estate planning, probate, and trust administration law firm in Laguna Niguel, where attorney Maria Parker helps Orange County families with living trusts, wills, probate, and trust administration. Geiger Law Office, P.C. is an estates, trusts, and business planning firm based in Carlsbad, led by attorney Brenda Geiger, with a second office in Laguna Niguel and appointment offices in San Diego.
The core tradeoff is a focused, property-minded South Orange County practice against a broader North County San Diego firm with asset protection and business planning. Parker Law Offices centers on living trusts, wills, probate, and trust administration, and its attorney brings a background in real estate and lending to questions about deeds and moving a home into a trust. Geiger Law Office adds asset protection, elder law, retirement plan trusts, business formation and business succession planning, and offers an ongoing client care program.
For South Orange County homeowners who want a living trust or will, and for executors and successor trustees settling an estate, we lean toward Parker Law Offices. Many families have not started: only 24 percent of U.S. adults had a will in 2025, according to Caring.com's annual wills survey.
| Quick Verdict Good fit for Parker Law Offices: South Orange County homeowners who want a living trust or will prepared by a local attorney, and executors or successor trustees who need help with California probate or trust administration. Good fit for Geiger Law Office: North County San Diego families and business owners who want asset protection, elder law, or business succession planning alongside their estate plan, with an ongoing maintenance program. Decision rule: If your estate centers on a home in South Orange County and you want an attorney who knows property and deeds, choose Parker Law Offices. |
| Parker Law Offices | Geiger Law Office | |
|---|---|---|
| Main office | 28202 Cabot Road, Laguna Niguel | 1917 Palomar Oaks Way, Carlsbad |
| Other offices | None; serves Orange County from Laguna Niguel | 32451 Golden Lantern, Laguna Niguel; San Diego offices by appointment |
| Lead attorney | Maria Parker, managing attorney | Brenda Geiger, founder and managing attorney |
| Licensed in California | Since 2016, per Avvo | Since 2004, per Avvo |
| Core services | Living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, health care directives, probate, trust administration | Estate planning, trust administration, probate |
| Other services | Plan reviews, amendments and restatements | Asset protection, elder law, retirement plan trusts, business formation and succession |
| Attorney background | Real estate professional since 1992, per the firm | Author of several estate planning and elder law books |
| Practice records | Holds the client records of H. Brooks Travis, PC | Not applicable |
| First consultation | Free initial consultation | Free intake consultation |
| Fees | Explained at the consultation | Not published |
Parker Law Offices is an estate planning, probate, and trust administration law firm at 28202 Cabot Road in Laguna Niguel, serving families across Orange County. Attorney Maria Parker prepares living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives, and helps clients update or restate older plans. When a family member dies, the firm guides executors, heirs and successor trustees through California probate and trust administration, a process with real deadlines and personal responsibility. Before practicing law, Maria Parker spent years in real estate and lending, so deeds, property titles, and moving a home into a trust are familiar ground. The firm also holds the client records of the Law Offices of H. Brooks Travis, PC, whose practice it acquired in 2022. The first consultation is free.
Geiger Law Office, P.C. is an estates, trusts, asset protection, and business planning law firm based at 1917 Palomar Oaks Way in Carlsbad, with an office at 32451 Golden Lantern in Laguna Niguel and appointment offices in San Diego. Founder Brenda Geiger earned her law degree at the University of San Diego in 2004, started the firm in 2007, and has written books on estate planning, business law, and elder law. Its practice covers estate and advanced estate planning, asset protection, trust administration, probate, retirement plan trusts, elder law, business formation, and business succession planning. Its Signature Client Care Program offers yearly plan updates and unlimited calls. Its main differentiator is a broad planning practice with ongoing maintenance.
Both firms prepare living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives, and both handle probate and trust administration.
Parker Law Offices keeps its practice centered on those core services. It helps families after a death with probate, trust administration, and post-death questions, such as finding a lost trust or handling property that was left out of a trust. It also reviews, amends, and restates older plans, including plans written by attorneys who have since retired. It does not handle litigation, such as will or trust contests.
Geiger Law Office covers a wider list. Beyond core estate planning, its site describes advanced estate planning, asset protection, retirement plan trusts for inherited IRAs, elder law, business formation, and business succession planning.
Why it matters: a family whose main asset is a home usually needs a sound trust, properly funded, and clear help after a death. A business owner, or a family planning for long-term care, may need planning beyond the core documents.
If your estate centers on a home and you want help planning or settling an estate, Parker Law Offices fits. If you also need business or asset protection planning, Geiger Law Office lists those services.
Maria Parker says she was a real estate professional from 1992 and spent more than 15 years as a broker, with hundreds of transactions, before practicing law. She earned her law degree at California Western School of Law and has been licensed in California since 2016, per Avvo. Her own family's experience after her father's death in 2008 is part of why she focuses on planning that makes things easier for the people left behind.
Brenda Geiger earned her bachelor's degree and law degree at the University of San Diego and has been licensed since 2004, per Avvo. She worked as of counsel at other firms before founding her own in 2007, and she has written books including Secrets of Great Estate Planning and a guide to protecting a child's IRA inheritance.
Why it matters: most living trusts hold a home, and deeds that move property into the trust are what make it work. A background in property helps with funding, refinancing questions, and selling an inherited house. A business and elder law background helps families with companies or long-term care concerns.
If your estate centers on real property, Parker Law Offices brings a real estate background. If your plan involves a business or long-term care planning, Geiger Law Office brings that focus.
Parker Law Offices is based in Laguna Niguel, where its attorney works, and names Mission Viejo, Dana Point, Aliso Viejo, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, and Rancho Santa Margarita among the communities it serves. The first consultation is free.
Geiger Law Office is based in Carlsbad and centers its service area on North County San Diego coastal communities such as Encinitas, Del Mar, and La Jolla, with a second office in Laguna Niguel. It offers a free intake consultation, Zoom meetings, and a Signature Client Care Program with yearly plan amendments and unlimited calls.
Why it matters: estate planning takes several meetings, and settling an estate can take many more, so an office close to home makes those visits easier. A maintenance program helps keep a plan current as laws and family circumstances change.
If you live in Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, or nearby South Orange County communities, Parker Law Offices is based close by. If you live in North County San Diego or want a yearly maintenance program, Geiger Law Office fits.
Neither firm lists document prices on its website.
Parker Law Offices offers a free initial consultation, and fees are explained at that consultation.
Geiger Law Office offers a free intake consultation through its website and says it responds within 24 hours. Its site does not list fees for plans or for its Signature Client Care Program.
To compare fairly, ask each firm what its fee covers: the trust and will, powers of attorney, health care directives, deeds to fund the trust, and later updates. If you are settling an estate, ask how probate or trust administration is billed.
All figures are as of 2026.
Parker Law Offices holds 5.0 out of 5 from 31 reviews on Birdeye, 28 of them from Google. Testimonials on its site describe feeling confident after a power of attorney and living will, receiving clear, empathetic advice to restate a trust written more than 20 years earlier, and finally getting a matter handled correctly after working with other attorneys. A peer attorney's endorsement on Avvo praises fast turnaround at a fair price.
Geiger Law Office shows 5.0 out of 5 from 216 Google reviews on Birdeye, and Brenda Geiger holds 4.8 from 25 client reviews on Avvo. Reviewers praise courteous staff, clear explanations, quick replies, and an easy process.
Read reviews alongside a consultation with the attorney who will handle your plan.
Choose Parker Law Offices if:
Choose Geiger Law Office if:
Across both firms, clients most often praise clear explanations and feeling confident about their plans. We found no recurring complaint for either firm.
Yes. Parker Law Offices offers a free initial consultation with attorney Maria Parker at its Laguna Niguel office. The meeting covers your family, property, and any existing documents, and fees are explained at the consultation. Bring any current trust, will, or deeds so the attorney can review them.
Geiger Law Office's main office is at 1917 Palomar Oaks Way in Carlsbad, with a second office at 32451 Golden Lantern in Laguna Niguel. It also meets clients by appointment in San Diego and offers Zoom meetings. Its free intake consultation starts through the contact form on its website.
Parker Law Offices acquired the practice of the Law Offices of H. Brooks Travis, PC in April 2022 and holds the client records that came with it. Former Travis clients can contact Parker Law Offices to review, update, or continue the plans he prepared for them.
A living trust only avoids probate for property that is actually placed in it. For most families, that means signing a deed that moves the home into the trust and retitling accounts. A house left outside the trust may still need a court petition after death.
No. Property held in a living trust generally passes without probate. California also has simpler procedures for smaller estates: California Courts lists a $208,850 limit for small estates and $750,000 for a primary residence, effective April 1, 2025. An attorney can confirm which applies.
California does not require a successor trustee to hire a lawyer, but the role carries legal duties and personal responsibility. Trustees must notify beneficiaries, inventory assets, pay valid debts, keep records, and distribute property correctly. An attorney can guide each step and help avoid mistakes a trustee may be held responsible for.
