Michelle Goff, Esq.
Founder: California Estate Planning and Federal Trademark Attorney
A Law Practice Built to Work Around Your Life
Long before virtual law firms became commonplace, I recognized that clients shouldn't have to spend half their day driving to an attorney's office, sitting in a waiting room, and rearranging their schedules just to get good legal advice.
That's why my practice is intentionally virtual.
My California estate planning clients can work with me from anywhere in the state, and my federal trademark clients can work with me from anywhere in the country. We meet by phone or Zoom, communicate electronically, and use technology to make the legal process as convenient and straightforward as possible.
Virtual doesn't mean impersonal.
In fact, I believe it allows me to provide the kind of personal attention that has always been important to my practice. I want my clients to feel comfortable asking questions, understand what we're doing and why we're doing it, and never feel like they're just another file on someone's desk.
Legal Advice Without All the Legalese
Estate planning and trademark law can both sound much more complicated than they need to be.
I don't believe my job is to impress clients with legal terminology. My job is to take complicated legal issues and explain them in a way that makes sense.
Many of my estate planning clients stay with me for years as their families, assets, and circumstances change. I want to be the attorney they feel comfortable calling when life changes or a legal question comes up—not simply the attorney who prepared a stack of documents years ago.
The same philosophy applies to my trademark clients. Protecting a brand shouldn't feel mysterious or overwhelming. I help business owners understand what they're protecting, why it matters, and how federal trademark protection fits into the bigger picture of building a valuable business.
Whether we're protecting your family, your horses, your legacy, or your brand, the goal is the same:
Protect what you've built so you can spend more time enjoying it.
Areas of Practice
Estate Planning – advises on and prepares a wide range of trusts.
Probate – represents family members of the decedent.
Trust Administration – represents trustees and beneficiaries.
National Trademark Registrations - for Brands Throughout the U.S.
Education and Affiliations
Michelle earned her J.D. from McGeorge School of Law and has been a member of the California Bar since 1998. She also holds an MBA in Taxation and an MBA in Business from California State University, Sacramento, and a B.S. in Economics & Business from Westmont College.
She is admitted to practice before all California state courts, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, and the U.S. Tax Court.
For nearly 30 years, I’ve helped individuals, families, and business owners protect what they’ve worked hard to build—whether that means protecting a family legacy through thoughtful estate planning or protecting a business and brand through federal trademark registration.
My practice focuses on two areas I genuinely enjoy: California estate planning and federal trademark law.
On the estate planning side, I work with individuals and families throughout California to create practical, personalized plans designed around their lives, their families, and the things that matter most to them. That includes revocable living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, advance health care directives, special needs planning, pet and equine planning, and strategies for avoiding probate.
I have a particular interest in working with horse owners and equine families, whose estate plans often involve considerations that don't fit neatly into a traditional estate planning checklist—from planning for the future care of horses to addressing ranch property, trailers, equipment, business interests, and other valuable equine assets.
My federal trademark practice allows me to work with entrepreneurs and business owners nationwide to protect the names, brands, products, and businesses they are building. I especially enjoy working with equine entrepreneurs and brands, but my trademark clients come from a wide variety of industries.