S. Andrew Pharies practices in all aspects of domestic and international estate planning, trust and estate administration, tax planning, charitable planning, family business planning, and dispute resolution. Mr. Pharies is a certified specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
Mr. Pharies is a 1992 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Oregon Law Review, and a graduate of the University of California, Riverside.
Admissions
- California
- U.S. Tax Court
Education
- University of Oregon School of Law, J.D., 1992
- Editor-in-Chief, Oregon Law Review - University of California, Riverside, B.S., 1989
Experience
- Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2022-present - DLA Piper LLP
- Partner, 2012-2022 - Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP
- Partner, 2000, 2009-2012
- Associate, 1996-1999 - Ferrette, Alcorn, Pharies & Dorgan ALC LLP
- Shareholder, 2001-2009 - Musick, Peeler & Garrett LLP
- Associate, 1994-1996 - Thomas, Snell, Jamison, Russell & Asperger
- Associate, 1992-1994
Professional Activities
Certified Specialist, Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
Fellow, American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel (ACTEC)
- UCLA-CEB Estate Planning Institute
- Member, Advisory Board - State Bar of California, Trusts and Estates Section
- Former Member, Executive Committee
- Chair of Tax Subcommittee
- Editor-in-Chief of California Trusts and Estates Quarterly - Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners, holding the designation of "Trusts and Estates Practitioner"
- American Bar Association, Section of Real Property, Probate & Trust Law
- Former Chair, Committee on Estate Planning Issues for Owners of Community and Marital Property
Honors and Awards
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2013-2024
Listed in San Diego Super Lawyers for Trusts and Estates
- AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®
Civic and Charitable Activities
Pro Bono Counsel, Rainforest Alliance
Pro Bono Counsel, Doctors Without Borders
Former Member, Scripps Health Professional Advisory Committee
Former Member, Board of Directors, Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego
Former Member, Board of Directors, Palomar Pomerado Health Foundation
Former Pro Bono General Counsel, Martin Bayless Foundation
Former Member, Planned Giving Council, Home Start
Former Member, Board of Directors, Camp Fire Boys and Girls of Los Angeles
Selected Publications
Co-author, “Portability: The Basics and Beyond,” California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, Vol. 18, Issue 4
Co-author, “The Accidental Foreign Trust,” Tax Management Estates, Gifts and Trusts Journal, Vol. 36, and California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, Fall 2010
“Community Property Aspects of IRAs and Qualified Plans,” Probate and Property, 1999 (Winner of Excellence in Writing Award for Best Cutting-Edge Article)
Selected Speaking Engagements
Speaker, "California Developments," UCLA-CEB Estate Planning Institute, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Speaker, “Year-End Tax Planning,” Estate Planning Council of San Diego, San Diego, December 2020 and 2021
Speaker, “Year-End Tax Planning,” Scripps Health Advisory Council, San Diego, November 2019
Panelist, “Warring Siblings, Second Spouses, and Quirky Personalities: The Neuroscience of Handling Difficult Beneficiaries,” ACTEC Annual Meeting, La Quinta, California, March 2019
Speaker, "Estate Planning for the Problematic Beneficiary," 52nd Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, University of Miami, Orlando, Florida, 2018; Tulane Tax Institute, 2019, Washington Estate Planning Institute, 2019
Speaker, “UPMIFA – What You Need to Know,” Estate Planning Council of San Diego, San Diego, February 2019
“Estate Planning in Anticipation of a Contest or a Difficult Beneficiary ,” Tulane Tax Institute, New Orleans, November 2018
Speaker, “Estate Planning In Anticipation of a Contest or a Difficult Beneficiary,” University of Washington Estate Planning Institute, Seattle, January 2018
Panelist, "Current Developments," ACTEC Annual Meeting, Marco Island, Florida, March 2015
Speaker, “Topic: What’s Hot and What’s Not in Estate Planning 2012, 2013; Transfer Tax Bootcamp; Portability: The Basics and Beyond,” ALI-ABA Estate Planning In Depth, Madison, Wisconsin, June 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Speaker, "The Brave New World of Basic Estate Planning," USC Tax Institute, Los Angeles, January 2012
Panelist and Moderator, "Recent Developments in Estate Planning and Administration," University of California – Continuing Education of the Bar, San Diego, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012
Speaker, "International Estate Planning for the Domestic Practitioner," State Bar of California, Trusts and Estates Section, San Francisco, November 2011
Speaker, "Case Studies in International Estate Planning," University of San Diego – Procopio International Tax Institute, San Diego, October 2011
Speaker, “International Estate Planning for the Domestic Practitioner and International Life Insurance Issues,” Northwestern Mutual Financial National Meeting, Chicago, October 2011
Speaker, “Recent Developments in Transfer Tax Law,” Bar Association of North San Diego County Probate Section, 2011
Speaker, “The Accidental Foreign Trust,” Annual Meeting of the State Bar of California, Monterey, 2010
Speaker, “Primer on Commercial Annuities for Trusts and Estates Lawyers,: UCLA-CEB Estate Planning Institute, Los Angeles, 2010
Speaker, “2010 Transfer Tax Law,” Bar Association of North San Diego County, Probate Section, 2010
Speaker, “2010 Transfer Tax Law,” San Diego County Bar Association, Joint Meeting of Tax Section and Trusts and Estates Section, 2010
Speaker, “International Life Insurance Planning,” San Diego County Bar Association, International Section, 2010