David B. Shea has years of experience and knowledge of the substantive law, as well as, the technical legal rules applied to probate and trust disputes.  Mr. Shea is a Certified Specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law and practices exclusively in this area.           

Practicing for almost 20 years, Mr. Shea has engaged in numerous trials and appeals involving various estate, probate, trust, and financial elder abuse matters.

Experience relating to wills, trusts and conservatorships evolved through Mr. Shea’s efforts in preparing estate plans, administrating estates after death, preparing estate tax returns, and addressing capacity issues of individuals during their lifetime.  Concurrently, Mr. Shea was actively involved in business and general civil litigation.

Mr. Shea’s well rounded experience has included serving as a specially assigned prosecutor for the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office (TAP), completing jury trials, and serving as an Assistant City Attorney for the Cities of Ojai and Fillmore.  Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Shea was involved in implementing the California State Lottery for Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Disputes between family members following the death of a loved one are both challenging and emotional.  Dispute resolution involving the mediation process is often used and requires an independent set of skills.  Mr. Shea has extensive experience in trust and estate mediation, as well as, specific professional training in mediation and negotiation.

Mr. Shea writes and lectures on subjects related to estates, trusts and financial elder abuse.  He has been published in Citations (Ventura County Bar Association), as well as, the Ventura County Star.  Addressing trust and estate issues, Mr. Shea has lectured to senior groups, numerous professional organizations, law students, and business associations.

Active in the community, Mr. Shea has extensively volunteered his time at the Ventura County Self-Help Center addressing the needs of indigent clients relating to conservatorships, trusts and probate proceedings; with emphasis on assisting with accountings and other complex Probate Court issues.

Mr. Shea received his Juris Doctorate from Ventura College of Law, which was co-founded by his late grandfather, Richard E. Erwin.  This law school is firmly entrenched in Ventura County and has produced many successful attorneys and local Ventura County Judges.  On the lighter side, David and his wife enjoy the rural country living of Ventura County, water sports, horses, motorcycles and hiking.