Allison Cherry Lafferty focuses her practice on estate planning, trust administration, and probate matters. She counsels individuals and families in the design and implementation of comprehensive estate plans, including revocable and irrevocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and advanced healthcare directives. Ms. Lafferty guides trustees and beneficiaries through all phases of trust administration, from the death of a settlor through final distribution, with an emphasis on efficient, dispute-free administration.

Drawing on decades of litigation experience — including complex commercial, fiduciary, and probate disputes tried through verdict — Ms. Lafferty brings a litigator’s perspective to her planning and administration work. She understands how disputes arise and how estate plans and trust administrations can be structured to minimize exposure and avoid costly litigation for her clients and their families.

When disputes do arise, Ms. Lafferty represents trustees and beneficiaries in trust and probate litigation, including breach of fiduciary duty claims, contested accountings, and will and trust contests.

Ms. Lafferty is currently the firm’s Managing Shareholder.

Representative Matters

• Counsels individuals and families in the preparation of revocable living trusts, pour-over wills, and ancillary estate planning documents.

• Represents business owners in succession planning and entity structuring in connection with estate planning objectives.

• Represents trustees and beneficiaries in probate and trust administration proceedings.

• Represents clients in trust and estate litigation, including breach of fiduciary duty claims and contested trust accountings.

• Represented a partner in the defense of a breach of fiduciary duty claim and obtained a defense judgment following a seven-day court trial.

• Ms. Lafferty currently serves on the Board of Directors of Oak Valley Bancorp and its wholly-owned subsidiary Oak Valley Community Bank.

• Ms. Lafferty is a frequent speaker on non-profit board governance at the Westgate Center.

• Ms. Lafferty is a member of the Trial Attorneys of America and has been a speaker at its annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

• Ms. Lafferty was named a Northern California Super Lawyer® Rising Star in Civil Litigation by San Francisco Magazine in 2013 and 2014.

• Member, San Joaquin County Bar Association.

• Member, Consuelo M. Callahan, American Inn of Court.

• Member and Former Secretary, Board of Governors of the San Joaquin County Bar Association.

• Member and Former Chair, Stockton Arts Commission.

• Former President of the Board of Directors of the Stockton Civic Theatre, 2010-2015.

• Graduate of Leadership Stockton Class of 2002.

• Former Board of Director, Stockton Shelter for the Homeless.

• Former Member, Children’s Home of San Joaquin Auxiliary.

• Recipient of the Susan B Anthony Woman of Achievement Award, San Joaquin County Commission of the Status of Women, 2016.

• Published in the California Litigation Review, Evidence, Litigation Section of The State Bar of California in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.