Kate Kostrzewa, Esq is a real coastside gem! Kate is a true gem we are so lucky to have on the Coast. My wife and I utilized her services for our revocable living trust and other estate issues and she was not only down to earth and highly knowledgeable but also very reasonable and easy to work with. A former litigator with a Silicon Valley Law Firm, Kate has the knowledge and experience to draft documents in plain English that will help you and your heirs avoid disputes and costly court battles. We cannot praise her enough and heartily recommend her.
We are so happy to have stumbled upon KDK Legal when we needed her services (I had fortuitously clipped and saved an article on Kate in the HMB Review). She turned out to be everything one could hope for — and more! Kate is at the top of her game, with all the necessary material at her fingertips. Her package deal offers outstanding value. She guided us through a complicated process with minimum fuss and tears. I would not hesitate to recommend her to everyone.
I met Kate Kostrzewa through her husband Mark, a fellow musician, and we chatted about our professional lives a bit. It turned out that Kate was an estate planning and probate attorney as well as a fellow Cal Berkeley Golden Bear. When Kate informed me that she was opening her own legal practice, I assured her I would be one of her first clients – for the record, I’m turning 40 next year and thought I should have a will prepared. Kate was outstandingly coherent, thoughtful and accommodating, both to my needs as well as my lack of legal knowledge. She was able to easily and swiftly knock out a somewhat complicated will, and I would not hesitate to return for her services in the future. ‘Painless and professional to the Tee.’
If you are looking for a trusted advisor or excellent representation, look no further, as Kate Kostrzewa is your advocate. At first, an estate plan appeared to be a daunting task involving very difficult decisions. Thankfully, Kate patiently and methodically guided me along the way. Most importantly, she explained why I needed to do certain things to have the desired outcome and explained what the ramifications would be if I did not. Her ability to keep me calm and focused was extremely helpful. Throughout the whole process, I knew that I was in the right hands and am so happy I decided to seek her services.
Kate Kostrzewa was introduced to us by a friend and we immediately sought her advice on how to proceed. Kate’s background and demeanor created a comfortable environment for the three of us to discuss and document our situation now and into the future. Kate understood the various ways we could structure our Family Trust document. She was efficient, thorough, and accurate with the document. It was comforting and a pleasure to work with her.
We came to know Kate Kostrzewa (and family) quite coincidentally after we rescued puppies from the same litter. Through our interactions during multiple puppy/people playdates, we came to appreciate Kate’s intelligence, education and professional background, as well as her proficiency in Spanish. Also readily apparent are Kate’s calm manner, good humor, powers of observation, and dedication to family and outside causes.
As a second coincidence, we were losing confidence in the work quality of a large trust preparation firm from whom we had obtained draft documents. Knowing of Kate’s professional specialty, and having confidence that she would do a good job at anything she undertook, we found the resolve to cut bait with the original company and start over with estate documents to be prepared by Kate and her firm. Kate presented us with a convincing proposal at a competitive price. The subsequent engagement was straightforward and relatively painless; no surprises.
Our legal situation is rendered somewhat complicated by being unmarried partners owning a home as tenants in common and with different inheritance chains for our shares in the property. Kate created a structure of primary, survivor, and bypass trusts to safely capture our intended distribution of assets under the various possibilities of survivorship, both of ourselves and the beneficiaries. While few lay persons find legal documents to be easy reading, we do believe that the final documents are as clear as the situation allows.
In the end, we are pleased to have had Kate prepare our estate documents — both in terms of process and final product. We can unreservedly recommend Kate’s estate planning and preparation services, especially if you looking for personalized attention and no bureaucratic hassles.
Kate, from KDK Legal, was recommended to us to take care of our family estate planning, not an easy task to address. Kate made the process as easy as was possible for us, guiding us every step of the way. She is efficient, professional, and very knowledgeable. It was a bonus to have Kate in town, saving us from a drive over the hill. We would absolutely recommend Kate to anyone.
I have known Kate Kostrzewa for over 30 thirty years and have always found her to be highly intelligent, thoughtful, and detail-oriented. Kate recently assisted me in creating an estate plan. She answered all of my questions and concerns and helped steer me through this unfamiliar territory.
I have known Kate for many years, when she was partaking of my massage therapy services. When it was time to re-do my Trust Documents, I was reminded that Kate was now providing that service, and I thought, “how perfect!”. I knew she was very intelligent, passionate about any work she took on, detail oriented, determined to complete the goal, and fearless in taking on new challenges, and fun to be with!
It was a pleasure working with Kate restating my Trust Documents. Her Documents were much more thorough than my last Documents, and included documents that I didn’t even have. She patiently answered all my questions, explained things clearly, was encouraging, and gave useful advice.
I highly recommend Kate for your estate planning needs.