Denise Stich
Senior Counsel
Services & Specializations
Admissions
California
Address
525 B Street, Suite 2200, San Diego, CA 92101
Office Tel.
619.906.5656
Fax
619.744.5484
Overview
Denise advises clients on a wide range of tax and client matters, including individual and joint estate and tax planning for mid-size and high value estates, preparation of federal gift and estate tax returns, and fiduciary and beneficiary representation for administration of trusts and decedent’s estates in California and ancillary jurisdictions.
Denise is a retired U.S. Navy Captain with over 28 years of military experience. While in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, she served as an Inspector General and provided legal services at the headquarters, command, and individual level on a wide range of issues such as the laws of armed conflict, investigation of major operational incidents, adjudication of personal and criminal misconduct, and legislative and administrative matters. Today she fulfills her passion for service by providing a compassionate, thorough and personalized approach to each client’s matter.
- Represented the trustee and primary beneficiary of a deceased spouse and helped the client resolve the contentious division of a community property estate involving family owned businesses.
- Represented a fiduciary client in administering a large decedent’s estate requiring an estate tax return, disposition of difficult assets, distributions to individual and charitable beneficiaries and sub-trust, and collection of asset requiring ancillary probate in foreign country.
- Assisted in the representation of a surviving spouse to obtain relief through a private letter ruling in order to file a timely estate tax return for the portability election.
- Assisted in the representation of beneficiaries of a cross-border decedent’s estate; assisted with preparation and filing of federal estate tax return and drafted complex beneficiary agreement to obtain court approval of distribution of the ancillary estate in California.
- Assisted in the representation of fiduciaries responsible for the trust administrations of high net worth decedents requiring preparation and filing of estate tax returns, valuation and collection of numerous assets, and creation and funding of resulting sub-trusts.
- Wiley W. Manuel Certificate Award for Pro Bono Legal Service, 2016
- Master of Laws, Taxation, University of San Diego School of Law, 2020
- Master of Laws, International Law, University of San Diego School of Law, cum laude, 2000
- JD, Santa Clara University School of Law, summa cum laude, 1993
- BS (English with Distinction), U.S. Naval Academy, 1986
- Co-author. “Scammers are Seeking to Steal Your Property Using Wild Deeds: What One Municipality is Doing About It,” April 30, 2024.
- Presenter. “What is an Estate Plan,” San Diego Planning Partnership Educational Workshops on Estate Planning and Long-Term Care.
- Editor. “Handbook for Probate Executors, Administrators or Personal Representatives” (2022-2023), Probate Attorneys of San Diego.
- San Diego County Bar Association – Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law and Military Law Sections
- Probate Attorneys of San Diego – PASD Handbook Committee
- Estate Planning Group Network
- California Lawyers Association – Trusts and Estates Section
- Voices for Children, Court Appointed Special Advocate, 2015 – 2020
- Armed Services YMCA of San Diego, Board of Management 2017 – 2022, Advisory Board 2023 – present
