Welcome, Estate Planning Clients of Howard Neal & Associates

The Montclair Village, Oakland Hills, California Offices of Howard Neal & Associates, Estate Planning, Living Trusts, and Trust Administration, are now operated by CunninghamLegal. As Attorney Howard Neal moves toward retirement, he has entrusted his documents and clients to our firm.

Howard Neal is taking steps toward retirement from his superb, and long-respected work in estate planning. I am deeply honored that Howard has chosen to entrust his clients to CunninghamLegal moving forward.

I know it’s not easy to lose a trusted advisor, but I also know that everyone here shares his passion for handling client affairs with ethics, expertise, and care. Howard will continue to be Of Counsel at CunninghamLegal, and we have already been working closely with him to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.

The Montclair Village office remains open to serve you at 6200 Antioch Street, Suite 202 Oakland, California 94611, phone (510) 339-0233. Our complete set of legal services is available, including California Estate Planning, Living Trust creation, Powers of Attorney, Healthcare Directives, Probate Representation, Trust Administration, Asset Protection,  Medi-Cal Planning, Elder Law, and much more.

View Our “Get to Know You” Webinar

I especially hope you will get a chance to view our get to know you webinar, available on the right side of this page, where we talk about our practice, and discuss some crucial estate planning issues arising from changing laws.

For over thirty-four years in Montclair Village, I have had the pleasure and privilege of serving you and other clients in estate planning matters…Now, I’ve made the decision to make the transition to retirement with the new year.

If you are a client of Neal & Associates, you should be receiving a letter in the mail informing you of Howard Neal’s transition to retirement, and the transfer of his practice to the hands of CunninghamLegal. In that letter, Howard had this to say:

“I have been giving this decision a lot of thought, and speaking with a number of attorneys about how best to take the next steps. I am pleased to inform you that I have agreed to transition my practice into the capable hands of attorney Jim Cunningham and his firm CunninghamLegal. Jim is a second-generation attorney who, like me, has devoted his career to estate planning and business law. He is a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law. I trust that you will enjoy meeting Jim and benefitting from the energy and commitment he and his team will bring to their relationship with you.”

A Little About Us at CunninghamLegal

You will find that CunninghamLegal is a truly dynamic, forward-thinking firm staffed by seven attorneys at the forefront of the field. For more than 26 years, we have specialized in Living Trusts, Estate Planning, Trust Administration, Probate, and Elder Law. As founder of CunninghamLegal, I am a second-generation attorney who, like Howard, dedicated his entire career to these issues. Importantly, I’m also one of the very few California State Bar Certified Specialists in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law. Our firm is proudly “medium-sized” and stable, with offices throughout California: big enough to handle anything, but small enough to know you personally.

Free, No-Obligation Consultation

Are your estate documents up to date? Over time, assets change, the family evolves, and health issues arise—often rendering plans dangerously obsolete. Significant changes in estate law came in recent years (including the 2021 Prop 19 changes to Prop 13!) which may well require adjustments to your plan. We are happy to meet with you for a free consultation via phone or Zoom, or just give us a call at (510) 339-0233.

Use Form on this Page to Update Your Contact Info

In any case, please urgently fill out the form on this page to update your contact information with the Montclair Village office, and give us a brief idea of your current Estate needs.

Securing Your Documents & Going Green

Rest assured that documents previously held at the offices of Neal & Associates are secure. In order to better store and retrieve documents at CunninghamLegal, we are presently going green by converting critical documents to electronic form for long-term safekeeping. After 90 days, we will be scanning all documents provided to us by the Neal office for retention, then securely shredding and disposing of the paper versions. If you would like to retrieve the document originals, please call the office at (510) 339-0233 right away, and we can determine how best to get your files to you.

Try One of Our Weekly Online Legal Webinars

We invite you to check out our weekly online live legal webinars, where we cover vital topics and take your questions. Please check out our archive of legal webinars and sign up for one of the upcoming topics.

You might also pick up a copy of my bestselling book, Savvy Estate Planning: What You Need to Know Before You Talk to the Right Lawyer—an eye-opening look at the whole topic. And consider following us on Facebook to stay current with all the upcoming webinars and events.

New Contact Information Sheet to Insert in Your Estate Plan

We suggest you download this PDF, and print it out to include in the front of your existing Estate Plan to alert your Trustee and Beneficiaries that CunninghamLegal retains existing documents, and can administer your Trust on your passing.

Again, Welcome!

Everyone here at CunninghamLegal stands ready to answer any questions you may have, provide our expert guidance, and take care of all your Estate Planning needs in the fastest, most expert way. The well-being of you and your loved ones is our first and only priority.

We look forward to meeting you soon by phone or videoconference. Meanwhile, please accept my sincere welcome…and stay safe!

Best, Jim
James L. Cunningham Jr., Esq.
Founder, CunninghamLegal