80 Attorneys   |   45 Practice Areas   |   5 Locations

Kay U. Brooks

Shareholder

Sacramento

916.558.6055

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Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • California

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California

Experience

Kay is a shareholder in the Firm’s Trusts & Estates group.

She advises individuals and families on all aspects of Estate & Tax planning, including family trusts, wills, powers of attorney, health care documents, life insurance trusts, education trusts, charitable giving, business succession planning, gifting programs, and family business entities such as limited liability companies and family limited partnerships. She also assists clients with estate and gift tax issues, and probate and trust administrations.

Admitted to the State Bar of California in 1982, Kay began her legal career practicing business and corporate securities law in Los Angeles and Newport Beach. Kay and her family moved to the Sacramento area in 1990, and she established her own Estate Planning law practice in Placer County prior to joining the Weintraub firm.

Kay prepares high-quality, personalized estate and business succession plans for her clients, with an emphasis on addressing each client’s individual needs and concerns. Her clients appreciate her explanations and are able to resolve challenging planning issues with her guidance. Kay’s clients include sophisticated business owners as well as persons who have had limited occasion to work with legal counsel before, and her customized approach has enabled her to successfully advise clients with a broad range of planning issues.

Kay encourages collaboration among her clients’ advisors so that no issues are overlooked. In keeping with this practice, Kay enjoys her participation and leadership role in the Sacramento Estate Planning Council (“SEPC”), a local professional organization that promotes continuing education and collegiality for all advisors engaged in the area of estate planning services. Kay is a Past President of the SEPC.

Kay has appeared on two public service programs, “Your Money, Your Legacy,” and “You Can’t Take It With You,” which explained estate planning topics and aired regularly on Sacramento’s public television station, KVIE. She has been named as a Five Star Wealth Manager (SM) in Sacramento and a Northern California Super Lawyer. She served as an “Expert” on estate planning, wills and trusts in the Sacramento Bee’s column “Ask the Experts.”

Several Sacramento and Placer charitable organizations have also provided Kay opportunities to serve her community. Kay was a member of the Eureka Schools Foundation Board of Directors and Operating Committee from 1999-2002 and participated on the Planning Giving Committee for Sutter Roseville Community Hospital for many years. She has held positions on the Junior League of Sacramento Board of Directors and served on the Advisory Committee of the Assistance League of Sacramento. Kay is currently a member of the Steering Committee for the Philanthropic Advisors Forum.

Kay has received LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell’s highest “AV” Peer Review Rating for preeminent attorneys.

Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization

April 2003 – June 2023

State Bar of California, Taxation and Trusts and Estates Sections
Member

Sacramento County Bar Association, Probate and Estate Planning and Tax Law Sections
Member

Placer County Bar Association
Member

Sacramento Estate Planning Council
Past President

Meritas, Sacramento
Member

Assistance League of Sacramento Advisory Committee
Member 2002- 2004

Sutter Roseville Hospital
Member of Planned Giving Committee 2001- 2003

Eureka Schools Foundation
Board Director 1999- 2003

Junior League of Sacramento
Member 1990-1999
Board Service: Parliamentarian 1998- 1999, Recording Secretary 1993- 1994

Awards

The Best Lawyers of America©, 2018 – 2024 (Trusts & Estates)

The Best Lawyers of America©, Lawyer of the Year 2023 for Trusts & Estates (Sacramento)

Sacramento Business Journal’s Best of the Bar, 2017 – 2019

Sacramento Magazine’s Top Lawyers List, 2015 – 2023 –Estate Planning and Probate

American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Real Property

Top Rated Lawyer ™ in Trusts and Estates Law, 2013 and 2014

Sacramento Region Community Foundation 2018 Recipient of Don Poole Award

Northern California Super Lawyers, 2007, 2014-2023

Highest “AV Preeminent” (5 out of 5) Professional Rating
Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory

J.D., with honors, University of Texas, Austin, 1982

Order of the Coif

B.A., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1978

Phi Beta Kappa

Managing Risk: How To Protect Yourself In A Post-Giraldin World

A Seminar for Fiduciaries Summary of ProgramJoin the attorneys from Weintraub Tobin’s Trusts and Estates Group as they discuss the important legal and practical implications for trustees arising from the recent California Supreme Court decision in the Estate of Giraldin. Program Highlights You thought you knew to whom your fiduciary…

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Speaking Engagement: Philanthropic Advisor’s Forum Fall Forum

Trusts and Estates Attorney Kay Brooks was a panelist at the Philanthropic Advisors’ of Greater Sacramento’s Fall Forum on Monday, September 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. The forum: “Exploring Creative Solutions with Charitable Case Studies” will be a lively, interactive experience and is intended for professional advisors. Drinks and…

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Speaking Engagement: Prop. 8, DOMA, and Thoughts on Same-Sex Planning in CA

The United States Supreme Court recently issued its decisions in United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry, striking down the portion of the Defense of Marriage Act that prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriages and rejecting the ballot proponents’ defense of California’s Proposition 8, respectively. Weintraub Tobin attorneys Kay…

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35 Weintraub Attorneys Named to 2021 Northern California Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists; Firm Retains Highest Percentage of Sacramento Top 25 List

Weintraub Tobin is pleased to announce that 38 of its attorneys have been included on the 2021 Super Lawyers and Rising Star lists for outstanding attorneys in Northern California.  In addition, 4 Weintraub Tobin attorneys received special recognition on Northern California and Sacramento “Top” lists. Weintraub attorneys represent 16 percent…

33 Weintraub Tobin Attorneys Named to 2020 Northern California Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists; Retain Highest Percentage of Sacramento Top 25 List

Weintraub Tobin is pleased to announce that 33 Weintraub Tobin attorneys have been included on the 2020 Super Lawyers and Rising Star lists for outstanding attorneys in Northern California.  In addition, 5 Weintraub Tobin attorneys received special recognition on Northern California and Sacramento “Top” lists. Weintraub attorneys represent 20 percent of…

14 Weintraub Tobin Attorneys Named to Best of the Bar 2019

SACRAMENTO, California  – Weintraub Tobin congratulates its 14 attorneys who have been included in Sacramento Business Journal’s Best of the Bar 2019. Attorneys selected to the 2019 Best of the Bar list include Gary L. Bradus, Kay U. Brooks ,Dale C. Campbell,  Christopher Chediak, Janet Z. Chediak, Jim Clarke,Edward J.…