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Sheppard MullinPartner
Adam F. Streisand

Adam F. Streisand

Not yet reviewed

Seventeenth Floor, Four Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111

Entertainment, Technology and Advertising, Litigation, Private Wealth and Fiduciary Litigation and 3 more

About Adam F. Streisand

Adam F. Streisand is a lawyer practicing entertainment, technology and advertising, litigation, private wealth and fiduciary litigation and 3 other areas of law. Adam F. received a B.A. degree from Trinity College in 1985, and has been licensed for 35 years. Adam F. practices at Sheppard Mullin in San Francisco, CA.

Adam F. Streisand (San Francisco, California)

Awards

AV Preeminent Peer Rated
This elite award is granted to attorneys who have been recognized by their peers for their very high ethical standards, with an average peer review score of 4.5 or higher.
Martindale-Hubbell Peer AV

Client Champion Awards

Client Champion awards recognize those attorneys who excel at service as affirmed by their clients. The awards, based on the quantity and quality of an attorney’s Martindale-Hubbell client reviews, demonstrate an ongoing commitment to delivering excellent client service. Award recipients stand out from their peers with a platinum, gold or silver icon.

Champion Badge Silver

At least three reviews and a score of 4.0 or higher.

Champion Badge Gold

At least six reviews and a score of 4.2 or higher.

Champion Badge Platinum

At least ten reviews and a score of 4.5 or higher.

Martindale Peer Awards

A lawyer who receives a minimum threshold of qualifying responses from fellow attorneys can qualify for one of three prestigious Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings:

Martindale-Hubbell Peer AV Preeminent Rating

AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.

Adam F. Streisand got this award in 2021

Martindale-Hubbell Peer Distinguished Rating

Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.

Martindale-Hubbell Peer Notable Rating

Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.

Avvo Awards

Avvo Top Contributor

Avvo Top Contributor: The Avvo Top Contributor Award is granted to attorneys who have earned significant contribution points in a given year on our sister site, Avvo.com. Contribution points are earned by answering questions in Q&A, publishing Legal Guides, and other useful contributions to the Avvo community.

Avvo Client Choice

Avvo Client’s Choice: The Avvo Client's Choice Award Badge is granted to attorneys with a significant number of 4+ star reviews in a given year.

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Services

Areas of Law

  • Litigation
  • Other 5
    • Entertainment, Technology and Advertising
    • Private Wealth and Fiduciary Litigation
    • Private Wealth Services
    • Nonprofit
    • Sports

Practice Details

  • Firm Information
    Position
    Partner
    Firm Name
    Sheppard Mullin
  • Representative Cases & Transactions
    Cases
    Experience: Numerous Multimillion-dollar Trial Victories for Petitioners: Mr. Streis
    is well-known for his victories in courtroom battles over celebrity estates, including the estates of Ray Charles, Marlon Br
    o, Rodney Dangerfield, Alan Thicke, Michael Crichton
    Barry White, his representation of Mrs. Katherine Jackson in the estate of Michael Jackson, Larry Birkhead in the estate of Anna Nicole Smith,
    Britney Spears in her conservatorship proceedings, among many others. Mr. Streis
    is equally acclaimed for his trial victories in some of the most complex cases in the probate courts. He obtained an eight-figure result for the widow of famed race car driver
    high-performance automotive designer, Carroll Shelby. Mr. Streis
    won a judgment in the eight figures, including an award of double damages, against a trustee, in a case involving the ownership of 70 real properties
    25 bank
    brokerage accounts, unwinding 40 years of fraudulent creditor
    tax avoidance schemes. (Follow the link to the Court of Appeal opinion affirming in full the trial court judgment.) Mr. Streis
    won three successive trials against a former trustee, obtaining judgments for a total of more than $10 million, double damages,
    attorneys' fees
    costs. Mr. Streis
    won a an action to remove a trustee together with $3 million in damages. Mr. Streis
    has won numerous will
    trust contests
    actions to remove
    impose damages on trustees
    other fiduciaries. He has won numerous cases involving family law matters, such as community property issues
    palimony claims,
    obtained an award of twice the highest legal guidelines for child support in California in a trial to compel a parent to pay adult child support of behalf of his severely mentally disabled son. Winning in trial is the best leverage for obtaining favorable settlements. For example, Mr. Streis
    obtained a $113 million settlement in an action by family members owning a minority interest in a public food service company against the CEO who was controlling the company as trustee of family trusts owning a majority block of the stock.
    Multiple Victories in the Defense of Multimillion-dollar Estates: On the defense side, Mr. Streis
    has achieved equally outst
    ing results. Mr. Streis
    won summary judgement in the estate of Douglas Tompkins, founder of The North Face
    Esprit apparel companies, defeating a contest with international implications
    preserving hundreds of millions of dollars dedicated to creating
    exp
    ing national parks
    wildlife preserves in Patagonia
    elsewhere in South America. After plaintiff rejected a $120 million settlement offer, a guardian ad litem for trust beneficiaries, who was a retired Judge of the Orange County Superior Court, tapped Mr. Streis
    to try the case for defendants. He succeeded in limiting plaintiff's community property claim in her husb
    's $350 million company to only $3.2 million. He achieved victory after a six-week trial in defense of a $25 million surcharge case, arising out of allegations of self-dealing by the trustee in redemptions of the trust's stock
    options in a private REIT, among other claims. Mr. Streis
    successfully defended a major law firm in a high-profile case alleging legal malpractice
    fraud. He successfully defended corporate trustees in a $57 million surcharge
    removal case, alleging self-dealing
    conflicts of interest. Mr. Streis
    won summary judgment for the trustees of the Mark Hughes Trust in an action to surcharge
    remove them based on allegations that as trustees
    as officers
    directors of Herbalife, the company founded by Mark Hughes, they enacted poison pills, golden parachutes
    other anti-takeover devices to entrench
    enrich themselves at the expense of the beneficiary. Mr. Streis
    won at trial to defeat a former trustee
    beneficiary who claimed millions in trustee fees
    damages based on breaches of fiduciary duty,
    millions in alleged trust distributions. Mr. Streis
    won four motions in a row for the primary beneficiary
    fiduciaries of a nine-figure estate of a prominent British Lord until the case was dismissed in its entirety. Plaintiffs claimed that the estate's representatives transferred assets through a worldwide web of trusts to deprive plaintiffs of their inheritance. Mr. Streis
    successfully defended the National Parkinson Foundation in a trial of a will contest by disgruntled beneficiaries claiming that the decedent improperly revoked his participation in mutual wills. The case was affirmed on appeal by the Second District Court of Appeal at 2003 WL198712. Mr. Streis
    won a trial of a will contest alleging fraud, undue influence
    lack of testamentary capacity concerning the $60 million estate of a prominent Canadian businessman. Mr. Streis
    successfully defended the estate of an octogenarian against a claim by an exotic dancer in her twenties that the decedent promised to leave half of his estate to her.
    Successful Representations of Celebrities in the Courts: Some of Mr. Streis
    's other victories in celebrity
    entertainment cases include his victory in obtaining the dismissal of palimony claims by Coco Johnson against comedian
    talk-show host Bill Maher. Mr. Streis
    won summary judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Beastie Boys
    Capitol Records in a l
    mark copyright case involving digital sampling
    affirmance on appeal in the 9th Circuit. Newton v. Diamond, et al., 349 F.3d 591 (9th Cir. 2003), 204 F.Supp.2d 1244 (C.D. Cal. 2002) (follow the link to see the 9th Circuit opinion) . Mr. Streis
    secured a multimillion-dollar judgment in an arbitration by proving that Franchise Pictures breached a distribution agreement for the motion picture Plan B starring Diane Keaton. Mr. Streis
    obtained a permanent injunction for the famed ocean explorer, Jacques Yves Cousteau, in an action against his son, Jean-Michel Cousteau, to protect against the commercialization of the Cousteau name by its use in connection with a Fiji resort.

Experience

  • Bar Admission & Memberships
    Admissions
    1991, California
    Memberships

    Memberships

    Steering Committee, Forum on International Wealth Disputes

    Former Member, Executive Committee, Section on Trusts and Estates, State Bar of California

    Former Executive Editor, California Trusts & Estates Quarterly

    fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)

    Member, Long-Range Planning Committee, Fiduciary Litigation Committee and Professional Responsibility Committee of ACTEC

    Member, Planning Committee of UCLA/CEB Estate Planning Institute

    Member, CEB Estate Planning Advisory Committee

    Member, Planning Committee of the USC Probate and Trust Conference

    Faculty Member, National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA)

    Former Chair, Trusts and Estates Section, Century City Bar Association

    Former Board Member, Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF)

    Former Member, Development Committee, Project Angel Food

    Former Member, Development Committee, Alzheimer's Association

    Volunteer Attorney, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, offering pro bono publico legal services to the poor and elderly

    Bar Fellowship
    American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
    •Attorney Member, National College of Probate Judges
    •Recipient, Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services, Board of Governors of the State Bar of California
    •Named in Southern California Super Lawyers in Trust & Estate Litigation, a Thomson Reuters business 92004-2015); Listed in the Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers (2014)
    •Named a Leading Lawyer in the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2010)
    •Named a Leading Litigator in the Lawdragon 500 America's Leading Trial Lawyers (2006)
    •Highest AV Preeminent (5 out of 5) Professional Rating, Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
    •Recommended in the CityWealth Leaders List by Jones Publishing Limited (2011-2014)
    •Leading Lawyer, Chambers USA, 2015

    Articles

    •Tortious Interference With Inheritance: Is It A Brave New World In California? Part II

    California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, 2012
    •Tortious Interference With Inheritance: Is It A Brave New World In California? Part I

    California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, 2012
    •Mental Disorders That Erode Capacity

    ABA Trust & Investments, November 2009
    •A Lawyer's Guide to Diminishing Capacity and Effective Use of Medical Experts in Contemporaneous and Retrospective Evaluations

    American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Journal, Fall 2008
    •Nine Things Entertainment Lawyers Should Know About Probate

    The Hollywood Reporter, November 6, 2007
    •Rumors Of Their Death Are Greatly Exaggerated: The Pre-Death Will Contest and Other Strategies in Conservatorship Litigation

    California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, Spring 2006
    •Gone But Not Forgotten - Celebrity Estates and Intellectual Property Rights

    California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, Spring 2005
    •No Contest Clauses Need To Be Reformed, Not Abolished

    California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, Summer 2004
    •The PI Lawyer: Different Animal, Same Stripes

    California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, Spring 2004
    •Tapping The Trust To Fund The Battle: When Trustees Can Use Trust Funds To Litigate With Beneficiaries

    California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, Spring 2003
    •The Jury Is Back: Where There's A Will, Finding New Ways

    California Trusts and Estates Quarterly, Spring 2002

    Media Mentions

    •Lawyer Limelight: Adam Streisand

    Lawdragon, October 25, 2015

    Speaking Engagements

    •CEB Advanced Trusts and Estates Litigation, March 2015
    •Century City Bar Association's 47th Annual Installation Banquet & Awards Ceremony, March 2015
    • Legal and Ethical Dilemmas in Representing Clients with Diminished Capacity, CalCPA Annual Conference, January 2015
    • Consider That A Divorce: Litigating the Post-Death Divorce, 40th Annual USC Trust and Estate Conference, November 2014
    • Brain Mappers: The New Maggellans, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, November and June 2014
    • Intentional Interference with Inheritance: Is it a Brave New World in Probate? State Bar of California Webinar, April 2013
    • Intelligent Planning for Intellectual Property, Heckerling Institute in Estate Planning, January 2013
    • Ethical Challenges in Estate Planning and Administration, 2012 Professional Advisor Speaker Series, Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, October 2012
    • Malpractice and Ethics Issues for Estate Planners, San Fernando Valley Estate Planning Council, May 2012
    • Rumors of Their Deaths May Be Exaggerated: Conservatorships and Pre-Death Litigation, USC Trust & Estate Conference, November 2011
    •Advanced Trust and Estate Litigation (CEB), December 2010
    • Current Ethical Issues for Estate Planners, ALI-ABA and American College for Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), October 2010
    • Malpractice Melee: Fighting off the Disgruntled and Disappointed, A T&E Lawyers Field Guide, American Academy of Estate Planners Annual Conference, October 2010
    • Copy This: Intelligent Planning for Intellectual Property Rights, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), April 2010
    • Will Contest or Contest of Wills, Life After 21320, Orange County Bar Association, February 2010
    • Litigation and Settlements - Estate and Income Tax Issues, Advanced Estate Planning Institute, CalCPA Education Foundation, January 2010
    • Malpractice Melee: Fighting off the Disgruntled and Disappointed, A T&E Lawyers Field Guide, November 2009
    • Dealing with the Difficult or Impaired Client, American Bankers Association's Teleconference, November 2009
    • Ethical Issues Affecting Estate Planners, ALI-ABA and American College for Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) Webinar, October 2009
    • Lawsuits Against Lawyers for the Plan You Do and the Plan You Don't, ACTEC Annual Meeting, March 2009
    •Advanced Course on Trust and Estate Litigation, CEB, December 2008
    • No-Contest Clauses: The Never Ending Drama, State Bar Annual Meeting, September 2008 and State Bar Road Show, November 2008
    • Getting into the Client's (Testator's) Head: A Lawyer's Guide to Diminished Capacity and Use of Medical Experts, ACTEC Fall Meeting, October 2008
    • A Lawyer's Guide to Diminishing Capacity, UCLA/CEB Estate Planning Institute, May 2008
    • Will Contests, No-Contest Clauses and Safe Harbors, Center for Judicial Research and Education (CJER), November 2006
    • The Stripper, Playboy Playmate, and Reality Show Train Wreck, the Billionaire Oilman, a Scheming Son and Nine Supreme Court Justices: The Havoc Has Only Begun, Los Angeles County Bar Association, October 2006
    • How to Try and Defend Will and Trust Contests, State Bar Annual Meeting, October 2006
    • Estate Litigation: Tactical Issues, Case Studies and Resolution Scenarios, Advanced Course of Study, CEB, September 2006
    • No Contest Clauses: The Never Ending Drama, Orange County Estate Planning Council, September 2006
    •Anna Nicole Smith and the Probate Exception to Federal Court Jurisdiction, September 2006
    • To Tell The Truth (A T&E Lawyer's Version): Will My Real Client Please Stand Up? UCLA/CEB Estate Planning Institute, May 2006
    • May the Force Be With You: Private Attorney General Actions To Enforce Charitable Donations, Beverly Hills Bar Association, January 2006
    • Trust and Estate Litigation: Tactical Issues, Case Studies, and Resolution Scenarios, CEB, December 2005
    • Charlie Creditor and the Probate Factory: The Golden Ticket to Preserving Your Claim, USC Probate and Trust Conference, November 2005
    • Rip, Mix, and Burn, Baby! Will Digital Music Sampling Overtake the Music Industry? Los Angeles County Bar Association, November 2005
    • Trust and Estate Litigation: Pointers and Pitfalls, State Bar of California, November 2004
    • New Ideas to Keep Litigious Beneficiaries at Bay and Protect Trustees, Southern California Trust Officers Association, October 2004
    • Trust and Estate Litigation: Pointers and Pitfalls, Annual Meeting State Bar of California, October 2004
    • Estate Litigation: Strategies for Ending the Family Feud, CEB Los Angeles, October 2004, San Diego, September 2004
    • Demonstration of a Contested Trust Matter, Mock Trial Program State Bar of California, April 2004, November 2003
    • Estate and Trust Litigation, CEB, February 2004
    • Advanced Trial Skills, National Institute for Trial Advocacy, 2004, 2002, 2001, 1999
    • Will and Trust Contests, Century City Bar Association, August 2003
    • When Trustees Go Bad/When Beneficiaries Attack, Beverly Hills Bar Association, November 2002
    • Litigating Capacity and Undue Influence, Century City Bar Association, December 2001
    • Demonstration of a Disputed Will and Trust Matter, Mock Trial Program State Bar of California, August 2001
    • New Developments in Drafting No-Contest Clauses, Century City Bar Association, April 2001
    • Taking and Defending Depositions, National Institute for Trial Advocacy, 2001, 2000
    • Representing Trustees after Moeller and Boltwood, Century City Bar Association, May 2002 Member:

    Memberships

    •Member, Executive Committee, Section on Trusts and Estates, State Bar of California
    •Former Executive Editor, California Trusts & Estates Quarterly
    •fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
    •Member, Long-Range Planning Committee, Fiduciary Litigation Committee and Professional Responsibility Committee of ACTEC
    •Member, Planning Committee of UCLA/CEB Estate Planning Institute
    •Member, CEB Estate Planning Advisory Committee
    •Member, Planning Committee of the USC Probate and Trust Conference
    •Faculty Member, National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA)
    •Former Chair, Trusts and Estates Section, Century City Bar Association
    •Former Board Member, Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF)
    •Former Member, Development Committee, Project Angel Food
    •Former Member, Development Committee, Alzheimer's Association
    •Volunteer Attorney, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, offering pro bono publico legal services to the poor and elderly

  • Education & Certifications
    Law School
    American University
    Class of 1991
    J.D.
    cum laude; Honor Society, Editorial Staff, American University Law Review
    Other Education
    Trinity College
    Class of 1985
    B.A.
  • Personal Details & History
    Age
    Born in 1963
    June 9, 1963

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