Judy S. Bae

Law School
University of San Diego School of Law

Major Cases
Probate litigation involves family/sibling disputes, so each case is a major event in my clients’ lives. The matters are a unique mix of facts and personalities — each family has its story and there are always at least two sides. I represent every side — from those suspecting that their evil sibling manipulated their parent(s); the "evil" siblings who lovingly cared for their parent and was "rewarded" with the entire estate; charitable organizations forced to sue trustees who mysteriously fail to account for all assets and have failed to distribute; and trustees that deal with beneficiaries who complain every step of the way.

Professional Background
I began with genius plans for a career in medicine. After attending medical school for two miserable years, I took a break to answer, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Eventually the light bulb went off and I was reading about peppercorns, Blackacre and International Shoe. At my first job with a local insurance defense firm, I litigated premises liability and bodily injury cases. In 2005, I joined Miller Monson and now litigate probate, business and real estate matters. Litigation is story-telling — but you start out not knowing the story and through the process you ultimately end with telling the story to a judge/jury, and in some instances, to your client who thought he/she knew it best!

Professional Affiliations 
I am a Board Member of the Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego and am an At-Large Member for the Estate Planning, Trust and Probate division of the San Diego County Bar Association. I belong to the following organizations: Lawyers Club; Probate Attorneys of San Diego; and San Diego Defense Lawyers. I have mentored new attorneys through the San Diego County Bar Association — New Lawyer Division’s mentoring circle program. I also volunteer as a Mandatory Settlement Conference pro-tem with the Probate Court. 

Personal Background
I have the greatest parents who are thrilled that their daughter did not wind up a med school dropout, living on their couch. My childhood library trips to borrow yet another Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys book was the genesis of my love for a good mystery and unraveling what happened. My little brother is my biggest defender — he gets to insult me all he wants, but do not say anything bad about me to his face, that’s his job. I rescued my dog, Toby, from my parents when she and her sister decided that they could no longer live together.