Olga Álvarez

Law School
University of San Diego School of Law

Major Cases
I have represented trustees and beneficiaries in complex trust litigation cases, as well as personal representatives in a wide range of probate matters including ancillary administrations. At times, the complexity of a probate matter has little to do with the value of the assets, but instead, with the ability to manage the family dynamics. Although I enjoy the challenges of litigation, the focus of my practice is in estate planning and trust administration. I have assisted families in planning for the succession of their businesses, for maximizing their retirement assets, as well as handling their foreign assets.

Professional Background
Upon graduation from law school, I entered the field of business immigration. That knowledge has contributed greatly to my ability in addressing estate planning issues for foreign investors. Later, I joined a business litigation firm and became involved in a trust litigation matter which soon led me to the field of estate planning and probate administrations. In 2010, I joined a mid-sized downtown San Diego business and trial law firm in the estate planning and probate practice group, and became of counsel before leaving to start my own firm. My business partner John Heisner and I opened Heisner Álvarez in 2013, a La Jolla-based business, trusts and estates law firm. I have conducted several seminars on estate planning and charitable giving, and have been a speaker for the National Business Institute on the fundamentals of elder law, as well as its Probate Boot Camp. I have also published articles on will contests and the importance of health care directives.

Professional Affiliations
I am on the board of directors for Lawyers Club of San Diego and co-chair the Membership Committee. I also serve on the Board of Directors and as chairwoman of the Professional Advancement Committee for San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association. I am a member of the San Diego County Bar Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate Section, the Elder Law Section, and have served on the Probate Rules Committee. I am also a member of the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform and have served as a speaker for the State Bar of California's Speakers Bureau for Financial Elder Abuse: “Identification and Prevention Program.”

Personal Affiliations
I have served on the Board of Trustees for the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and the History Center in Balboa Park.