MatthewR.
Owens

Partner
LINKEDIN
Matthew Owens

Overview

Matthew Owens is a partner in the Business Trial Practice Group in the firm's San Diego office.

Matt focuses his practice on trust, estate, and inheritance disputes. He has prosecuted and defended a wide range of private wealth matters, including trust contests, elder abuse actions, accountings, contested conservatorships, foundation disputes, and claims involving breach of fiduciary duty. Matt also advises trustees on complex trust administration. His clients include high net worth individuals and families, corporate trustees, foundations and their board members, and licensed professional fiduciaries.

Matt is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), and a certified specialist in estate planning, trust, and probate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He frequently speaks and writes on trust and estate litigation topics, is a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM), and served as Chair of the Executive Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association's Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law Section. He was recognized in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2023 for Private Wealth Disputes – California, has been recognized as a Best Lawyers "Ones to Watch" each year since 2021, has been a Super Lawyers Rising Star each year since 2013, and was on Legal Week's Private Client "Ones to Watch" list in 2020-2021. Matt holds a B.A. from the University of Mississippi and a J.D. from Santa Clara University.

Credentials
Education

J.D., Santa Clara University, 2011

B.A., University of Mississippi, Honors College, 2007, cum laude

Admissions

California 

Honors

Chambers: Private Wealth Disputes, 2023-2025

Super Lawyers: Rising Stars, Trust and Estate Litigation, 2013-2024

Super Lawyers: San Diego Super Lawyer, Trust and Estate Litigation, 2025

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Trust and Estate Litigation, 2021-2025

Private Client Global Elite: Contentious Trusts and Estates, 2017-2021

Matthew Owens HNW 2024
Memberships

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

Member, Executive Committee, Trusts and Estates Section, California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM)

Editor-In-Chief, California Trusts & Estates Quarterly

Former Chair, Membership Marketing & Social Media Subcommittee of TEXCOM

Former Chair, Trusts and Estates Section, San Diego County Bar Association

Former Chair, San Diego Probate Bench-Bar Committee

Member, Probate Attorneys of San Diego

Thought Leadership

Speaker, “2025: The Year in Trust and Estate Litigation,” California Lawyers Association, February 12, 2026

Speaker, “Best Practices for Advising the Elderly in Light of Herren v. George S.,” Long Beach Bar Association, February 11, 2026

Speaker, “Legal Advice or Elder Abuse? Ethical Dilemmas When Advising the Elderly,” USC Trust and Estate Conference, November 21, 2025

Speaker, "Contested Nonprobate Transfers: When the Estate Plan Trumps," San Mateo County Bar Association, May 15, 2025

Speaker, “What Planners and Litigators Need to Know for 2025,” North County Estate Planning Council, April 1, 2025

Speaker, “Recent Developments in Trust, Estate, and Conservatorship,” San Luis Obispo County Bar Association, March 26, 2025

Speaker, “2024 Year in Review: Annual Update on Trust & Estate Law,” Professional Fiduciary Association of California, March 12, 2025

Speaker, “2024: The Year in Trust and Estate Litigation,” California Lawyers Association, February 24, 2025

Speaker, “2024 Year in Review: Annual Update on Trust and Estate Law,” Orange County Bar Association, February 11, 2025

Speaker, “2024 Year in Review: Annual Update on Trust and Estate Law,” San Diego County Bar Association, January 9, 2025

Speaker, “Let’s Get Digital! E-Discovery in Trust and Estate Litigation,” Marin County Bar Association, October 10, 2024

Speaker, “Guardians of Legacy: Trust & Estate Experts Unleashing Wisdom & Resolving Battles,” 9th Annual USD School of Law - RJS LAW Tax Institute, July 19, 2024

Speaker, “Annual Update on New Legislation and Case Law,” 29th Annual PFAC Educational Conference, May 17, 2024

Speaker, “Roadblocks on the Road to Probate Trials,” California Lawyers Association, April 3, 2024

Speaker, "Recent Developments in Trust, Estate, and Conservatorship Law," San Luis Obispo County Bar Association, March 20, 2024

Speaker, “Benefits of a Trusts and Estates Practice,” TEXCOM Panel at USD Law, February 27, 2024

Speaker, "Probate and Trust Litigation Year in Review," Bar Association of San Francisco, January 23, 2024

Speaker, “Trust Protectors: Guardians of the (Trust) Galaxy,” San Diego Estate Planning Council, January 16, 2024

Speaker, “2023 Annual Update on New Cases and Legislation (Trusts and Estates),” San Diego County Bar Association, January 8, 2024

Speaker, “What Planners and Litigators Need to Know for 2024,” North County Estate Planning Council, January 2, 2024

Speaker, "Estate Planning for Intellectual Property Rights," myLawCLE, November 27, 2023

Interviewee, “ Love and Lies in Idyllwild,” Disappeared TV Show on the Investigation Discovery Network, September 3, 2023

Co-Presenter, "Guardians of The (Trust) Galaxy: Trust Protectors Defined, Explained and Explored," Professional Fiduciary Association of California (PFAC), June 2, 2023

Co-Presenter, "Trust Protectors," Independent Trustee Alliance (ITA) Annual Conference, May 11, 2023

Co-Presenter, "Trust Protectors," California Lawyers Association, April 4, 2023

Co-Presenter, "Estate planning, trust, and probate law: 2022 year in review," Probate Attorneys of San Diego (PASD), March 15, 2023

Co-Presenter, "Overview of Trusts and Estates Practice," University of San Diego School of Law, February 23, 2023

Co-Presenter, "Trust protectors," Professional Fiduciary Association of California (PFAC), January 11, 2023

Co-Presenter, "Recent Developments in California Trusts and Estate Law," California Lawyers Association Annual Meeting, September 17, 2022

Co-Presenter, "Recent Updates on Cases, Statutes and Fiduciary Regulations in Trust and Estate Law," Professional Fiduciary Association of California (PFAC), May 6, 2022

Co-Presenter, "Virtual Lunch with Lawyers," California Western School of Law, August 16, 2022

Co-Presenter, "The Britney Effect: AB 1194 and Conservatorships in 2022," Orange County Bar Association, April 22, 2022

Co-Presenter, "Let's Get Digital! E-Discovery in Trust and Estate Litigation," California Lawyers Association (CLA), April 14, 2022

Co-Presenter, "What's Sacramento Up To? 2021 Legislation and its Impact on Fiduciaries," PFAC, San Diego Region, March 23, 2022

Co-Presenter, "Let's Get Digital! E-Discovery in Trust and Estate Litigation," San Mateo County Bar Association (SMBCA), March 17, 2022

Co-Presenter, "Recent Developments in Estate, Trust, and Probate Law," Probate Attorneys of San Diego (PASD), March 16, 2022

Co-Presenter, "Case and Statutory Updates in Estate, Trust and Probate Law and California Fiduciary Regulations," The 26th Annual PFAC Educational Conference, August 26, 2021

Co-Presenter, "Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law: 2020 Year in Review," Trust & Estate Section of the San Diego Bar Association webinar, April 1, 2021

Co-Presenter, "Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law: 2020 Year in Review," Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Section of the La Jolla Bar Association webinar, March 11, 2021

Co-Presenter, "Contested Nonprobate Transfers - When the Estate Plan Trumps," California Lawyers Association, February 26, 2021

Co-Presenter, "Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law: 2019 Year in Review," Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Section of the San Diego County Bar Association webinar, July 15, 2020

Presenter, "Contested Nonprobate Transfers: When the Estate Plan Trumps," Professional Fiduciary Association of California PFAC 2020 Annual Conference, June 4, 2020

Co-Presenter, "Wine Not? California's New Decanting Act," San Mateo County Bar Association Estate Planning & Probate Section, October 10, 2019

Co-Presenter, "Probate Court: New Attorney Fundamentals," San Diego County Bar Association, September 13, 2019

Co-Presenter, "Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law: 2018 Year in Review," San Diego County Bar Association, March 14, 2019

Co-Presenter, "Wine Not? California's New Decanting Act," First American Trust, February 4 and 6, 2019

Co-Presenter, "Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law: 2017 Year in Review," San Diego County Bar Association, March 1, 2018

Co-Presenter, "Incapacity & Undue Influence," PCT Associate Training, Estate Planning Series, December 14, 2017