Richard A. Heller
Contact Richard’s Case Manager: Veronica Montenegro
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Before retiring in 2019, Richard practiced law for 43 years. For the last 37 years, Richard was a trial lawyer handling a wide variety of business and Probate Court cases. Richard was recently selected by Best Lawyers as the 2019 San Diego “Lawyer of the Year” for his work in Litigation – Trusts & Estates. He had previously been selected as the 2016 San Diego “Lawyer of the Year” also for his work in Litigation – Trusts & Estates. For the last 17 years of his legal career, Richard was a partner at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP. He was the leader of Procopio’s Litigation Team for five years, from 2009 through 2013. He is a trial lawyer with extensive trial experience. His law practice emphasized complex high-stakes litigation involving trusts and estates and business and commercial litigation. Many Probate Court cases have a business and real estate component. Richard’s trial experience—including jury trials—proved quite valuable in handling such cases.
RATES:
$500 per hour
$300 non-refundable administrative fee per party
LEGAL CAREER & PRIOR EXPERIENCE:
- Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, Partner, 2002 to 2019
- Procopio Litigation Team Leader, 2009 to 2013
- Lodge & Heller, Co-Founder & Partner, 1987 to 2002
- Sole Practictioner, 1984 to 1987
- Eckmann, Lodge & Gatzake, Associate, 1981 to 1984
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Special Assistant to the Chair, 1978 to 1981
- U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Staff Counsel on Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, 1975 to 1978
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
- B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1971 (Political Science, Honors)
- J.D., University of San Diego, 1975 (San Diego Law Review Staff Writer)
- North San Diego County Bar Association, President, 1995
- American Inns of Court, Fiorenzo v Lopardo Chapter, Master (before retiring) and among founding members
- San Diego County Bar Association: Judicial Evaluation Committee Co-Chair, 1996; Judicial Evaluation Rules Revision Committee, 1999
ADR EXPERIENCE & SPECIALTIES:
Richard has lectured on trust, estate, and probate litigation and was the moderator and panel member for many years of the Continuing Education of the Bar course on estate and trust litigation.
ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS:
- The Best Lawyers in America, San Diego Lawyer of the Year (Litigation: Trusts and Estates), 2019
- The Best Lawyers in America, San Diego Lawyer of the Year (Litigation: Trusts and Estates), 2016
- (Litigation: Trusts and Estates), 2014
- The Best Lawyers in America (Litigation: Trusts and Estates), 2014 to 2021
- AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale Hubbell, since 1991
- San Diego Super Lawyers, 2011 to 2016, 2018
- The Daily Transcript Top Attorneys (Estate Planning/Probate & Trust), 2012Top Lawyers, San Diego Magazine, 2013 – 2018
HOBBIES & INTERESTS:
Cooking, travel and walking