Liza Hanks works with families of all ages to create estate plans that reflect their values and effectively transfer their assets to their heirs. Her practice includes the creation of living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, annual gifting trusts, and irrevocable life insurance trusts. In addition, she works with clients on probate issues and trust administration.

Prior to joining Structure Law Group, LLP, Ms. Hanks was the founder and owner of a successful solo estate planning law firm, FamilyWorks Estate Planning, from 2001-2008. Prior to founding FamilyWorks, Ms. Hanks was an associate at Cooley Godward LLP in the intellectual property licensing group and served as counsel for both the Santa Clara County Counsel’s Office and the Office of Legislative Counsel, State of California. She also served as Law Clerk for the Honorable Judge Betty B. Fletcher, of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ms. Hanks taught Estate Planning and Taxation at Santa Clara University Law School, 2003-2006, and is the author of the Busy Family’s Guide to Estate Planning, for Nolo, the nation’s leading publisher of self-help legal books.

Ms. Hanks earned a Juris Doctor Degree, with Distinction, from Stanford Law School (1996), where she served on the managing board of the Stanford Law Review. She received her Bachelor’s Degree, with Honors, in Political Theory, from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1984. She was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1997.