Bar Admission

State Bar of California, January, 1971
US Federal District Courts: California: Central, 1971, Southern, 1974
State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization, Certified Specialist: Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Law

Professional Associations

State Bar of California, Trusts & Estate section
Estate Planning Tech­niques, Post-Death, Law Revision Study Team – Committee Member
Trust & Estates Section [formerly: Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section];
Probate Law and Administration Committee; Estate Planning Techniques, Pre-Death Committee; Estate Planning Techniques, Post-Death Committee; Litigation Subcommittee – Member

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
Elected as a Fellow, 1991
Elder Law, Guardianship and Health Law Committee – Member, 1992 – 1994 Subcommittee – Legal Alternatives to Guardianship – Member, 1993 – 1994 Subcommittee – Elder Abuse and Fraud, Member 1999 – 2000,Chair-person 2004 -2008 Subcommittee – Assisted Living and Financing Alternatives, Co-Chairperson, 2000 – 2003
Fiduciary Litigation Committee – Member, 1994 – Present
Subcommittee – Will & Trust Contests – Member, 1994 – Present, Chairperson 2003 – 2008
Subcommittee – Elder Abuse Litigation – Chairman, 1997 – 1999
Case Note Co-Reporter, 2009 – 2010

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
Member – 1997 – present

Los Angeles County Bar Association
Probate, Trust and Estate Planning Litigation Sub-Committee – Founding Co-Chairman, 1991-2008
Executive Committee, Trust and Probate Section (1983-1986, 1996 – 1999, 2005 – 2008) – Ex-Official Member 2009 – 2012

Beverly Hills Bar Association
Probate, Trust and Estate Planning Committee – Member, 1973-Present, Past Chairman (1980-1981), Vice Chairman, Secretary/Treasurer
Pro Per Guardianship Project, Planning Committee – Member
Trust and Estate Planning Section, Taxation Section, Business Law Section – Member

Professional Recognition

State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization, Certified Specialist:  Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Law, 1991 – Present.
State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization, Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Advisory Commission, Commissioner, 1999 – 2002.
Who’s Who in American Law
Southern California Super Lawyer, 2005 – 2017.
California State Controller’s Advisory Probate Referee Interview Panel, Member (1996, 1997, 1999 and 2001).
Advocates of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles (1998 – 2002).
Judge – National Civil Trial Competition, 2004 – 2013 and 2015.

Publications & Editing

Author:

Inventory and Appraisement chapter, California Decedent Estate Practice, Continuing Education of the Bar, 1986
Trust Administration, Some Basics – Part I, Los Angeles Paralegal Association Reporter, October 1991 (Volume 20, Issue 10)
Modification, Termination or Revocation of Trusts chapter, Probate Litigation, Continuing Education of the Bar, in process
The Tort of Interference with Expected Inheritance – A New California Prospective,  American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, March 2014 – Meeting Materials for Fiduciary Litigation Committee – Will/Trust Contest Sub-Committee lecture at Tucson, Arizona

Co-Author:

How to Live – and Die – With California Probate, Second Edition, 1984
How to Live – and Die – With California Probate, Third Edition, 1991
California Decedent Estate Practice, Continuing Education of the Bar [Revised and updated version, in preparation]
Settlement Agreements: Considerations When Negotiating, Drafting and Enforcing Settlement Agreements Involving Probate, Trust and Guardianship Disputes, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, June 2012 – Meeting Materials for Fiduciary Litigation Committee – Will/Trust Contest Sub-Committee lecture at Colorado Springs, Colorado
Settlement Agreements: Considerations When Negotiating, Drafting and Enforcing Settlement Agreements Involving Probate, Trust and Guardianship Disputes, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Annual Meeting March 2017 – Meeting Materials for Seminar at Annual Meeting at Scottsdale, Arizona

Editor:

Case in Point column, Newsletter of the Probate and Trust Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, 1983-1985

Professional Speaking

Beverly Hills Bar Association – Trust & Estates Section, July 2012 – “Hill Street Blues: Fiduciary Reports and Accountings – How to Compel and Defend Them” [With Carmen Alberio and Lynard Hinojosa]

Santa Monica Bar Association – Probate & Trust section, November 2012 – “Be Prepared to Get That For Which You Ask: Musings on Settlement Provisions for Contests of Wills and Trusts and for Conservatorship Matters”

Other Activities/Memberships

Gary has extensive knowledge of American and Native American art. Also, he serves on the board of directors of various charities, including:

Thelma Pearl Howard Charitable Foundation:

1. Founding Director, 1994 – date.

2. President and Chairman of the Board, 1994 – date.

Autry Western Heritage Museum

1. Trustee (2012 – present);

A. Committee Member – Collections Committee, (2012 – present);

B. Committee Member – Institute Committee (2012 – 2015)  (1) Sub-Committee Member – Maverick III Prize (2013)

C. Committee Member – Reparations Committee (2012 – 2015; Chairman 2013 – 2015)

D. Committee Member – Interpretation and Research Committee (2015 – present)

2. Southwest Museum Development Committee (1988-1989); Gala Committee (1988-1992);

3. Southwest Museum Collector’s Club – Vice Chairman (1989-1990).

4. Sponsor: Native Marketplace – Best of Classification – Jewelry (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017)

5. Friends of the Native Marketplace (2012-2016)