Alma Soongi Beck is certified as a specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law by the State Board of Legal Specialization. Alma’s practice focuses on trusts, charitable planning, gift and estate tax planning and post-death administration including trust administration and probate.

She also offers consultations and seminars on the legal and tax implications of domestic partnership, marriage and property co-ownership for same sex and unmarried couples, as well as on the evolution of parentage and gender in estate planning. Alma also advises and presents on Land Back to Indigenous Tribes for titleholders, Tribes and Indigenous nonprofit organizations.

Alma recently served as Co-Chair of both the Horizons Foundation Professional Advisors Circle and the San Francisco Foundation Professional Advisors Council. She has previously served on the boards of the Transgender Law Center, Our Family Coalition, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF) and the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California (KABANC). Prior to joining Lathrop GPM, Alma was a partner at Lakin Spears, LLP, as well as founder and principal attorney for The Beck Law Group, P.C.

Areas of Focus

Services

Credentials

Education

  • Golden Gate University School of Law (LL.M., Taxation)
  • Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.)
  • Yale University (B.A.)

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1998

Recognitions

  • Northern California Super Lawyers, 2017-Present
  • AIDS Legal Referral Panel,  Attorney of the Year, 2007
  • Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, “Outstanding Services to the Legal Community,” 2007
  • Golden Gate Business Association, "Business Advocate of the Year, Individual," 2006

Presentations

  • Presenter, "Estate Planning Decisions for Unmarried and LGBTQ+ Couples and State Recognized Domestic Partners," California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) Annual Conference, November 23, 2024
  • Presenter, "Land Back to Indigenous Tribes & Tribal Organizations," Lathrop GPM Native American Heritage Month Webinar, November 20, 2024
  • Presenter, "Land Back to Indigenous Tribes and Tribal Organizations," San Mateo County Bar Association (SMCBA) New Attorney Group, November 12, 2024
  • Presenter, "Estate Planning for the LGBTQ Community and Unmarried Couples," Santa Cruz County Estate Planning Council, Santa Cruz County Bar Association, October 10, 2024

Publications

Marriage and Domestic Partnership

  • “California State Domestic Partnership Expanded Speaking Engagements,” March 1, 2020
  • “The Expanding Definition of Parenthood,” March 1, 2020
  • “The Property Tax Trap for Unmarried Couples and Avoiding the Pitfalls of Property Co-Ownership,” February 1, 2016
  • “How Transmutation to Community Property Can Save Hundreds of Thousands for Married Couples (and Domestic Partners too),” October 29, 2015
  • “Post-Obergefell—California Same-Sex Couples and the New Era of Federal and State Marriage Recognition,” August 7, 2015

  • “Who Should Get Married After DOMA Repeal – or, Why You Should Walk (Not Run) to City Hall,” June 13, 2015
  • “Till the Emergency Room Do Us Part: How Your Advance Health Care Directive Can Help You and Your Partner Stick Together,” December 31, 2009
  • “Capital Gains Tax Advantages for Married Couples and California State Domestic Partners: The “Double Step-Up” and How to Take Advantage of It,” November 5, 2006
  • “Popping the Big Question: Will You Be My California Domestic Partner?,” September 16, 2006

Property Tax Issues for Unmarried, Non-Domestic Partnered Co-Owners

  • “The Property Tax Trap for Unmarried Couples and Avoiding the Pitfalls of Property Co‐Ownership,” February 1, 2016
  • “More Fallout From Tax Rule Change,” December 13, 2013
  • “Property Tax Changes Could Affect Couples,” July 4, 2013
  • “The Move Away From Property Tax Protection for San Francisco City:  County Domestic Partners,” January 16, 2007
  • “California Senate Bill 565 Offers Greater Tax Protection for California State Domestic Partners,” April 16, 2006
  • “Avoiding Property Tax Reassessment for Unmarried Couples *Not* Registered as California Domestic Partners,” April 15, 2006

Other Estate Planning Issues

  • “The Art of Choosing a Fiduciary,” January 25, 2018
  • “Why Everyone Should Care About the New 2017 Medi-Cal Recovery Laws,” February 1, 2017
  • “Estate Planning, Your Family, and the Holidays,” December 16, 2015
  • “Critical Elder Law Issues in Estate Planning to Prevent Financial Crisis in One’s Golden Years,” November 12, 2015
  • “Debunking Myths about Medi-Cal, and How Planning Documents Can Protect Your Family and Assets,” June 16, 2014

Professional Activities

  • State Bar of California, Trusts and Estates Section
  • Silicon Valley Bar Association
  • San Mateo County Bar Association

Community Involvement

  • AIDS Legal Referral Panel, Volunteer Attorney
  • San Francisco Foundation (Emerita), Professional Advisors Council (former Co-Chair)
  • Horizons Foundation (Emerita), Professional Advisors Circle (former Co-Chair)
  • Climate Reality Project Bay Area Chapter, Climate Justice Co-Chair