James Burns: Experienced Estate Planning Attorney and Author in South Orange County, California
James Burns, Esq. is a seasoned attorney known for his expertise in estate planning, asset protection, California Private Retirement Plans, tax law, and corporate transactions. A dedicated husband of over 28 years and the proud father of a young lawyer, James has built a thriving legal practice in South Orange County, California, where he focuses on comprehensive estate planning and wealth preservation.
James is a recognized authority on Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI), leveraging this powerful financial tool to help high-net-worth individuals protect their wealth, manage tax exposure, and engage in effective pre-immigration planning for clients seeking U.S. visas such as EB-5. His expertise in PPLI allows his clients to achieve sophisticated asset protection and tax efficiency, particularly in cross-border contexts.
As a sought-after speaker, James shares his deep knowledge of estate planning, retirement strategies, and business protection, frequently lecturing to both clients and peers. His insights, featured in numerous media outlets, have made him a trusted voice in his field. James is also the author of several books, including the widely acclaimed The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth and his most recent release, PPLI - Hidden Secrets of the World's Most Powerful Tax & Financial Tool.
James's career began with honorable service in the United States Marine Corps' Force Reconnaissance, where he specialized in special operations, hostage negotiations, and anti-terrorism. This unique background served him well during his later transition into executive protection, where he played a pivotal role in managing the personal wealth and assets of the late Doris Duke and her family office. His understanding of high-level security and wealth management has continued to inform his practice as a legal advisor to wealthy clients.
James holds two law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation, and is admitted to practice by the State Bar of California, the U.S. District Court (Central District of California), the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. His adept handling of IRS representations has consistently earned praise from his clients.
Outside of his professional life, James is a bio-hacker, fitness enthusiast, former triathlete, martial artist, and yoga practitioner. He enjoys maintaining a balanced lifestyle in South Orange County, California, where he frequently spends time in the gym or pool, relishing the focus and discipline of martial arts, yoga, and bio-hacking techniques to optimize health and performance.
Recent Blog Posts
When Someone Dies in California: How to Close Their Accounts, Manage Their Estate, and Avoid a Legal Mess
How to Sell a Business and Pay 0% in Capital Gains (Legally)
Trustee Compensation in Orange County: Should You Charge Hourly or by Percentage?
Why Traditional Estate Planning Fails Orange County’s Wealthy
Structured Installment Sale vs. Deferred Sales Trust: What You Need to Know (Before You Make a Costly Mistake)
Recommendations
- James Burns made the process quick and easy for us when creating a trustm. Answered all questions we had and explained things to us clearly. The turnaround time was also extremely fast. Definitely recommend!
- My mom needed to amend her trust. We found Mr. Burns after looking locally for someone with good reviews. We scheduled an initial consolation and met with him to discuss restating the trust. Mr. Burns offers a complete estate planning portfolio including trust, will, POA, AHCD, HIPPA, etc. It was...
- I worked with Mr. Burns firm updating my Trust. He and his Associates were extremely helpful. They are very professional and knowledgeable about current laws and how they might affect my Trust. I am also pleased that they will continue to support me and my Trustees as long as needed.
- I work with James on my corporate legal needs and recently to plan, prepare and establish my Family Living Trust. James is thorough, knowledgeable and his attention to the important details is highly appreciated. I've worked with many attorneys in my life and career and James is up there with the...
- We used James service to complete our estate planning for my husband and I. He was great at explaining the process and was trustworthy and thorough. You made a very complicated process easy and we completed it in 3 weeks. Thank you so much James and Team. I would highly recommend James!!!
- My wife and I are extremely happy with and more than a bit surprised at how easy it can be to craft a trust with the proper council. James was patient, thorough, and very knowledgeable. We won't hesitate to recommend him to our friends and family. Professional services can be tricky to evaluate, ...
- We had put off updating our family trust for years and we could have chosen a better firm. James is an expert in Family Law and made the process go smoothly and quickly. We feel so much better checking this off our list and cannot recommend James and his staff enough.
- We recently moved and needed to update our Trust and Wills to indicate our new address and beneficiary designations. James Burns and his staff took our old documents, updated them and suggested some helpful changes. And they did it quickly and efficiently! Now, we feel confident that our document...
- I could not provide a more positive review of The Law Office of James Burns! Absolutely outstanding! Extremely organized, efficient, responsive and works to tailor estate planning to your individual situation. One of the best attorneys I've ever worked with!
- I got great service by Law office of James Burns. James is a professional estate planning & asset protection attorney.
- One good thing that came out of Covid19 is we had the pleasure of meeting James Burns. He and the staff were very professional with clear answers to our questions. Completing our living trust was quick and easy. Thank you, M & D
- James was very helpful throughout our families process of setting up our trust and will documents. He provided the support and guidance needed to give us peace of mind. Definitely would recommend.
- Mr Burns handled the entire process professionally and promptly. He was easy to work with and is good at explaining everything step by step.
- We used James' firm for our living trust and it was a really painless experience. The communication and responsiveness throughout the process was great. If we ever need an attorney in the future, James will be our first call.
- James - you did a fantastic job putting our concerns on Probate to rest by helping us put the Trust in place. I am relieved that my family is taken care of should anything happen to me. I greatly appreciate you walking me through the end-to-end process.
- James Burns did our updated estate plan. He was responsive to emails and professional. He is good with people and enjoyable to work with.
- James prepared our family trust. He was very professional and helped us every step of the way. He made sure we understood everything and included all our wishes. I would recommend his services to anyone.
- We went to James to create our family trust and will. James walked us through the entire process and made sure we were informed on the subject. He made sure we understand creating the trust/will is just the start of the process - the battery and flashlight. He made sure to remind us we had to upd...
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We just had a wonderful experience creating our family trust with James Burns
We just had a wonderful experience creating our family trust with James Burns. My wife and I had put this off thinking the process would be long, arduous and very expensive. Wow were we wrong! In our meeting with James he was fantastic in helping us understand the core 4 documents that will... - My husband and I did our estate planning with James. We went in not knowing anything about it. James made the entire process easy and fast. He is extremely thorough and clear about explaining the entire process. James is amazing. I highly highly recommend him!
- James was straightforward, very knowledgeable and easy to work with. I was also impressed with his staff. We went there for a will and trust and got exactly what we needed at a very reasonable cost. I would highly recommend him.
- Posted by Melissa October 12, 2019 We reached out to Mr. Burns to update our will to meet California standards. It was quick and easy with some paperwork before our meeting and then two short office visits to discuss and then sign. Mr. Burns was cordial and has done so many wills that the proce...
- Excellent experience. James presented everything clearly and concisely.
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Tess & William N. – Aliso Viejo, CA. – 2017 Recommends James Burns
Very good experience. Lots of information, we learned a lot. James is very pleasurable and easy to talk to. -
Frank & Jackie K., California (August 2017) Recommends James Burns
Very good, efficient and very knowledgeable. - Very efficient and right amount of information with comprehensive knowledge of the trust and ability to answer all questions without wasting time.
- The process was painless and through and best part of working with James as his level of knowledge.
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Mayumi S., California (February 2017) Recommends James Burns
The experience was very educational and efficient - Fast, efficient and fun while being professional
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Maisha C., California (December 2016) Recommends James Burns
The process was very easy and convenient, very professional and very detailed. - My experience was Through and extremely efficient. I liked the speed and no nonsense approach.
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Michelle D., California (November 2016 Recommends James Burns
Very Good and easy to work with. Explained everything very well and in simple terms. -
Paula & Alan Y., California (November 2016) Recommends James Burns
Through, fast and easy. Professionalism and friendly attitude -
Garrett S., California (October 2016) Recommends James Burns
Well done. Explained all documents needed to give us the peace of mind. Efficient and done in a timely manner. - Very pleasant, very friendly and competent.
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Anastasia V., California (September 2016) Recommends James Burns
Very detailed information and great patience with all my inquiries. Willingness to provide details and information along with explanations -
Trupti T., California (September 2016) Recommends James Burns
James was very professional and helped us understand all our documents very well. He was very precise and knowledgeable and helpful with a difficult decisions around our Wills and Trust. - Great follow up, very thorough, extremely helpful and was able to answer all of our questions.
- Very educational and you made it very easy.
- It was a very pleasant experience. I felt as if everything was handled well. The environment was very comfortable and you made us feel at ease.
- Our experience with James was great. Every step of the process was explained in detail.
- James ensured that all aspects of our trust was covered and answered all of our questions in great detail.
- Very informative and you explained everything
- Everything was explained and can ask questions. Come and you will be satisfied, you can trust that work has been done well and to our satisfaction
- My experience was very organized and expedited. Each step was detailed and help was provided.
- Our service with James was great and the communication easy and he is good with e-mail and responsive. He is good with new inexperienced folks on trust and contracts.
- You helped educate us prior to going straight to the documents and you were very easy to work with.
- Terrific – great experience and timely
- James was a true professional, he treated us well and took care of every detail for our estate
- Thank you for the information. I am so very glad it was recommended that I use your services in the preparation of the trust. I feel very comfortable working with you and feel a great deal of trust in you.
- When my husband and I realized we needed to take steps to protect our assets, James Burns was highly recommended. James explained all the advantages and disadvantages in using limited liability entities…he has given us peace of mind
- When my husband and I realized we needed to take steps to protect our assets we approached our attorney James Burns to answer our questions. James explained all the advantages to having a legal entity own the properties as well as getting extended protection through a corporation. His thorough an...
- Hi James, yes, I definitely want your assistance. I finally feel that I'm dealing with someone with integrity in this business and I don't want to deal with anyone else!
- Thank you for following up with me. You did an awesome job
- Thanks, James. I truly enjoy the enlightened approach you confer upon the whole investment process and feel wealthier in simply having met you and having been able to reap the benefit of the knowledge you've shared with us…I look forward to working closely with you in building our financial futur...
- Mr. Burns has proven to be an excellent attorney. He is extremely experienced in estate planning, corporate law and tax law. He is efficient and hard working. I cannot say enough good things about James. With regard to our estate planning I found him to be thorough and detailed. He explains thing...
- I want to thank you for all you did for me in getting my Trust set up. You made it very easy to understand all the ins and outs, and the process was very pleasant. I am so very grateful to you.
- Proficient and easy.
- Quick, informative, definitely will be a referral.