James is a husband of 20+ years and a father to a son who is now completing law school at UC Hastings. James happens to be an in-demand lecturer on estate, retirement and business protection. James is licensed as an attorney and practices estate planning, asset protection, tax, real estate and corporate transactions. He has completed several M&A transactions in the $2 to $20 million range. He is author of several books including the widely acclaimed financial book, The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth. He is Principal of The Law Offices of James Burns and CEO of White Diamond Properties, Inc. which is a real estate investment firm.
James served honorably in the United States Marine Corps' Force Reconnaissance (akin to Navy SEAL program) where he trained in special operations, hostage negotiations and anti-terrorism. After military service James parlayed his skills into executive protection and worked for the late Doris Duke There he assisted her daughter in establishing one of the first family offices to manage personal wealth and lifestyle assets while also maintaining the security for 5 residences across the U.S. and a private aircraft. He has been quoted and interviewed by numerous media outlets (see samples below).
James focuses on estate planning and asset protection, corporate transactions including contracts drafting and negotiating, franchising and nutraceutical development and real estate transactions and strategy.
James holds two law degrees, (JD) and (LL.M.) Master of Laws in tax and is admitted to practice law by the State Bar of California, U.S. District Court (Central District of California), U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. He has represented clients before the IRS to their complete satisfaction and adulation. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Elder Law College which trains lawyers on special needs planning and how to assist seniors in qualifying for government benefits. He is a member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and holds the TEP® rating.
James lives in South Orange County California where he is usually found in the gym or pool when he is not working. He was a triathlete in the 1980s while living in Hawaii and practices various types of martial arts and yoga.
Recent Blog Posts
Does No-Contest To Your Estate Really Work in California?
Does This $190 Million Cryptocurrency Mistake Scare You?
SECURE Act & Your Retirement
Asset Protection is Common Sense
529 Plan Overview after Secure Act
Recommendations
- Quick, informative, definitely will be a referral.
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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. - Terrific – great experience and timely
- Excellent experience. James presented everything clearly and concisely.
- 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!
- Very pleasant, very friendly and competent.
- 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.
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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... - James was a true professional, he treated us well and took care of every detail for our estate
- 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.
- The process was painless and through and best part of working with James as his level of knowledge.
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Frank & Jackie K., California (August 2017) Recommends James Burns
Very good, efficient and very knowledgeable. - My experience was very organized and expedited. Each step was detailed and help was provided.
- Thank you for following up with me. You did an awesome job
- Great follow up, very thorough, extremely helpful and was able to answer all of our questions.
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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 -
Paula & Alan Y., California (November 2016) Recommends James Burns
Through, fast and easy. Professionalism and friendly attitude - 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...
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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 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 ensured that all aspects of our trust was covered and answered all of our questions in great detail.
- 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.
- 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 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...
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Mayumi S., California (February 2017) Recommends James Burns
The experience was very educational and efficient - Very informative and you explained everything
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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. - 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...
- Our experience with James was great. Every step of the process was explained in detail.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. - Very efficient and right amount of information with comprehensive knowledge of the trust and ability to answer all questions without wasting time.
- Fast, efficient and fun while being professional
- 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
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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. - You helped educate us prior to going straight to the documents and you were very easy to work with.
- 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...
- Proficient and easy.
- Very educational and you made it very easy.
- 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
- 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...
