Scott Rahn

Practice Areas

Scott Rahn resolves contests, disputes and litigation related to trusts, estates and conservatorships, creating a welcome peace of mind for clients. He represents heirs, beneficiaries, trustees and executors. He utilizes his experience to develop and implement strategies that swiftly and efficiently address the financial issues, fiduciary duties and emotional complexities underlying trust contests, estates conflicts and probate litigation.

Driven by a commitment to provide relief to people grieving the loss of a loved one, Scott collaborates closely with clients. He pursues and defends claims involving incapacity, incompetence, undue influence, breach of fiduciary duty, and other similar areas of dispute. His advice and counsel includes prevention and remediation of financial elder abuse.

Career

RMO, LLP - January 2015 – Present

Founding Partner - Los Angeles California

Leads a multi-jurisdiction law firm focused on contentions, trust, probate, estate, conservatorship and guardianship matters. Helps guide clients- heirs, beneficiaries, trustees, executors, administrators, charities, creditors and conservators - through the emotional, legal and financial issues that arise when a loved one becomes compromised, is taken advantage of, and after they pass, whenever theft, manipulation, fraud, abuse, and other misdeeds are revealed. Regularly helps clients pursue and defend inheritance claims involving incapacity, incompetence, undue influence, breach of fiduciary duty, and other similar areas of dispute, including prevention and remediation of financial elder abuse.

Greenberg Traurig - September 2009 - January 2015

Shareholder - Los Angeles, California

Represented many of the world's largest, global financial institutions in fiduciary litigation, regulatory investigations, and enforcement proceedings, and individual clients including heirs, beneficiaries and fiduciaries, in contested probate and trust estate litigation matters, contested conservatorship and guardianship matters, and related administration matters.

Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP - February 2009 – September 2009

Attorney - Los Angeles, California

Practice focused on litigating contested trust, probate, conservatorship and guardianship estate and related administrative matters.

Foley & Lardner, LLP - March 2007 - February 2009

Attorney - Los Angeles, California

Developed further significant experience in probate and trust estate litigation, as well as estate planning, estate administration and related trust and estate matters.

Keesal, Young & Logan - October 2002 - February 2007

Attorney - Los Angeles, California

Enjoyed substantive mentoring and first-chair opportunities that honed litigation skills in fiduciary litigation matters, including probate and financial industry litigation and regulatory matters.

Professional Memberships

Member, State Bar of California

Member, District of Columbia Bar

Member, State Bar of Texas

Member, STEP Contentious Trusts and Estates Global SIG Steering Committee

Speaker/Member, Beverly Hills Bar Association – Trusts and Estates Section

Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association – Trusts & Estates Section

Speaker/Member, Society of Tax and Estate Planning Professionals (STEP) – Contentious Trusts and Estates Special Interest Group

Member, Independent Trustee Alliance

Member, National Association of Estate Planners & Councils – Publications Committee

Speaker/Member, Private Client Global Elite

Member, California Lawyers Association

Member, Professional Fiduciary Association of California

Member, ProVisors

Member, University of Wisconsin Alumni Association

Publications

"Beyond Assets: Integrating the Sacred Goods into Practice" STEP Journal

"Crypto Assets - Discovery and Valuations" Daily Journal

“Demurrers on deadline: Goebner clarifies procedural timing in probate litigation, and the date convention” Daily Journal “Packard opens the door to more trust reformation and construction litigation” Daily Journal

“Estate Planning Lessons from Cinderella Safeguarding Against Blended Family Inheritance Disputes” NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning Issue 46

“Navigating Contentious Administrations: Insights for Fiduciaries" PFAC Newsletter

“The Penalty for Stealing from an Estate” Living Brentwood

“When Probate Meets Prenup” Living Brentwood

“Why a Conservatorship for Britney, But Not for Kanye?” Attorney at Law – Magazine

“Finally, an effort to end elder isolation in California” Living Brentwood

“I’ve been named a trustee. Now what?” Living Brentwood

“I’ve Been Named a Trustee. Now What?” CSQ

“Britney Spears sees a possible end to conservatorship path” STEP 04/21/2021

“Relieving the Burden” LA Times – Senior Living Magazine 04/2021

“Legislative Reform Needed to Address the Oncoming Financial Elder Abuse Tsunami” STEP 03/2021

“Debtors and Probate: What Not to Do” CSQ 02/23/2021

“Expect a Post-COVID-19 Tsunami of Financial Elder Abuse Case” CSQ

“Trust Litigation: What Does It Entail?” Lawyer Monthly

“How to Plan Your Estate Amid a Global Pandemic” CSQ

“Take Care to Learn the Changing Rules for Hiring and Paying Elder Caregivers” CSQ

“Anticipating the Secret Scion in Estate Planning” CSQ

“Bill that would have brought back state gift and estate taxes fails to pass” Daily Journal

“Sorting Aretha Franklin’s wills could take longer than the Prince estate” Daily Journal

“Hollywood cases provide teachable moments in estate planning” Daily Journal

Work Highlights

- Won a petition for conservatorship of the estate on an emergency basis during Covid to protect the conservatee from Nigerian fraudsters who had infiltrated, isolated, defrauded and unduly influenced her into sending them millions, leaving her broken, destitute and unable to buy food.

- Secured the estate of our client’s late father, who had been victimized by childhood friends who had forged estate planning documents to steal his estate from his family.

- Secured return of our client’s home value after her daughter and son-in-law moved into the home under the guise of “helping” her, only to have her sign the home over to them and then throw her out.

- Neutralized a hostile co-trustee who was seeking to bilk our client’s trust of millions of dollars through a series of fabricated claims.

- Secured removal of a thieving co-trustee whose malfeasance left her own mother destitute and unable to pay her bills, including recovery of the stolen assets, attorney fees and costs.

- Recovered the home of an infirm, institutionalized senior who had been victimized by his “girlfriend,” an opportunistic volunteer at his care facility, financially securing his golden years.

- Within 45 days of engagement, secured 125% of our client’s original bequests, plus attorney’s fees and costs, from their long-time friend’s estate after the 85 year-old decedent’s new husband manipulated the preparation of trust amendments to steal decedent’s estate for himself.

- Swooped in after years of protracted litigation to secure a decision from the Los Angeles probate court to end a years-long dispute over trust property between feuding siblings of their parents’ estate.

- Recovered disinherited beneficiary family’s full interest in great-aunt’s estate after financial elder abuse revealed the disinherited trust had been procured by the abuser at a time the aunt was incapacitated.

- Secured no action from the regulatory authorities following an enforcement action that threatened the license and career of a decades-long professional.

- Secured on behalf of a court-appointed guardian ad litem a prosecution agreement with counsel for the conservator of an institutionalized dementia patient who was taken advantage of financially by her financial advisor, leading to his permanent bar from the financial services industry.

Languages Spoken

- English

- Portuguese

- Spanish

Education