About Us

At the Pasadena Law Group, we believe that the most powerful planning tool to protect our clients and their assets is the human ear. By listening closely to what you are concerned about and hope to achieve, we gain the understanding necessary to design and implement a plan to meet all of your needs. We also take the time to explain your options in clear, easy-to understand language, so that you fully understand how your plan will work and why.

In essence, we strive to establish a close personal relationship with you and serve as your “counselors for life.” This is why, while we would like to assist everyone who contacts us, we limit our practice to those seeking comprehensive planning rather than a cookie-cutter approach. We don’t just crank out planning documents, we design and implement comprehensive plans. If this sounds like what you’re looking for, we welcome the opportunity to meet you so we can get to know one another.

Read About Our Communication Commitments And Requests

Jan CopleyJan Copley


Jan has been a lawyer for more than thirty years.  She founded her own firm in 1993, built it into a profitable law practice with a sterling reputation, and successfully sold her business at the beginning of 2010.  She then started working as a Certified Practice Advisor for Atticus, Inc., coaching successful lawyers who want to make more money and take more time off.

However, after coaching lawyers for two years, Jan realized that she missed working with her clients as a lawyer and resumed practicing law at the beginning of 2013.  She is now the principal of the Pasadena Law Group.

Jan limits her law practice to estate planning, business planning, elder law, asset protection planning, and trust administration. She prides herself on taking a genuine interest in her clients, giving them her individualized attention, and providing legal services specifically designed to meet her clients’ needs.

Teaching

  • “Shielding Your Nest Egg” for Geiger Law Firm Estate Planning Symposium in May 2013
  • “Life After the Law:  What’s Your Exit Strategy?” for WealthCounsel in May 2013
  • “Update on Planning or, What Do I Do Now?” for the National Academy of Engineering in February 2013
  • “How to Hire (and Train) Support Staff for a Successful Law Practice” for the Ultimate Estate Planner in August 2012
  • “How to Get Paid a Fair Price for What You Do” for the Ultimate Estate Planner in January 2012
  • “How I Built a Successful Estate Planning Practice and Sold it for a Tidy Sum” for ElderLaw Answers in October 2011
  • “People and Money:  Keys to a Successful Practice” for the WealthCounsel Southern California Forum in June 2011
  • “How to Get Paid a Fair Price for What You Do” for WealthCounsel in June 2011
  • With Jeffrey R. Matsen, “How to Build a Solo Practitioner Estate Planning Practice” in May and June 2011
  • “How I Built a Profitable Estate Planning Practice and Sold it for a Tidy Sum” to WealthCounsel’s “Planning for the Generations” in August 2010
  • With Brad Wiewel, “How Community Property Law Affects You and Your Practice, Even Though You Think it Doesn’t” for the Southern California Institute in January 2009
  • With Mark Merenda and Kimberly Lee, “The Power of Image for Wealth Advisors” for the Southern California Institute in January 2009
  • With Barry W. Finkelstein, “Basics of Marketing to New Clients and Collaborative Referral Sources” for the California Forum in June 2005
  • With Mark Merenda, “Scripting the Client Experience” for the Southern California Institute in January 2005
  • With David K. Cahoone, “Community Property Considerations with Insurance Planning” to the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys in July 2003
  • With Brad Wiewel, “Community Property for Common Law Lawyers” to the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys in May 2003
  • With David Harrison, “Planning for the Significantly Younger Spouse” to the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys in October 2002
  • With Stephen Mancini, The Uniform Acts — What Are They? What Am I Supposed to Do With Them? Why Should I Bother?” to the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys in October 2000
  • With W. Vito Lanuti, “Opportunities in Estate Planning for CPAs” as a continuing education instructor for California State University, Long Beach and California State University, Los Angeles in 1999 and 2000

Publications

Education

Jan graduated, cum laude, with an A.B. in American Studies, from Occidental College in 1977.  She received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1981, and was on the Dean’s List two of her three years at Loyola as well as on the law review staff.  Jan completed the Esperti-Peterson Institute’s yearlong course, “Advanced Studies for Wealth and Estate Planning,” in April 2001.  She also completed one year of the Southern California Institute’s “Laureate in Wealth Strategies” program for advanced estate planning in 2004‑05.

Jan became a Certified Practice Advisor in March 2010 after completing a yearlong training program with Atticus, Inc.

Jan opened the Pasadena Law Group in January 2013.

Personal

Jan is married to Louis Steinhauer and lives in Pasadena, California.  Her interests include bicycle riding (she has done a double century — 200 miles in 24 hours!), reading, cooking and travel.

Sona A Tatiyants

Sona A. Tatiyants

The Pasadena Law Group has an of counsel relationship with Sona A. Tatiyants, of LynkLaw, Inc.  “Of counsel” means that Jan and Sona share their experiences and wisdom with each other and that Jan and Sona are available to help each other with client issues.  We also cover for each other if one of us is not available.

Sona bases her law practice in Glendale.  She is warm, wonderful, and knowledgeable, and I’m sure you’ll like her a lot.

Sona has been featured in the Los Angeles Daily Journal.

To learn more about Sona, visit her website.