Robert Stone: Estate Planning Attorney and President of Simon, McKinsey, Miller & Stone

For 43 years, Robert Stone has been a fixture at the same location in Long Beach. That continuity is a defining feature of a legal career centered on helping individuals and families make consequential decisions about property, responsibility and the future. As an attorney and president of Simon, McKinsey, Miller & Stone, he has developed a practice that brings a broad legal background to estate planning and probate. His clients include individuals, married couples, families, business owners and estate beneficiaries seeking clear guidance through matters that can be both technical and deeply personal.

Stone’s estate-planning work includes revocable living trusts, wills, advance health care directives and durable powers of attorney. Each addresses a different part of a client’s plan: managing assets, expressing wishes and identifying who can act when help is needed. He also assists with transferring real estate and other property into trusts, an important step in making a plan effective. When probate is necessary, Stone guides families through court filings and administrative requirements, helping property pass to heirs and beneficiaries. His experience also includes premarital agreements and business formation, including corporations and limited liability companies.

Mr. Stone’s career in law and public service spans more than four decades. He began his legal career at the University of California Law, San Francisco, formerly Hastings College of the Law, and worked for the San Francisco Own Recognizance Project and for a workers’ compensation defense firm. During his career at what is now Simon, McKinsey, Miller & Stone, he handled family law matters, collection matters and corporate matters before finally concentrating on estate planning and probate. One of his estate-planning cases became the subject of a 48 Hours episode.

While at Hastings College of the Law, Mr. Stone served as an assistant editor on the Hastings International and Comparative Law Review. He co-authored an article on transnational pollution caused by offshore oil rig blowouts that was published in 1983. In addition to his employment with his firm, he volunteered as a Judge Pro Tem for the Los Angeles County Superior Court and served on the Attorney Arbitration panel for the Long Beach Bar Association. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the California Lawyers Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Long Beach Bar Association. In addition to his admission as an attorney in California, he is admitted to the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern and Central Districts of California.

Mr. Stone has been treasurer of his synagogue for the last 10 years. He also served as head umpire for North Sunrise Little League and was a coach and manager. His career is defined by his dedication to his clients, his commitment to the legal profession and his belief in the power of education, service and community. He continues to approach his work with the same clarity, integrity and focus that have guided him throughout his life.