Laurelle M. Gutierrez

Competent estate planning, but communication could improve

I engaged Laurelle Gutierrez at McDermott Will & Schulte to assist with updating my family's estate plan, including a complex generation-skipping trust. With her 32 years of experience and recognition in trusts and estates, her technical knowledge of wealth-transfer tax planning for high-net-worth individuals is undeniable. The documents she drafted were thorough and precise. However, the experience was somewhat mixed. While her analysis of our assets was comprehensive, communication was not as responsive as I had hoped. There were periods of several days without updates, and at times, her explanations of certain tax implications felt rushed. For straightforward matters, her competence from the University of San Francisco and decades in Menlo Park is clear. Yet, for clients who prioritize frequent touchpoints and detailed walkthroughs, the service felt more transactional. She completed the work accurately, but the overall client experience was merely adequate.