LAW OFFICE OF ANNE HYDORN

Several years before I became a law firm partner, my mother-in-law developed a serious and debilitating illness that required both in-patient and out-patient medical care. I watched my mother-in-law go from a thriving, vibrant woman to someone who needed regular on-going care with daily living at a fairly young age by today’s standards.

Our family estate plan did not consider her circumstances. These were new and unexpected events in our lives. Our stress skyrocketed as we tried to figure out how to address my mother-in-law’s health issues. How would we pay for her needed care? Would my in-laws potentially lose all the assets they had worked so hard throughout their lives to save? What did we need to do? Who do we go to? Who can help us? Does she need assisted living? What happens if something happens to her primary caregiver – my father-in-law?

During those months and the years that followed, I became acutely aware of the need for trusted and caring advisors in this area, the lack of resources available, and the growing need for attorneys and others who specialize in helping our senior population. When we finally found the help we needed from a wonderful and caring elder law attorney, we felt so much relief. We finally had someone to help us navigate the unknown. This experience weighed on my heart for a long time.

As time passed, I continued to feel a strong draw to this needed and specialized legal field. I followed my heart, and now use my legal experience to serve families with elder law and estate planning needs. I serve others with compassion and kindness. My goal is to help individuals and families prepare for asset protection in all stages of life, including preparing for the large expense of long-term care, and to provide trusted and compassionate legal advice and resources for our seniors who are so deserving of respect and dignity during a time of their life when they may be more vulnerable due to age or illness.

Professional Biography

I worked in the human resources field for eight years following undergraduate school, and went to law school in 2000. I began my legal career as an associate for Hanson Bridgett LLP, a mid-sized law firm in downtown San Francisco. There I specialized in employee benefits with a special emphasis in health care benefits. I focused my practice on the laws concerning health care reform, health and welfare benefits (medical, dental and visions plans; life insurance; and disability benefits), fiduciary responsibilities, tax compliance, and all forms of retirement plan and pension benefits. I started as an associate, and then became a senior counsel, and later, a law firm partner. After several years as a law firm partner, I established my own Elder Law & Estate Planning practice in Brentwood.

I have been married for over 27 years, have a teen-age son, and have been a Brentwood resident for over 18 years. You’ll often find me hiking our beautiful East Bay hills, camping in Lake Tahoe, and walking our beloved Labrador Retriever Maddie along Marsh Creek Trail.

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