Find Peace With Practical Estate Planning
AVOIDING ESTATE PLANNING IS LIKE riding a motorcycle without a helmet—you can ignore the risk until you have an accident. With sensitivity to the challenges that arise for people around estate planning, Sonja Panajotovic will help you get your estate in proper working order.
Without a functional estate plan, when someone dies or loses mental or physical capacity to handle their own affairs, relatives are left to deal with a complex legal system while coping with their grief. Sonja assists in preparing living trusts, wills, health and finance powers of attorney, as well as transferring trusts or estates to the intended beneficiaries, or navigating the probate process, in the most seamless manner possible.
Sonja graduated cum laude from Southwestern University School of Law. “I love this area of the law because I’m able to help people instead of fight with them.” Indeed, Sonja’s clients benefit from her personal attention: “I work at having a good rapport with people, so they can call without being afraid to ask questions.” In some instances, Sonja will make house calls. And as a sole practitioner with low overhead, Sonja can keep her rates lower than many estate planners.
| NAME | Sonja Panajotovic |
| PHONE NUMBER | (310) 463-6845 |
| sp@sonjaplaw.com | |
| WEBSITE | http://sonjaplaw.com/ |
| FORMS OF PAYMENT | |
| SERVICES PROVIDED | Estate Attorney, Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Estates & Probate, Law, Lawyer, Administration, Conservatorship & Probate, Durable Power of Attorney, Esquire, Health Care Directive, Living Trusts |
| SERVICE AREAS |
Central Inglewood Westside Brentwood • El Segundo • Fox Hills • Lennox • Malibu • Mar Vista • Marina del Rey • Montana • Ocean Park • Pacific Palisades • Playa del Rey • Playa Vista • Santa Monica • Sawtelle • Topanga • Venice • West Los Angeles • Westchester |
- Overall Satisfaction
- Quality of Work
- Customer Service
- Value for Price
Kathy Corso
Rancho Mirage - May 3, 2024
My brother died unexpectedly in CA IN 2023. He was single, no children, no partner, and did not have a Will. To complicate matters, his family ( six siblings ) all live in IL. A law firm in Chicago put us in touch with Sonja Panajotovic in CA. After a long conference call with my family, Sonja graciously accepted the job of guiding our family through the legal matters of handling my brother’s estate in probate court. She even set up estate sales people and found an excellent real estate agent. Although the year long process was stressful and difficult, Sonja made it doable. Sonja was always professional, competent, timely, organized, knowledgeable, honest, and, most of all, kind. To put it simply, she’s a GOOD PERSON. How many lawyers do you know that would drive several hours from LA to Rancho Mirage to meet five sisters that had just flown in from Chicago?!
Our long legal journey was finalized just a month ago in CA. We will be forever grateful to Sonja for all her effort, work, time and kindness she has shown our family. Thank you!!
Harry J. Pappas
Palisades Highlands - March 30, 2024
Sonja is an outstanding lawyer! She is well prepared, organized, and efficient. Her demeanor is
always pleasant and her interpersonal skills are exemplary. The care and concern that she has for the client's well being are sincere and genuine. Working with her is easy, positive, and enjoyable!
Sonja is a "10" !
T W K
Pacific Palisades - June 29, 2021
Sonja did my will & trust & she is excellent. I can't recommend her more highly.
Rudolph H
Mar Vista - November 20, 2020
I had a case for probate court and needed an attorney; I saw Sonja's ad in N2N magazine and called her; she understood my problem right away and I felt very comfortable talking to her. I found Sonja to be well organized , efficient and overall a pleasure to know and to work with. She made the whole experience very easy . I can highly recommend her.
Delores Reynolds
Santa Monica - November 18, 2020
It is my honor to write this review for Sonia Panajotovic! She demonstrated outstanding professional expertise and heart-soothing empathy, as she helped me create a trust for my special-needs, adult son. I had resisted dealing with the project, but Sonja worked with me in such a way that I felt enormous relief and empowerment...a gift, of sorts.. I look forward to working with her in the future, as modifications need to be made over-time. Five "stars" are not enough!
Susan G
Westchester - November 11, 2020
My husband and I learned about the Law Office of Sonja M. Panajotovic through the Neighbor 2 Neighbor booklet years ago but never contacted her. We tore out the page she was on and kept it for when we finally stopped procrastinating and committed to create a living family trust and will. She was wonderful. Not only did she help us with our living family trust and will, but she was quick, efficient, and so responsive in helping us create the family trust we had so long put off creating. She even gave us a cool notebook to hold everything.
Steve & Valerie
Los Angeles - October 29, 2019
We had postponed estate planning out of reluctance to deal with all of the paperwork. Sonja made the process easy and has been very responsive to our requests and questions. She has also been great at nudging us along to finalize changing our beneficiary designations with various financial institutions. We would highly recommend her services.
Abbe Volz
Pacific Palisades - October 15, 2019
Sonja completed my Trust, Will and POA which is never an easy thing to get started. She has a very easy process to help you stay organized and get everything accomplished.
Sonja is very knowledgeable, practical, efficient and a complete joy to work with. She is local to the Palisades which also makes it even easier and convenient to work with her.
I highly recommend Sonja to help you through this process!
Christine Hale
Pacific Palisades - October 6, 2018
Sonja was great to work with! She's incredibly knowledgeable in the field, very detailed and guided us through the process of establishing our trust and will. She was also very flexible to accommodate our changing schedule. Highly recommend!
Meri Weingarten
Sunset Park - January 31, 2018
I had a trust that was done for me many years ago and I needed someone to look at it, update it and become my new estate attorney. I was referred to Sonja by my financial planner as someone who was smart, fair and reasonable. More importantly, she was willing to look at my existing trust and make changes to it without insisting she do it over completely. That saved me a lot of time and money. On top of all that, Sonja is truly a pleasure to work with. I recommend her highly.
Catherine B.
Venice - March 20, 2017
I had put off my estate planning for so long, but when I saw Sonja's very approachable ad in the Neighbor2Neighbor guide, I felt like I finally found the right attorney to help me finalize my trust. Sonja took the intimidation and doom-n-gloom factors out of the process. I would recommend her to everyone and urge you to get this important step done as soon as possible--Sonja makes it easy, I promise!
Vicki A.
Pacific Palisades - September 14, 2015
Knowledgable expertise with great customer service and immediate attention. Just what I was hoping for!
Jo Hillyard
Sherman Oaks - September 14, 2015
Sonja is professional, responsive and an expert in her field. She guided me through the legal process as executor for my father's estate, making a difficult time manageable. She has also prepared my own estate work thoroughly and thoughtfully providing me with great peace of mind. I highly recommend her.
Charles M. Quigley
Topanga Canyon - October 24, 2014
Sonja came highly recommended by my daughter. She helped my wife and me update all of our estate papers: wills, trusts, power of attorney, etc. She was very easy to work with and helped us quite a lot. Her prices are very reasonable and competitive. When we needed to make some amendments, she completed them very expeditiously at no extra charge. We plan to continue to work with her in the future!
Julie C.
Santa Monica - October 23, 2014
About a year ago I was referred to Sonja by my accountant. She helped me reconstruct my will and trust. Her advice was excellent. I appreciated her “non-lawyer” persona; meaning that she was a person I could speak with in a straightforward, uncomplicated manner. The experience was relaxed and comfortable in the surroundings of her living room. I feel she is totally qualified.
Lori T.
Truckee - October 21, 2014
Sonja was my parents' attorney and is now mine as well. She has helped all of us execute our will and trust. My father asked for several amendments to his will and Sonja executed each one smoothly and flawlessly. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with her clients. Yet, more than her outstanding work and professionalism, what I most appreciate about Sonja is her warmth and personal care. She really guided me through the very difficult time after my parents' passing and made the whole process less overwhelming. She is not just trying to make a buck, but goes above and beyond to ensure that you feel cared for. If I were to move back to L.A., I really feel that Sonja would be a friend in addition to my attorney!
R. Gilinksy
Santa Monica - October 19, 2012
Sonja is great. She modified our family trust and did first-class work. She gets involved with her clients. She’s smart, she’s competent, and she gives real value for her fees. She's a real person and the best attorney I've ever encountered. If anybody needs a family lawyer I will recommend her with sincere enthusiasm.
Ellen Vittoria
Beverly Hills - October 19, 2012
Sonja created a living trust for our family, which included my father-in-law. Not only did she do an excellent job, but she really gave it the personal touch. She was so accommodating, coming to our home and even going to the assisted living home where my father-in-law lives. She has so much experience and asks all the right questions so she could set the trust up perfectly. You don't have to be proactive with Sonja, she does it all for you. Her rates are very reasonable, and she responded to my calls and questions immediately. My husband couldn't believe it all got taken care of so easily. He said we should have done it sooner—if only we had known about Sonja!
Dan F.
Beverly Hills - November 2, 2011
I've known Sonja for 30+ years. We were classmates and she was my financial adviser before law school. I refer all my clients to her. She is always very accessible. She has fixed hourly pricing so you don't get charged to change an apostrophe or a paragraph. She is also mobile. She comes to you! She recently did my own estate planning, too, which has just reaffirmed my trust in her. Her documents are very well written, thorough but not overly-complex. I also appreciate her free pre-review. She charges appropriate prices for filling in the holes when a specific need arises. Sonja is responsible, professional and nice! I've been referring her for over 20 years and have only heard positive praise for her work, her integrity and her character.
Julie Schatz
Culver City - October 14, 2011
Using Sonja as an estate attorney is sort of like meeting with a friend who has your best interests at heart, but also has the knowledge to help you make the right decisions. She has helped me with my own estate and also has been helping me with my father's estate after he passed. Sonja helps me relax and take it all as it comes. She provides me with the reassurance that I will get through it all. She is also a really good value for her prices. And she doesn't charge you if you call her up for a three-minute question like other attorneys do. That adds to my comfort level, too.
A. Kellogg
Sylmar - November 5, 2009
Sonja did our living trust. She made the process so smooth and simple, it was a huge weight off my shoulders. She sent us an excellent questionnaire and followed that up with phone calls and emails to fill in the details. Sonja was so personal and professional and definitely has a caring and genuine nature that helped us with a task we had on our to-do list for several years. She was very clear about all the information we needed to obtain and what we needed to do. She met us at a convenient location to complete our project as well. I had priced this from another lawyer that was referred by a friend and Sonja was not only more convenient but she was also very reasonable. Our experience was great.
Gloria Kim
Pacific Palisades - November 1, 2009
Sonja prepared a trust for us. She was amazingly informative and quick, with a one-week turnaround. She is very reasonably priced. In fact, if I were going say there was anything to change about her company it would be that she should charge more money! We found her in the neighbor2neighbor booklet. Compared to other attorneys, she is so kind! She took her time and we never felt rushed. She just does not have an attorney feel about her. It’s like talking to a very knowledgeable friend. I recommend her to anyone!
Doyle Edson
Corona del Mar - October 30, 2009
Sonja is very fair. She keeps good records of her time and I am always surprised at how low her bill is for the amount of work she does. She is very competent, too, knowledgeable of all law, basic and probate, which is what I used her for. She knew what I needed to do as sole trustee and walked me through it, step-by-step. She also proofread my writings and advised me. She is very easy to talk to because she really listens. She calmly handled my intensity on certain matters and I appreciated that. She is straight-out ethical and humble about how good she is, never dominating like some lawyers. Sonja is always available and responsive, even after hours. She really cares.
Susan Nord
- September 12, 2009
Sonja worked with me on a living will. Our experience was pleasant and very positive. She is a lovely, friendly, responsive person. Experienced and quick to respond.
K.M.
Venice - May 4, 2009
I ended up going with Sonja. Huge cost savings over the others I spoke to. I couldn't see a reason to spend so much more. We have been working via email & phone, but we are meeting on Monday (a house call! I love it!) Thanks!
Diana Romero-Hugill
Venice - December 15, 2008
We’ve used Sonja’s services for about a decade now. She has simplified some complicated issues for us with our estate and has helped make our future financially secure. We are very analytical people, but don’t know a lot about legal issues, which means we ask a lot of questions. Sonja explains everything to us thoroughly and patiently. We get really high quality service for an extremely reasonable price with Sonja. And I feel a lot more comfortable going to her than a big firm where you are just a number and you get billed for a two-minute phone call. I really like the personalized service I get with Sonja—especially when I’m dealing with something as important as my estate. Dealing with Sonja is like working with a friend. SHE picks up the phone, not some secretary. And she knows right way what I am talking about, without looking in my file. Because she knows my case so well, she can give me complete, well-informed advice. Estate planning can be scary and complicated, but Sonja makes it feel more like a project.
Felicia Beanum & Harold Henricks
South Pasadena - December 2, 2008
Sonja helped my husband and I prepare our trust. She was very patient, detailed, and helpful. It took us some time to figure out some of the issues she would follow through by sending us gentle reminders. Her pricing was right on.
D.E.
Santa Monica - November 10, 2008
Sonja prepared a trust for my family. I definitely trust her judgment. I first met her during a seminar where she was speaking on the subject of trusts. She was extremely helpful with my parents in establishing their trusts. Many people have trouble transferring all of their property to a trust, and Sonja handles absolutely everything – very detail-oriented! She’s also a notary, which is convenient, and she will make arrangements to come to your home or office if you have problems coming to her office. That was very helpful to us – my parents are older and have difficulty getting around.
Gene Givan
Indianapolis, IN - November 9, 2008
Sonja was the attorney for my aunt’s trust in LA. She wrote up a trust, helped me execute it—handled everything and did a great job. All I did was write the checks.
J.S.
Venice - November 6, 2008
I called on Sonja originally to help with estate planning, but then I fell into a complicated situation becoming a trustee for a relative. This situation was kind of a mess, but Sonja took care of the situation lickety-split. She’s smart, responsive and proactive, and I’m really glad I fell into her hands. I can’t say enough positive things about her abilities.
Melinda McInerney
Studio City - October 14, 2008
My husband and I operate a tax and bookkeeping service. We started working with Sonja on a professional basis, but have become friends. Sonja is a people-person, a lovely, honest woman who is truly interested in her clients and a pleasure to work with. Sonja helped us with our estate plan, our wills and with our aunt’s trust. We now recommend her to our own clients.
Carrie Pardy
Santa Monica - December 29, 2006
Sonja has been doing wills, trusts and contract law negotiation for us. I work in a law firm and Sonja has been reviewing contracts and handling much of our probate work. She is a completely honest, ethical and responsible person. She works very quickly and in a thorough manner. In this kind of work, the details are all-important and Sonja handles the details to the letter. I would also say that her expertise is broad and informative.
John O'Bright
West Los Angeles - September 27, 2006
Sonja was recommended to us by both of my sisters-in-law at a very difficult time. There were certain issues that we didn't want to face, like completion of a will. Sonja's candor, professionalism, promptness, and sensitivity were simply awesome. We had a lot of additional legwork to go through to file our documents, and Sonja followed through on these for us. There is no end to our gratitude.
E. Dal
Santa Monica - September 1, 2006
I had an excellent experience working with Sonja. She was personable, clear, flexible, responsive, and very patient. She understood that setting up a trust raises really big issues for people – she hit the right balance between offering advice when needed, and allowing breathing room to talk about difficult issues. Her patience really helps you work through hard decisions the first time.
