Life & Legacy Planning for Families and Business Owners

Welcome — we’re truly glad you’re here. By taking this step, you’re already protecting the people, assets, and future that matter most. At Cheever Law, APC, we take the time to understand your story, your values, and your goals so we can help you create a plan that keeps your loved ones out of court and out of conflict if something happens to you.

Whether you’re creating or updating your estate plan, navigating a trust or probate after the loss of a loved one, or seeking legal guidance for your California business, we provide clear, comprehensive, relationship-based support every step of the way. Our mission is simple: to help you make informed decisions today so your family is protected, your wishes are honored, and your legacy is secure.

ABOUT US

Do you have questions? We have the answers.

We know seeing a lawyer can be stressful and you have questions. Please read our FAQs section and get your questions answered.
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Special Needs Planning Guide

Inside this FREE Special Needs Planning Guide you’ll discover how to take charge of your child’s future and build a fortress of protection that will last a lifetime.
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Presentation: Wills, Trusts & Incapacity - The Basics

During this educational presentation, you will learn what you need to keep your family out of court and out of conflict when something happens to you.
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Tara was helpful and eager to guide us through our plan and ensure our vision was executed. She was willing to start tough and thoughtful conversations that are necessary for a comprehensive life plan. We appreciate her hard work behind the scenes and how easy she was to contact and coordinate meetings with.

- Mark and Elizabeth, San Diego, CA

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Tara Cheever is a top-rated attorney that gave me the best legal experience I’ve ever received. Having her do my trust was heaven sent. Right timing, right attorney. Quick, efficient, painless and thorough. I will recommend her to everyone I know.

- Sandra, Solana Beach, CA

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Our experience with Tara and the development of our family trust was made easy by her well planned process. Each step allowed us time to compile documents and questions about each section of the trust. Tara is a very pleasant attorney to work with and showed a true interest in getting to know us and establish a relationship to last well into the future.

- David and Linda, Carlsbad, CA

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Tara was great to work with in helping with my trust plan. She was very patient and alway available to answer questions or concerns. I would highly recommend Cheever Law.

- Judy K. in Encinitas, CA

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Tara is fantastic. She’s extremely knowledgeable and very easy to work with. Even though the subject of estate planning can be an uncomfortable thing to discuss, Tara puts you at ease and made the whole process much more palatable than I expected. She was always available when I needed her and explained things to me in a way that I could understand. She’s passionate about her work and it shows in how she interacts with you. The trust she produced for me was exactly as I had requested and the attention to detail made me feel safe that my wishes were properly documented. I would highly recommend her to anyone that asks me. I’ve even recommended her to people who haven’t asked me.

- Robin, Encinitas, CA

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I have & will recommend Tara again based on her honesty, work ethic, professional network and how she interacts with people.

- Bill Tsotsos Business Owner, San Diego, CA

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Tara’s professionalism and enthusiasm are contagious! She is a great referral partner because I know that she follows-up immediately, is very professional, and of course, discreet. I have never had a time when I wouldn’t enthusiastically send Tara my best clients to help them with any of their legal needs.

- Steven Cooper San Diego, CA

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Tara was a complete joy to work with. She explained everything very easy for our needs. It can be an intimidating process but Tara removed all those feelings for us. Tara is an attorney that clearly loves her job. She broke everything down for us to make all easily understandable. Thank you Tara.

- Lannie and Doug, Hawthorne, CA

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Tara is professional and approachable. Her work ethic and follow-through are excellent. I always found Tara a pleasure to work with and could rely on her to provide sound, well researched advice.

- Jay Petrek Escondido, CA

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Tara is relentless when it comes to helping her clients deal with whatever situation they are faced with. She will impress you with her knowledge and solutions to your situation.

- Michael R. Coso Business Owner, Long Beach, CA

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Exceptionally competent attorney. Diligent and thorough in her work. Equally important, she is a amiable and understanding to the needs of her clients.

- Jose A. Gonzales Owner - Law Office, Greater San Diego Area

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From our very first meeting, years of stress and anxiety about getting our estate plans in order just melted away. Tara is incredibly thorough, thinks of everything, and handles even the most difficult questions with such grace and expertise. What I had dreaded for so long turned out to be almost painless (almost–lol). Her professionalism, attention to detail, and genuine care bring such peace of mind. A special shout-out to her assistant, Mia, who is an absolute gem–kind, organized, and always one step ahead. Together, they make a dream team. I would recommend them to anyone looking for someone they can truly trust with something so important.

- Lauren, Jamul, CA

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I recently had Tara Cheever put together an estate plan for me that includes a will, trust and powers of attorney for both financial matters and health care. I was very impressed by Tara, her knowledge and her process for accomplishing our goals. She’s professional, kind and empathetic. One thing she did after the completion of my plan was offer me the opportunity to do a legacy tape for my family. Tara asked questions and I answered them. I was a little leery before I did it, but am so glad I did. It’s just something extra to leave to your family as a way of expressing your love for them.

- Michele N. San Diego, CA

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Cheever Law was recommended to me by a trusted colleague and I’ve had a great experience working with Tara Cheever for developing my Estate Plan. Her structured approach is exactly what I needed to set up my initial plan. Her approach is comprised of clear process steps and she clearly communicates at each stage where we are in the overall process. Tara is very knowledgeable and skilled in explaining legal concepts in plain language. I feel that she genuinely cares that I understand the legal requirements so that I can make good decisions. I highly recommend Tara Cheever and her team as an estate planning firm.

- Mary, Encinitas, CA

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I put off setting up a trust for too long because I felt overwhelmed by the process. That changed when I hired Tara. She breaks everything down into manageable and understandable chunks and moves the process along at a good pace. By the time we got to the end and I had my trust in place, I felt completely satisfied and was so glad I had hired Tara. Her staff were also very friendly and easy to communicate with. I highly recommend Tara and her team.

- Susan A.

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Tara Cheever is great to work with. She’s knowledgeable and detail oriented. She educates without being condescending. She studied the specifics of our situation and created a thorough trust plan that fits our needs exactly. One of the most important services that Tara offers is a thorough explanation of what is included in our completed trust and how to make sure that we fund it correctly. I have already recommend her to everyone in my office.

- Andy and Sandra

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“Tara is the best. She totally restructured my trust, and reorganized my S Corp. She even recommended me to a terrific accountant.

I totally endorse Cheever Law, she goes the extra mile.”

- Michael Abell

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Atty Tara Cheever is very dedicated to her profession. Her attention to details is impeccable. It was a pleasure working with her.

- Angel and Marilou, San Diego, CA

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Our experience with Tara during this process was enjoyable, enlightening and resulted in fulfilling all of our criteria.

- David Gutierrez Business Owner, Valley Center, CA

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Tara Cheever was extremely knowledgeable, very professional and very helpful! All this and very safety conscious during the early pandemic, as well. She certainly knows what she is doing, and she is a genuinely NICE person as well.  Highly recommended by both me and my wife.  Thanks Tara!

- Paul N. San Diego, CA

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As a new 18 year old, I really never knew how much planning I needed to do. Working with Tara has helped me prepare as much as possible for my future and she educated me well on so many aspects of estate planning that I had never thought about before. I am so grateful I worked with Tara and can’t imagine what I would have to go through, in the event that something more serious happened to me, and I didn’t have a plan!

- Peyton, San Diego, CA

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I appreciated everything Tara and her staff did. She is knowledgeable and if she didn’t know the answer she researched and found it. She is also great at communicating and very timely. Thank you Tara for your service!

- Leslie and Steve

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I have been working with Tara Cheever for over 10 years, she is a gifted attorney and a wonderful person. She is extremely organized and thorough. I would highly recommend her services.

- Michael, San Diego, CA

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We had a great experience with the professionalism and in depth analysis Tara provides. We feel comfortable knowing Tara has taken great care of us and our family’s needs.

- Michael and Elizabeth, Carlsbad, CA

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Very impressed, Tara is well versed on her subjects and made complex problems very simple. I will recommend her to anyone looking for an attorney in her field.

- Mike D. Business Owner, Encinitas, CA

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As a single mom it is very important to have my future ready in case something we’re to happen to me, Tara Cheever was very helpful and kind – I would definitely recommend her to anyone who needs a trust or will.

- Micala, San Diego, CA

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I already had a trust in place but it needed updating. Tara was extremely patient and thorough at addressing my questions and concerns. I have a much better understanding of my estate plan now especially because the shortcomings were corrected. I have recommended Tara to two families I know who are thinking about establishing an estate plan and trust.

- Shirley Ann, San Diego, CA

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Tara Cheever is an outstanding Trust and Will Attorney. She originally assisted me with my Trust documents and finding her so professional, competent and kind, I referred her to my partner.
We both found her to be very likeable, considerate and a great listener.
She responded to and answered all our questions and concerns thoughtfully and thoroughly. Our Trust and Will documents were very organized and easy to navigate. Her assistant met us for document signing with a positive and professional attitude.
Tara followed up with us on any questions about the finished work product and we were very pleased and confident everything was in place.
We highly recommend Tara Cheever for her services knowing you will be taken care of and provided with the finest Trust and Will documents. We both feel assured our loved ones will have direction when needed.
Thank you Tara and your team!

- Melanie M. Lococo and Richard P. Meyst

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Thanks so much for the excellent meeting on Dec. 31. I think we are a good fit. You are obviously more than just competent and have a talent for making complicated issues understandable. A bonus is how pleasant you are to deal with!

- Marlene Richards La Mesa, CA

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We already had a trust in place, but we needed to update it. Tara walked us through each step in a way that was clear and reassuring. I had been really worried about our situation, but after meeting with her I felt so much better and truly at ease. We’re grateful for her guidance and highly recommend her.

- Cecilia, Banning, CA

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From the 1st meeting we felt like we were speaking with a life lifelong friend who had our best interest at heart. We would highly recommend Tara Cheever!!!

- Patrick and Olesia, Murrieta, CA

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Tara Cheever was very helpful and explained each step clearly and succinctly. I know so much more than I did on original contact. I learned so much and I know my daughter feels very confident about the plan in place now.

- Dorrie

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She always provided very competent legal advice and was a pleasure to work with. I would not hesitate in recommending Tara to you.

- Patrick Thomas Director, Greater San Diego Area

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Tara put us at ease from our first conversation. Our meetings were never rushed and all our questions were answered thoroughly and gracefully. Her approach is totally professional and at the same time, warm and genuine. She took her time explaining all aspects of the process and all the choices available to us. We feel ultra-confident that everything is in place to ensure a smooth transition, when the time comes. Thank you Tara!

- Ursula and Ciaran, San Carlos, CA

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I found Tara to be knowledgeable, professional, kind and very patient. It was like working with a friend and her work ethic was admirable. She was patient with me, a novice with estate planning, and proved to be an excellent teacher, as was her team. I will definitely refer anyone looking for assist with their estate planning to Tara feeling assured they will receive excellent care and attention.

- Jane, Escondido, CA

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Tara is extremely knowledgable and efficient, but was also very caring throughout the (estate planning) process. She answered all of our questions and helped us feel comfortable every step of the way, while being flexible and understanding with our hectic schedules. We will definitely continue to partner with Tara in the future.

- A&L, CA

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Friendly, knowledgeable and so easy to work with! Tara makes the whole process painless.

- Melissa Olson Business Owner, Wisconsin

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Tara is a solid hard working attorney who strives for excellence.

- Maria Hill Escondido, CA

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Tara and her office staff were wonderful. If I had a question or concern they handled it immediately. I was kept updated on how everything was moving along. I would most definitely recommend Tara to anyone seeking an attorney to help them with their estate planning. Thank you Tara

- Terry

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Tara helped us through a complicated trust process including two businesses, 3 children, and two divorced individuals. She navigated the process with aplomb and professionalism. I would definitely recommend her services.

- Jeremy, San Diego, CA

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