Established 1987 Anytown, Greater Anytown County Bar No. CA-184201

Elm + Oak Law

A boutique firm. Estate, business, and trust counsel.
Our Partners

Three lawyers, two associates, one paralegal.

Elm + Oak has stayed deliberately small for thirty-eight years. The work is better that way.


Henrik Oak

Founding Partner · Estate & Trust

Forty-one years in practice. Founded the firm in 1987 with one assistant and a borrowed conference table. Cornell Law '83. Lectures occasionally at the local bar association on advanced trust planning.

— "Most estate disputes start in the will. We try to make sure ours don't."

Nora Elm

Managing Partner · Business Counsel

Joined as an associate in 2002, made partner in 2009, took the keys in 2018. Stanford Law '01. Holds the firm's relationships with most of our long-standing business clients.

— "Good lawyering is mostly listening, then writing carefully."

James Marquez

Partner · Litigation

Trial counsel, eighteen years. Came to us from a regional firm in 2016. UC Berkeley Law '07. Handles all of the firm's contested matters; calm in mediation, prepared for trial.

— "Most cases settle. The ones that don't deserve a real defense."

Associates & Staff

The rest of the team.

Aria Whitfield

Senior Associate · Estate Planning

Six years at the firm. Drafts about a third of our estate plans. UCLA Law '17. Will probably make partner in two or three years.

Theo Park

Associate · Litigation Support

Three years with us. Works closely with James on contested trust matters. Hastings '21.

Patrice Lewinsky

Senior Paralegal · Trust Administration

Twenty-two years at Elm + Oak. Knows our client files better than the partners do. The first call in any trust administration.

If you'd like to meet

The first hour is on us. Sort of.

Initial consultations are sixty minutes, $250 flat. We credit the fee toward representation if we proceed together. If we're not the right fit, you've spent an hour and learned what you needed to learn.

Schedule a Consultation