Kelly Charhut Hughes is a co-founding partner of Laurel Trust Law LLP, an estate planning, trust administration, and probate firm with offices in Studio City and Mission Viejo, California. She and her co-founder Jenna Glassock had each run their own solo estate planning practices before merging them into a partnership in 2022. The firm was born from a personal experience with the probate system and a shared conviction that families deserve better.
When Jenna's mother passed away, she left only a handwritten will. Because her assets were not in a trust, the family was forced into probate. The process took eight years and tens of thousands of dollars in attorneys' fees. That experience became the firm's founding purpose.
I asked Kelly what led her to start her own firm.
"I think when I started at a big firm, there was no world where I could have imagined that I would run my own practice," she told me. "That seemed so stressful. Why would you take that on? Isn't it easier to just keep your head down and get your paycheck?"
Over time, her thinking shifted. She and Jenna had known each other since law school, had both worked in big law, and had each built their own practices before deciding it would be more meaningful to build together.
"I think my mindset changed a lot about the value in building something for yourself, the way that you want it to be built."
The firm is guided by three qualities the team holds itself to: experience, empathy, and diligence. Every Monday, the team meets to review the firm's core values and share a specific example of something a team member did that went above and beyond for a client. Estate planning carries significant emotional weight, and, as a team, they work to stay attuned to that - to keep the emotional side of estate planning in mind.
Finding people who share that commitment has been central to how the firm has grown. "Our approach has been to try to hire people who we think are better than we are at this," Kelly said. "Because we feel like those will be the best people."
"We are talking to people about really personal things that are really difficult," Kelly said. "We can hear them and draft something that makes sense for what they need, but we also want to be compassionate. These are difficult decisions. They may need time. They may want to come back and change what they've decided."
That compassion extends to how the firm educates its clients. Kelly sees trust administrations where families arrive with no understanding of what their loved one's plan actually says - sometimes because no one explained it, sometimes because too much time has passed. She is determined to close that gap.
"My clients leave and know what is actually in there. They don't feel like I just told them, oh, you're married, you have two children, here's what we're doing, best of luck to you, you have no idea what's in here. They feel empowered when they leave."
Laurel Trust Law was built to help people take a little time now to save a lot of heartache later. They are dedicated to helping families avoid the painful experience of dealing with a poorly planned estate.
Are you looking to create or update an estate plan in California or Texas? Connect with Kelly Charhut Hughes and check out Laurel Trust Law LLP.