Michael Blacksburg – Wells Fargo Private Bank

CLOSED. He could not be reached on the number listed and, according to the lady who answered the phone, is no longer practicing estate law. The Unilocal listing should be updated to reflect current situation.

I’d known Michael recreationally for about 5 years when suddenly I was faced with a very manipulative landlord-​tenant issue in 2006… After a housewarming party in my live-​in warehouse rental, the property manager tried to blame $ 5000 worth of building repairs on my guests who entered/​left the party — — and refused to provide proof of the cause of the damage or receipts for the repairs. Additionally, the only specific damage mentioned in the claim was broken fluorescent bulbs in the overhead lighting of a communal restroom in the building (of about 30 units). Note: These bulbs would cost about $ 10-​$ 20 at Home Depot.
It was when I asked for the proof of liability and receipts for the cost of repairs they let loose their lawyer on me. These property managers also insisted on a two-​year lease only a handful of months earlier. Naturally I felt intimidated and manipulated by these people… so I came to Michael for help.
Not only was he super nice and quick to fight back for me – within a day or two he had me out of the two-​year lease AND had the property manager agreed to pay me to move out! A complete reversal of the situation. I have never had problems with any landlords (except getting them to do as they agree). So the entire circumstance was crazy-​talk to me.
Michael has since changed the focus of his practice but I would highly recommend him based on how aptly he understood the situation and came to my aid.

No call back after 10 days. Just called the number listed and it’s a different law firm…
Update– don’t want to mess with his Unilocal score. He emailed back and his situation is understandable. Will be looking elsewhere for help with estate planning though as I don’t see reviews for the lawyer who is handling any prospective new clients who he refers to

To be fair, I couldn’t actually use Michael because he was going on leave, however, within an hour of emailing him with some questions about using him for our will and trust, he called me. He said he couldn’t take any clients right now, but he had someone to recommend us to. He could have just left it at that, but he spent a good 10 – 15 minutes on the phone answering general questions about the process, all knowing that he wasn’t going to take me as a client. He was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, personable and very easy to talk to. If he was taking clients, I would have highly considered using his services.

His office did my estate planning and I was impressed with the very comprehensive interest and work that they did. Their personal care and attention were excellent and I would highly recommend them!

I am not typically one who writes many reviews but I have to say that Michael Blacksburg is one ROCK SOLID estate planning attorney. I really did not know what I was getting into when doing this as it was my first time. Mike was extremely helpful and didn’t nickel and dime me like most attorneys do. He was always available to answer my questions and made sense of situations that I thought were extremely complex. I highly recommend him for estate planning.

It doesn’t get any better than Blackie. When our son was born last month, we knew we had to get our Big, Important Paperwork in order. When we called Michael, he helped us navigate all of our personal and family data and update our wills, trust information, and advanced healthcare directives.
A father himself, he also offered some great advice, including some documents on choosing guardians for our son, should my husband and I be incapacitated or die (God forbid!). He also suggested that we investigate insurance that would cover 7 – 10 years of living expenses in case of catastrophe.
On the happier side of things, he reminded us that my husband was entitled to take off work for Paid Family Leave anytime within 12 months of our son’s birth, made a recommendation that we create a baby memories book (he made one for his son), and suggested some great camping trips we could enjoy with our young one.
With his knowledge of estate and trust law and his wonderful personal suggestions, I can’t recommend Michael Blacksburg enough to a new family making important decisions about life and money!

I attended Mr. Blacksburg’s seminar. As everyone else has written, he was thorough, thoughtful, and efficient. A very good value.

Recently, I attended a seminar that Michael led for about 6 other interested people at his office during a Monday evening after working hours. I was greeted with enthusiasm.
Attending this seminar, Michael provided the attendees with a customized packet of information related to an estate plan with my name and details contained within it. Clearly, this man had listened to my needs and has put a lot of preparation into the evening seminar and led us through a 2 hour discussion on the topic of creating an estate plan, an advanced health care directive, and related topics.
What was most impressive was the discussion that Michael led us through and the many useful worksheets that he provided which could be taken home and discussed with your loved ones in the privacy and confidentialty of your own home. The worksheets were very pragmatic and insightful — used to help draw-​out the needs of those you care about in your life on this very touchy subject, planning for your death and how you want things to be carried out on your behalf.
Excellence in his profession. Super sharp, yet, with sense of humor and integrity. I would highly recommend Michael and his team to my clients.

You don’t have your Will or power of attorney done, do you? You probably think it will all go to your spouse or your blood relative… Think just having beneficiaries on accounts will cover everything? Or it’s just too depressing to think about — seems too far away to bother with?
You are dead wrong. I was wrong once too.
Now, I’m ready to die and my grieving family doesn’t have to deal with mountains of red tape probate because I took Blacksburg’s Will Workshop and got that shit in order.
Michael and his fabulous colleague Louis are calm, knowledgable, and caring. They explain everything very clearly, make you aware of risks, and help you fill out every last thing you need. I trust them implicitly as do the many 5 star reviewers here.
Don’t be an asshole when you leave this cruel world. Sign up for Blackburg’s Wills Workshop and then treat yourself to Starbelly afterwards.

I was in need of a tough dedicated attorney that would fight for my interests to the end. Michael Blacksburg was a fierce negotiator, explained all phases of the case extremely well and respected my personal decisions on what I wanted as the outcome.

Blacksburg was a Boy Scout. Why is that relevant to an estate planning attorney? Because, years after he got his Eagle badge, he’s still trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, and kind. It’s these personal qualities that separate him from other lawyers just as knowledgeable or technically adept. The fact that his San Francisco office in the Castro is close to our home in the Mission was a bonus. I chose Blacksburg to help me set up a living trust. Rather than simply asking me «who gets what,» he took both a practical and very personal approach, always asking insightful questions and giving me straight forward advice about planning my will.

Michael helped me with a business litigation that I was very pleased with the results. He was very well-​prepared for the trial. I would use his law firm again in the future.

I attended Michael’s Estate Planning Workshop and found it very helpful and useful. I liked the personal attention we got for our will and health directives and he seemed well informed about issues that are of concern to LGBT populations and to transnational couples and folks with dual citizenship.
They were able to make changes to our documents on the spot and answered my many questions. I would consider using his services to set up a trust in the future.

I was looking for a San Francisco lawyer on Unilocal.I found Michael, and the reviews did not disappoint. After much procrastination, I finally contacted him to create our family trust and living will. I wasn’t excited about thinking about this stuff, but now that we have a son, I figured it was time to get this done.
In terms of his estate planning, Michael was a knowledgeable, professional and extremely patient attorney. He explained things in common English, so the process made sense, and got very specific when necessary. In all, he took a painful process and made it as pain-​free as possible. I would absolutely recommend Michael for estate and family planning services.

My husband and I hired Michael Blacksburg to handle our estate planning, and we have been very happy with the results. He and his team are knowledgeable, professional, and have been accommodating to our crazy schedules. They understand that we are juggling a lot in our lives and therefore, made our meetings and phone consultations fit our lifestyle whenever possible.
Every step of the way Michael helped us understand the law, and the impact our choices would have on our estate. He has been very supportive along the way, and patient when I asked him to explain something for the third or fourth time! He understands that the process can be confusing and that the many details can feel overwhelming, and he never made me feel like a dummy for needing to have certain information repeated.
We look forward to continuing our relationship with Blacksburg Law, and recommend them to anyone looking for a trustworthy, dedicated, and smart lawyer.

I went all the way to San Francisco and it was completely worth it.
I needed an estate plan and after reading all of Michael’s reviews I went all the way to San Francisco to meet him. After a great preliminary meeting of Michael and his team, I ended up hiring Blacksburg Law.
It has been great. Michael and his paralegal Louis have been supportive and most important, have been explaining everything as we go through each step.
I have found not only the lawyer that I used for my estate plan, but a trusted advisor who I plan to partner with for whatever I might need in the future. When people ask me about lawyers, I hand them his card and say «I’ve got a great guy for you».
–Gal on the Go

Michael is a pro! I needed rapid help writing up a client contract and an employee contract and he was able to turn it around in record time. He is professional, and offers a wide array of services at reasonable rates. For a small business owner of a tech PR agency in SF, we are assured knowing that Michael is there anytime we need someone to decode the legalese to make sure we are doing business in the smartest way possible.
Also, Michael speaks as a regular human, and is quite seasoned and charming. All these qualities make for the best kind of legal advisor I could hope for!

I hired Michael a year ago based on his Unilocal reviews, for my business contracts, LLC creation, etc.
Even with the inflated expectations created by the glowing reviews you can read below, he delivered repeatedly, on time, on budget, with very good deliverables … I ask him a quick question from time to time and he is always responsive. His billing practices are clear and upfront.
Highly recommended.

Michael Blacksburg is the most compassionate lawyer I’ve ever talked to. I am having a difficult situation with my landlord and lease, and Michael told me exactly what my options are with absolutely no BS. I left our conversation knowing exactly what I need to do (and not do) in order to resolve this situation.
Michael has a humor uncharacteristic of most lawyers I know. He’s affable, funny, and very clear in his advice. I highly recommend him to anyone dealing with a difficult tenancy issue.

My wife and I had been contemplating needing a will after getting married in 2010. I had never given much thought to this, but I had the impression that this would be a hugely convoluted, expensive, time-​consuming and potentially emotionally draining process.
After we learned about Michael’s Wills Workshop, we signed up for the very first one. Even though this was his «prototype» workshop, Michael delivered. Not only was it well worth the money, compared with a 1-​on-​1 consultation, but the workshop format really worked for us.
The Wills Workshop has taken the charge our of making a will and turned it into a straightforward, time-​efficient and low cost process that was very informative and helpful, even enjoyable. I can highly recommend it.
Michael started with a straightforward and easy-​to-​read worksheet which educated us about the process, asked for information and pointed out some questions my wife and I had to discuss. Then we went to the workshop, and Michael handed each participant a folder with a complete set of personalized documents, based on the worksheet info previously submitted. The folder included a Will, a Power of Attorney, an Advanced Heath Care Directive and supporting information. After the workshop, Michael took the time to deal with special situations in 1-​on-​1 consultations, all part of the fee.
I also learned that since as foreign national, estate tax kicks in at much lower amounts ($ 100,000) if I inherit money from a US source (such as my wife). Michael not only educated me about this (I had no idea), but put in some complicated setup to pass my wife’s money, if she pre-​deceases me, to a trust, to avoid the estate tax. All this was included. Wow!

I recently attended Michael’s Will Workshop and not only did I leave the session with a will in hand, but Michael took the time to consult with me privately during the session about my specific needs as a business owner, and potential needs as my life changes over the course of time.
I’m young, single, no kids… so why the will?
Why not?
It was easy, affordable, and will make everyone’s life a lot easier if I happen to get hit by a bus tomorrow (hey, it happens!).
It also gave me peace of mind to know that things will be left the way I would like them to be, and my family won’t be burdened by trying to figure it all out.
Thanks Michael! This is a great service to our community!