NIELSEN CASHMAN & DEAN
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Compassionate Counsel. Trusted Results.
Welcome!
Nielsen Cashman & Dean (formerly Gale & Nielsen) is a full-service estate planning firm serving California’s North Coast. We design high-quality, customized plans (not canned forms) at competitive prices, because template documents often miss critical details and create costly problems later. Our work spans wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, advance health care directives, trust funding, and ongoing trust administration and probate. We also handle conservatorships, special needs planning, Medi-Cal planning for long-term care, and a broad range of elder law matters. Rounding out our services, we advise small businesses and provide family law counsel with an emphasis on mediation to keep conflict and costs down.
Since 1998, our Eureka-based team has helped thousands of clients and families protect what matters most and navigate life’s transitions with clarity and confidence. Law Partner Arthur Nielsen is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, and our firm is known for careful listening, plain-English guidance, and meticulous drafting tailored to each client’s goals.
We pair expertise with compassion and fair, transparent pricing—delivering documents you can rely on and a relationship you can trust.
Areas of Practice
We are a full-service estate planning firm dedicated to providing comprehensive, personalized solutions at fair and transparent prices. Whether you need a simple will, a revocable trust, or powers of attorney, we focus on precision without unnecessary complexity. For those with more advanced planning needs, we also offer sophisticated strategies, including IRA trusts (see-through/look-through), irrevocable trusts, special needs trusts, estate tax and gifting plans, and family business succession planning. Most of our estate planning services are offered at straightforward flat rates—visit our FAQ section for detailed pricing.
FAMILY LAW
We handle a wide range of family law matters, particularly those that intersect with estate planning, like prenuptial and transmutation agreements. Our services include divorce, dissolution, child custody, visitation, child support, and spousal support. We help you navigate California’s complex marital property laws and prioritize cost-effective mediation and settlement agreements to help families resolve disputes efficiently and affordably, minimizing emotional stress and legal expenses. Our goal is to protect your family’s interests while guiding you through every step of this challenging process with care and understanding.
California Trustees must meet strict deadlines and perform important duties. These include filing required notices, informing beneficiaries, locating and securing assets, addressing tax matters, paying debts and liabilities, and distributing assets to the rightful heirs.
Proper trust administration can be complex and time-consuming. It often involves a range of detailed and technical steps. Our experienced legal team is here to guide you through the process and support you in meeting your responsibilities as a Trustee, helping you stay compliant every step of the way.
Making the decision to pursue a conservatorship for an aging parent or a child with a disability is never easy. It often involves complex emotions, legal intricacies, and deeply personal considerations. Our experienced legal team understands the weight of this responsibility and is committed to offering steady, reliable guidance every step of the way. We work closely with families to ensure that the conservatorship process is handled with care, precision, and respect—always keeping the best interests of your loved one at the center of our thoughtful approach.
MEDI-CAL PLANNING
We have extensive experience helping clients qualify for Medi-Cal long-term care coverage for loved ones who require continuous care that can’t be safely provided at home. Each family’s situation is different, so we take the time to understand your specific needs and goals. From there, we craft a personalized strategy designed to preserve family assets while remaining fully compliant with all federal and state regulations. Our goal is to provide peace of mind through thoughtful, ethical planning—ensuring your loved ones receive the care they need without putting your family’s financial future at risk
Humboldt is known for its vibrant community of small, independent businesses, each with its own unique legal challenges. Serving these businesses requires more than just legal knowledge—it takes an understanding of the local economy and the importance of working within tight financial limits. At our firm, we recognize these realities and are committed to offering legal support that’s both effective and affordable. We provide straightforward, practical advice that empowers business owners to make smart, informed decisions and move forward with confidence in a complex and often unpredictable business environment.
Our litigation practice is dedicated to handling the kinds of disputes that commonly arise during a person’s lifetime. These include conflicts over wills and trusts, disagreements involving property boundaries and easements, contract disputes, and issues related to business relationships. We focus on finding sensible, practical resolutions designed to minimize the lengthy delays, significant expenses, and stress that often come with formal litigation. Our approach emphasizes clear communication and efficient problem-solving to help clients reach fair outcomes without unnecessary complications or drawn-out court battles.
ELDER LAW
Elder law is primarily defined not by specific legal techniques but by the unique type of clients it serves—primarily elderly and disabled individuals. In our practice, elder law takes on a highly individualized approach. We collaborate closely with each client to thoroughly understand their long-term personal and financial goals. From there, we develop carefully tailored legal strategies designed to address the wide range of specific concerns and challenges that often arise as people age or face disabilities. This personalized process ensures that our clients receive the support and guidance they need to protect their well-being and assets effectively.
No-Stress Inquiry
Use our form to contact us about your legal issue. A few sentences about what you need to accomplish and what concerns you have are usually enough to get started. You may also email or call us to make an appointment to discuss your case. We are licensed to practice law in California and New York.
NIELSEN CASHMAN & DEAN is a law practice that provides legal advice to families and businesses in Humboldt County, Del Norte County, and Trinity County, California.
In my religion, they say, "Act as if ye had faith, and faith will be given to you." If we are to have faith in justice, we need only to believe in ourselves and act with justice.
— PAUL NEWMAN, "THE VERDICT"
Need more information? Call us at (707) 269-0167
