Biography
Attorney Joseph M. Morrill is the founder of Morrill Law in Walnut Creek, California. A top-rated trial attorney with more than 25 years of legal experience, Mr. Morrill provides invaluable and exceptional representation and support to clients throughout Oakland and surrounding areas of Northern California who have legal needs.
Over the course of his legal career, Mr. Morrill has gained significant experience with both jury and bench trials, and he has secured numerous defense verdicts for trustees and other fiduciaries regarding breaches of fiduciary duty, undue influence, allegations of financial elder abuse and more.
Along with maintaining a successful trial practice, Mr. Morrill also has extensive experience handling negotiations and mediations for his clients, and he is a certified mediator who regularly serves on the Contra Costa Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Panel of Neutrals.
A 1992 graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Mr. Morrill obtained his Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1996. A leader in his legal community, he is former president of the Contra Costa County Bar Association's Elder Law Section, and he continues to serve on the board of the organization's Estate Planning and Probate Section.
Education
- Santa Clara University School of Law, Santa Clara, California
- J.D.
- University of California at Santa Barbara
- B.A.
- Major: Political Science
Professional Associations
- Contra Costa County Bar Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
- Estate Planning Council of Diablo Valley East Bay Trusts and Estates Lawyers
Practice Areas
- Trust and Estate Litigation
- Financial Elder Abuse
- Conservatorships
Honors
- Super Lawyer
Bar Admissions
- California, 1996
Speaking Engagements & Seminars
- "How to Nail the Landing if you are Deposed: A litigator's perspective on best practices for estate planners,” with Joe Morrill and Esther Kim, Contra Costa County Bar Association's 30th Annual Estate Planning Symposium, Walnut Creek, California (May 4, 2024)
- Grandma Died, Grandpa is Dating Again, the Legal Ramifications, 14th Annual Conference on Elder Abuse, Legal Assistance for Seniors, 2019 to Present
- Using Trust Funds to Defend Contests and Other Attacks on the Trust, EBTEL Litigation and Mediation sections, East Bay Trusts and Estates Lawyers, 2017 to Present
- Effective Advocacy in Court, EBTEL Litigation Boot Camp, East Bay Trusts and Estates Lawyers, 2018 to Present
- An Overview of Capacity and Undue Influence: A Litigator’s Perspective, CEB Webinar, Continuing Education of the Bar – California, 2018 to Present
- Financial Elder Abuse, Rossmoor Financial Forum Webinar, Continuing Education of the Bar – California, 2018 to Present
- Bridging the Gap – Elder Law, Contra Costa County Bar Association Barristers Section, 2015 to Present
- Financial Elder Abuse & Undue Influence, Mt. Diablo Legal Professionals Association, 2015 to Present
- Undue Influence: When Capacity is Only Part of the Story, 20th Annual MCLE Spectacular, CCCBA and Contra Costa County Bar Association Elder Law Section, 2014 to Present
- Capacity: The Legal and Medical Ramifications, East Bay Case Management Association, 2013 to Present
- Current Strategies in Trust and Will Contest Litigation, Contra Costa County Bar Association CGPT and Litigation Sections, 2012 to Present
- Financial Elder Abuse: Extraordinary Remedies, Contra Costa County Bar Association Elder Law Section, 2009 to Present
- Financial and Physical Elder Abuse/Neglect – Detection, Prosecution, & Prevention, BALSF 43rd Annual Seminar, Bay Area Legal Secretaries Forum, 2009 to Present