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Our Team
Sarah Summerall
Managing Attorney
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Patrick Premo
Of Counsel
Kathleen Arteficio
Attorney
Christian Starck
Signing Specialist
Lauren Howard
Deed Specialist
Kelly Wessels
Managing Attorney
Danielle Holit-Gsell
Attorney
Kate Bartles
SF Office Manager
Claudine Bautista
Signing Specialist
Vitaly Perkov
Signing Specialist
Albert Wu
Partner
Annika Nielsen-Kim
Attorney
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Anne Ciccarelli
Operations Manager
Man Yang
Signing Specialist
"Capi" Schnuggles
Office Greeter
Amina Dzano
Attorney
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Naomi Hughes
Attorney
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Cassie Spindler
Operations Manager
Mary Miramontes
Billing Specialist
Sarah Summerall
Managing Attorney, Firm Founder, Sister of Kelly
Sarah started this law firm in 2008 because she wanted to help people use the law to make their loved ones’ lives better, even after they were gone. She believes each of her clients knows what is best for their family (biological or chosen) and enjoys helping them find the legal solution that makes that happen. She is proud to have built a law firm that now helps hundreds of families in the Bay Area do just that every year. She is an Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Certified Specialist and leads Summerall Law’s Probate and Trust Administration and Litigation practices. To learn more about Sarah's Philosophy and personal approach, read her full bio here.​​
Start your plan with Sarah​
Kelly Wessels
Managing Attorney, Estate Plan Practice Leader, Brother of Sarah
Kelly has always loved the written word and solving problems. That’s why working in estate planning is such a great fit for him–he gets to use his precise legal writing and problem-solving skills to help people create the estate plan that is right for their family. Kelly has 20 years of experience as an attorney and working with LGBTQI families holds a special place in his heart. To learn more about Kelly, read his full bio here.
Start your plan with Kelly:​
Albert Wu
Partner
Albert was born and raised in Stockton, CA then attended Cal (Go Bears!) where he was a double major in Business (Haas School of Business) and History and also was a member of the Cal Men's Lacrosse Team. Albert then attended Harvard Law School for his J.D.
Albert enjoys trust and estate planning because it allows him to help families and individuals navigate their important family and financial decisions.
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Albert also enjoys tennis, golf, reading, and traveling.
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Albert is fluent in English and Mandarin.
Amina Dzano
Estate Planning Sr. Associate Attorney
Amina was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina and grew up in Massachusetts and California's Central Valley. Amina studied international relations and philosophy at Mills College in Oakland, CA, where she was a member of the swim team and president of the Muslim Student Association before graduating with honors. During law school, Amina was active in student life and delivered the commencement address graduating from Penn State Law. Prior to joining the Summerall Law team, Amina worked in private practice in the U.S. Virgin Islands focusing on civil matters, in particular estate planning and probate.
Amina appreciates the important role effective estate planning plays in providing individuals and families protection, comfort, and peace of mind.
In her spare time, Amina enjoys traveling, watching soccer, gardening, and perfecting recipes in the kitchen.
Amina is fluent in English, Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian.
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Patrick Premo
Of Counsel
Patrick grew up in the South Bay. He earned his B.S. in Political Science from Santa Clara University and went on to complete an M.A. in European Politics at Durham University, England. He later returned to Santa Clara University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude with his J.D.
With more than 25 years of legal experience, Patrick’s practice spans litigation, estate planning, and trust administration. He values the opportunity to help clients navigate important family and financial decisions with clarity and care.
Outside of work, Patrick enjoys time with his partner, Terese, and their blended family of six children, as well as travel and discovering great food.
Danielle Holt-Gsell
Associate Attorney
Danielle grew up in Maryland and is a graduate of University of Maryland, where she earned a B.A. in Economics and B.S. in Animal Sciences. Danielle moved to California to attend UC Berkeley for law school and fell in love with the Bay Area. While at Berkeley, Danielle was an editor for the California Law Review and Ecology Law Quarterly. After graduating from law school, Danielle practiced project finance in New York City before finally returning back to the bay to put down permanent roots.
Danielle is excited about estate planning because she enjoys getting to know clients and helping them plan for the future.
Outside of the office, you can find her working on stained glass projects and spending time with her wife and rabbit.
Annika Nielsen-Kim
Associate Attorney
Annika grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Social Science and Global Health. She later moved to Chicago (for love) and earned her law degree from Notre Dame Law School.
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After law school, Annika completed a fellowship at Legal Aid Chicago, where she helped homeowners facing foreclosure and probate challenges. That experience opened her eyes to the power of estate planning as a way to protect loved ones, prevent future conflicts, and bring peace of mind.
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Now, Annika lives in the Bay Area with her husband and their two kids. Outside of work, she loves cooking, reading (especially romantasy novels and medical nonfiction), and exploring San Francisco and beyond with her family. She's always on the hunt for great restaurants and fun, kid-friendly activities, and would love to hear your recommendations!
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Naomi Hughes
Associate Attorney
Naomi grew up in Alhambra, California (part of Los Angeles County). She attended UC Davis studying English and Political Science, followed by UCLA School of Law for her JD. After a few years of practicing litigation, she decided to explore transitioning to trust and estate planning. To help with that goal, Naomi earned her LL.M. degree in Taxation from Golden Gate University.
Naomi loves learning about her clients and helping them care for their loved ones through estate planning tailored to their unique families, needs, and priorities.
Naomi lives in Walnut Creek with her husband of almost 30 years and they have two young-adult children currently navigating their 20s while starting their own careers. In her free time, Naomi loves travel, international cuisine, hiking, and discovering new indie music with her husband.
Kathleen Arteficio
Associate Attorney
Kathleen was born and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey. She earned her JD-MBA from Northwestern University. Prior to becoming an Attorney, she worked for 7 years in Data Analytics at Credit Suisse where she developed a passion for understanding client needs and problem solving. She started her legal career in technology transactions at Morrison & Foerster.
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Kathleen loves estate planning because it helps individuals prepare for the future and protect loved ones from unnecessary stress and litigation.
She lives in SF with her husband and two guinea pigs and enjoys making jewelry, watching true crime, and traveling.
Kate Bartles
SF Office Manager
Kate received her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona; majoring in Law and minoring in Creative Writing. She graduated cum laude and was involved in many organizations on campus such as student class council. Kate enjoys meeting with existing clients, and helping to create a welcoming environment for new clients. In her free-time, she loves to try new restaurants with friends and explore San Francisco.
Anne Ciccarelli
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Operations Manager
Anne grew up in the Bay Area, left to get an undergraduate degree at Northwestern University, and returned the day after graduation to escape the Chicago winter. She worked in tech and finance operations prior to joining Summerall, and is thrilled to welcome clients into the Oakland office. Outside of work, Anne enjoys working on her sci-fi/fantasy novel, annoying her cat, and spending time with family.
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Cassie Spindler
Operations Manager
Cassie is a Bay Area native who joined Summerall Law after ten years of program management in the nonprofit space. She enjoys using her technical and organizational skills at Summerall to support our team and clients. Outside of work, she enjoys watching women's soccer with her wife, knitting and reading, taking nice walks outside, and baking.
Christian Starck
Signing Specialist
Christian was born and raised in the Bay Area, having earned his bachelors in English from California State, East Bay. While studying at East Bay, he was a poetry and fiction editor for the English department zine, "Occam's Razor" (now "Big Red Chair").
Christian enjoys meeting all the friendly faces that come in for signing and helping them finalize such an important part of their future. In his downtime Christian enjoys finding new hiking trails to explore, catching up on his favorite manga, and sitting down for a movie with his two cats, Earl and Val.
Claudine Bautista
Signing Specialist
Claudine grew up in the Bay Area and lived in Portland, OR for a few years. She is into fishing, reading / listening to audiobooks from Sci-Fi to Fiction genres, and currently playing Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the first time ever! Enjoys watching Women's Soccer and Basketball, GO BAY FC and VALKYRIES!
Man Yang
Signing Specialist
Man was born and raised in Beijing and went on to study at UC Berkeley. Before joining the team, she worked as a UX designer. Outside of work, Man enjoys seeking out new restaurants and trying different cuisines, spending weekends camping in the outdoors, and relaxing at home with her cats. She’s always up for a food recommendation or a good campsite to explore.
Mary Miramontes
Billing Specialist
Mary enjoys handling all the billing issues (so clients don’t have to) and working with a team that is kind, helpful, and hardworking.
She is from the Seattle area and has a bachelor’s in environmental studies from the University of Washington. Mary moved to California in 2018 after meeting her husband, and now they have 1 son together. She loves learning about native plants and is currently converting her lawn into a garden.
Lauren Howard
Deed Specialist
A “Jill of many Trades”, Lauren feels so fortunate to work closely with Sarah Summerall as her assistant in both office and home. Her background in real estate has made her an asset to the firm, earning her the “Deed Specialist” title. Lauren has also spent many years on stage and screen (you can still find her there sometimes!) Born in Los Angeles, Lauren has since found home in San Francisco after moving here in 2015 to perform in “Beach Blanket Babylon”. She enjoys exploring her city, traveling, & wandering in nature with her dog, George.
Vitaly Perkov
Signing Specialist
Vitaly grew up in the Bay Area and went on to complete his undergraduate studies at UC Irvine, earning a BS in Chemistry with a minor in Political Science. He is planning to apply to law school with the goal of practicing patent law.
Captain "Capi" Schnuggles
Official Office Greeter
Captain Schnuggles joined the team in January of 2018 at 8 weeks of age. He is available at the Oakland office to provide greeting services, play with bored children, and supply hugs and love to all. Please let us know if you have any allergies or pet-avoidance preferences and he can stay in the training room. If you would prefer to hold him during the session we can provide a clothing-protection blanket.
Sarah Summerall, Partner
Certified Probate, Trust & Estate Specialist
Sarah is not currently accepting new estate planning clients, she is focused on serving her existing clients and supporting the associate attorneys.
Amina Dzano, Associate
Speaks Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian
Start here: 15-30 min Call/Video
Oakland in-person appointments are available, email clienthelper@summeralllaw.com for details.
Kelly Wessels, Partner
Georgetown Law Grad & 19+ Yrs Advising Clients