A veteran estate and trust litigation attorney with 50 years of experience, Michael Hackard regularly represents clients in California and federal courts and his experience has also included representing clients before federal, state, and local legislative and administrative bodies.
Michael is a native of Sacramento, California. His practice includes the representation of out-of-state clients in California-related legal matters. Michael is committed to lifelong learning, including executive-level courses at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Columbia Business School and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Michael is dedicated to his clients, often beneficiaries who have been wrongfully disinherited and need a fighting chance. His experience teaches him that litigation clients first seek an attorney who will listen and be committed to them. This commitment includes an understanding that the client’s personal and/or financial safety is often paramount, coupled with the need for real-time efforts to prevent disputed matters from getting worse. This, he believes, is the key to achieving a favorable resolution for clients.
Michael Hackard is a top-rated “AV” for over 40 years (“AV Preeminent is a significant rating accomplishment- a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence”). Avvo also ranks him with their highest rating – “ 10.0 Rating – ‘Superb.’” Michael is also a “SuperLawyer” – an honor reserved for no more than five percent of attorneys in each state (2014; 2015; 2021; 2022; 2023; 2024; 2025; and 2026). It’s little wonder that with a record of experience and client advocacy, Michael Hackard has become known as “The Sage.”
As the founder of Elder Legacy Press, Michael has written six books covering elder financial abuse, inheritance disputes, traumatic brain injury, and his personal journey of faith and law:
The Wolf at the Door: Undue Influence and Elder Financial Abuse
Alzheimer’s, Widowed Stepmothers & Estate Crimes
It’s Never Just an Accident
Inheritance Heists
Making Room: A Memoir of Faith, Law, and Endurance
Stolen Inheritance: How the Vulnerable Lose Their Estates – and What Families Can Do
