R. DeDe Soto, Esq. established Soto Law Group so she could dedicate herself to the needs of growing families and business owners. DeDe has a broad background of legal experience. Early in her legal career, she started practicing in family law and business litigation, and later on, she developed extensive real estate expertise. This expertise includes community planning/ land-use entitlement, extensive negotiations with municipalities, local government and business owners on behalf of large real estate developers. Other areas of her expertise include environmental compliance, conservation easements, and complicated acquisition issues. R. DeDe Soto, Esq. started her estate planning practice only on a referral basis several years ago, and recently made the transition to full-time with the Soto Law Group. To provide invaluable services for families and small business owners, she has continued her education at Chapman College School of Law (with LLM courses) and financial planning courses at University of California, Irvine (Financial Planning Certificate with only 1 more class). Incorporating her business knowledge and real estate expertise with her passion for coaching and teaching, she brings an invaluable combination to her estate planning clients. Joining the Personal Family Lawyer® program was a natural fit for her. She had always believed that traditional estate planning, which implies, and often focuses only on, financial wealth and taxation was too limited and short-sighted. DeDe believes it’s not only about passing on financial wealth, but also intellectual, spiritual and human wealth. As part of the Family Wealth Institution, she can provide a framework for a more holistic approach to family wealth planning. “We can actually pass on the clients’ stories, insights and wisdom to their children, grandchildren and other loved ones so that they don’t get lost when the clients pass away,” she explains. She also appreciates that, through the Kids Protection Plan, her clients can rest assured, knowing that if something unexpected or unthinkable happens to mom and dad, the kids won’t have to spend time in Child Protective Services/foster care until their permanent guardians can arrive on the scene. Additionally, she can protect the children’s inheritance from later creditors and predators. On a personal note, she is happily married to husband Robert, and they have a Chihuahua named Noodle. Both she and her husband are dedicated to assisting and protecting families. Her undergraduate degree is from California State University of Fullerton, with a major in Psychology. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Western State University School of Law. Visit her website at: www. thesotolawgroup.com