David Y. Parnall

David Y. Parnall is a Senior Associate with Hartog, Baer & Hand. With a practice that emphasizes trust and estate litigation and administration, David is a seasoned litigator who fights hard for his clients. When possible, he aims to solve his clients’ problems by working cooperatively with opponents, emphasizing dispute resolution and the mitigation of interpersonal conflicts. He has taken cases through trial, and has substantial appellate experience.

David’s cases commonly relate to financial elder abuse claims; estate distributions and accountings; the validity of trusts, wills, and other instruments; actions to remove trustees or other fiduciaries; and
similar disputes stemming from wealth transfers and asset management following death or loss of capacity. These disputes often involve real estate or closely held entities, with family conflicts as a typical component. David considers family dynamics as appropriate, depending on his clients’ wishes.

Before joining HBH, David spent several years as a trust and estate attorney in San Francisco. Prior to that, his clients included Fortune 500 companies for whom he frequently litigated a broad array of real estate matters such as title, boundary, and escrow disputes.

As a member of the Earl Warren American Inn of Court, David has presented on issues such as attorney ethics and civility, cannabis, and the impact of race and privilege on criminal sentencing. David was admitted to the State Bar in 2006. He is admitted to practice before all federal and state courts in the State of California.

David is a member of the Trusts and Estates Section of the State Bar of California; the Alameda County and Contra Costa County Bar Associations; and the East Bay Trusts and Estates Lawyers. He practices throughout California, but primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding counties.

David earned his J.D. degree from King Hall School of Law at the University of California, Davis in 2006. While at King Hall, he served as an editor of the U.C. Davis Law Review; worked for the Alameda County Public Defender; and served as an extern for then-Chief Judge Randall J. Newsome of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of California. David earned his B.A degree, magna cum laude, from the University of California, San Diego in 1994.

David is currently serving a lifetime appointment as the lucky father of two wonderful girls. He is also an accomplished musician, having spent many years recording, touring, and composing music for film and theater. His mentors include classical and flamenco guitar notables The Romeros and Mario Escudero.