Berenice Villa

Ms. Villa practices in areas of estate planning, probate, trust law, and litigation for contested matters. She also practices transactional business law. 

In 2014, Ms. Villa began working in the legal field as a legal assistant in a small civil litigation office. During her five years as a civil litigation assistant, she discovered her passion for working with clients and developed an interest in the law. Ms. Villa began working for Meissner Joseph Ruggles, Inc. in 2019 as a legal assistant and enjoyed the close connection she was able to foster with our clients helping them with estate planning, probate, and litigation matters. While in law school, Ms. Villa continued to work as a Summer Law Clerk giving her the opportunity to draft various petitions and conducted legal research related to probate and trust matters. 

Ms. Villa graduated from McGeorge School of Law with a concentration in Elder & Health Law. Ms. Villa excelled in law school, graduating with honors, and receiving three CALI Excellence Awards for being the student with the highest grade in her classes. During her time in law school, Ms. Villa participated in the Elder & Health Law Clinic. As a Certified Law Student, Ms. Villa provided free legal services to underrepresented members of the community in matters related to estate planning, trust litigation, and elder abuse. Ms. Villa also trained in dispute resolution by participating in negotiation and mediation simulated courses, earning her a Certificate in Mediation from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. 

As the eldest child of her two immigrant parents, Ms. Villa has spent her entire life acting as a translator. She understands the importance of speaking with clients in their native language and the positive effect this can have on the quality of their representation. Ms. Villa is excited to provide estate planning, probate, and trust litigation services in Spanish. 

In her free time, Ms. Villa enjoys travelling, spending time with her family, and discovering new restaurants in town. She enjoys being out in nature and going on walks with her dog Mochi.