San Diego Based Law Firm Serving Southern California

San Diego residents looking for legal services need a San Diego law firm that understands personalized and effective legal representation go hand in hand. At Yale & Baumgarten, LLP, we are a boutique law firm with a foundational core of strong legal ethics and personalized service that puts your needs first.

Founding of the Firm

In 1950, when San Diego was a bustling post-World War II town, Bill Yale graduated from Balboa Law School (now Cal Western School of Law), situated on a beautiful site above Sunset Cliffs (now the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University). Born and raised in San Diego (Hoover High School/San Diego State College), Bill had spent many hours listening to his uncle, Don Yale, a long-time practicing attorney in San Diego, expound upon the virtues of a legal career. Bill loved the law. Inspired by a love of the law and local family tradition, Bill hung out his shingle in a small office near 40th Street and El Cajon Blvd. in east San Diego. Shortly thereafter, Bill was joined by his law school friend and San Diego native Duane Wilson. By 1953, the firm was known as Yale, Wilson, Summers & Yale. Sunshine Summers and Bill’s brother, Dean, had come aboard. Yale, Wilson, Summers & Yale maintained offices downtown for many years.


In 1970, Governor Ronald Reagan appointed Bill Yale a Superior Court judge. Bill accepted, and went on to a distinguished career on the bench, serving as presiding judge in 1979. After Bill accepted his appointment to the bench, Duane Wilson and Dean Yale remained partners until Dean retired in 1981. When Dean retired, his son, Gene, took over the reins. Mr. Wilson semi-retired that same year and maintained an office at Gene’s firm until 1987.


After being admitted to the bar in December, 1995, David Baumgarten signed on, and in the year 2000, became a named partner in the firm. Since that time, the firm has been known as Yale & Baumgarten, LLP. In 2008, 58 years after its founding, Gene’s daughter Suzanne joined the firm, becoming the fourth generation of Yales to practice law in San Diego. Today, the firm enjoys an outstanding blend of attorney experience and energy, and, together, with its support staff, stands ready to assist you in your legal needs.

Old Arches

Legal Experience Across a Variety of Fields

Though small, the Firm is able to provide excellent representation to clients in a wide variety of matters across many areas of the law, including:

Civil and Business Litigation

  • Representing plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts in California
  • Insurance coverage and insurance bad faith litigation
  • Legal malpractice
  • General business litigation
  • Corporate and partnership dissolution
  • Shareholder, partnership, and member disputes
  • Trade secret litigation
  • Commercial and residential real estate disputes
  • Construction contract disputes
  • Personal Injury Litigation

Business Formation and Transactional Matters

  • Corporation, LLC, and Partnership formation
  • Contract Drafting and Review

Family Law Litigation

  • Divorce, Legal Separation & Domestic Partnership Dissolution
  • Child Custody and Visitation
  • Child and Spousal Support

Family Law Mediation and Transactional Matters

  • Quick, Amicable & Inexpensive Mediation of Family Law Issues
  • Stipulated Custody/Visitation/Support Agreements
  • Premarital, Marital and Marital Settlement Agreement Drafting

Estate Planning and Probate Transactional Matters

  • Trust and Will Drafting & Review
  • Power of Attorney and Advanced Health Care Directive Drafting & Review
  • Deed Drafting and Review
  • Trust and Estate Administration

Will, Trust and Intestate Estate Litigation

  • Trust and Will Contests
  • Disputes between Beneficiaries and Trustees
  • Probate Estate Litigation

Civil Appeals

  • Appeals to the California Courts of Appeal from state superior court matters
  • Civil Appeals
  • Probate Appeals
  • Family Law Appeals
  • Appeals to the 9th District Court of Appeal from federal district court matters

Notary Public Services

  • Acknowledgments
  • Jurats
  • Certified Copy of Power of Attorney

Contact Us Today for Personalized Legal Services

If you are ready to receive the focused advocacy, personalized service and effective legal representation of our San Diego law firm, contact Yale & Baumgarten, LLP for a consultation.

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