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Inheritance Disputes and Legal Costs: Insights from USA TODAY
Scott Rahn was featured in USA TODAY in an article examining the rising legal costs and disputes associated with inheritances.
Brian Puglise is an attorney in the San Diego office of RMO LLP. A thoughtful and results-driven litigator, Brian focuses his practice on representing heirs, beneficiaries, fiduciaries, creditors, and other interested parties in contested probate, trust, conservatorship, and financial elder abuse cases.
Previously, Brian represented clients in workers’ compensation matters, handling contested hearings, depositions, and settlement negotiations. This experience built a strong foundation in litigation strategy, evidentiary analysis, and client advocacy that he now applies in navigating his clients with a compassionate and strategic approach through probate and trust disputes.
University of San Diego, School of Law, Juris Doctor
University of California, Berkeley BA, Rhetoric
Represented a beneficiary in a breach of contract to make a will action and secured a $7.4 million award after a multi-day trial.
Represented an esteemed trust and estate litigation attorney, who was sued by her beneficiary clients in a complex multi-jurisdiction multi-trust dispute. We defeated defendants’ $45 million legal malpractice claim after a 12-day arbitration and achieved an award in favor of our client for unpaid fees.
Represented a non-profit beneficiary on claims of breach of contract to make a will, interference with prospective inheritance, and undue influence and fraud action. We proved that the settlor had promised his millions to the non-profit arm of a fraternity he had dedicated himself to, and that the bad actor indisputably facilitated to the changes to the Trust to redirect the wealth to himself. The matter settled with the fraternity recovering nearly 100% of the promised bequest.
Represented heirs of a decedent to recover against a team of caregivers and a real estate agent who committed fraud and undue influence to con the decedent out of over $10 million in a portfolio of real properties and investments. The matter settled.
Represented a trustee against allegations of fault for a botched transfer of IRA funds to a non-qualified trust account. The matter was resolved by settlement with the third-party transferee as the primary cause of the beneficiaries’ loss and avoided high attorney’s costs and potential penalties.
Trust and estate litigation law firm RMO LLP announced that it has elevated attorney Matthew A. Bourque to Partner, where he will serve as [...]
Trust and estate litigation law firm RMO LLP announced that it has elevated attorney Matthew A. Bourque to Partner, where he will serve as […]
California and Texas probate litigation law firm RMO LLP announced today that 7 of our attorneys have been included in the 2026 edition of [...]
California and Texas probate litigation law firm RMO LLP announced today that 7 of our attorneys have been included in the 2026 edition of […]
California and Texas trust and estate litigation law firm RMO LLP is proud to announce that 3 of our partners have been included in [...]
California and Texas trust and estate litigation law firm RMO LLP is proud to announce that 3 of our partners have been included in […]
Matthew A. Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, has been named to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation list. [...]
Matthew A. Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, has been named to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation list. […]
Matthew Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, was featured in Houston local television station KHOU 11’s VERIFY segment. Providing fact-checked stories and [...]
Matthew Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, was featured in Houston local television station KHOU 11’s VERIFY segment. Providing fact-checked stories and […]
Matthew Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, contributed to the December edition of the Dallas Bar Association’s monthly publication, Headnotes. The association’s [...]
Matthew Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, contributed to the December edition of the Dallas Bar Association’s monthly publication, Headnotes. The association’s […]
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Trust and estate litigation law firm RMO LLP announced that it has elevated attorney Matthew A. Bourque to Partner, where he will serve as [...]
Trust and estate litigation law firm RMO LLP announced that it has elevated attorney Matthew A. Bourque to Partner, where he will serve as […]
California and Texas probate litigation law firm RMO LLP announced today that 7 of our attorneys have been included in the 2026 edition of [...]
California and Texas probate litigation law firm RMO LLP announced today that 7 of our attorneys have been included in the 2026 edition of […]
California and Texas trust and estate litigation law firm RMO LLP is proud to announce that 3 of our partners have been included in [...]
California and Texas trust and estate litigation law firm RMO LLP is proud to announce that 3 of our partners have been included in […]
Matthew A. Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, has been named to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation list. [...]
Matthew A. Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, has been named to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation list. […]
Matthew Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, was featured in Houston local television station KHOU 11’s VERIFY segment. Providing fact-checked stories and [...]
Matthew Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, was featured in Houston local television station KHOU 11’s VERIFY segment. Providing fact-checked stories and […]
Matthew Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, contributed to the December edition of the Dallas Bar Association’s monthly publication, Headnotes. The association’s [...]
Matthew Bourque, Managing Attorney of RMO LLP’s Dallas office, contributed to the December edition of the Dallas Bar Association’s monthly publication, Headnotes. The association’s […]
Insights and advice on trust and probate estate litigation from our blog.
Scott Rahn was featured in USA TODAY in an article examining the rising legal costs and disputes associated with inheritances.
Scott Rahn was recently quoted in CNBC in an article examining the growing trend of “givers’ regret” among high net
Key Takeaways Introduction A trust contest is a legal challenge to the validity of a trust, but it is likely
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