You don’t have to make life’s most important decisions alone
We understand how difficult it is to think about the possibility of becoming ill or injured- or worse, leaving your loved ones behind. We are ready to tackle your unique needs to ensure that your wishes, and your legacy remain. Our goal is to help you navigate one of life’s toughest seasons & plan ahead.
Our firm delivers comprehensive inheritance and estate planning solutions that safeguard assets, honor legacies, and streamline intergenerational wealth transfers.
We know first-hand the problems that can arise from a failed estate plan- because our firm was founded as a result of a failed estate plan. With experience in family law, litigation, business, and entrepreneurship, we have the background necessary to understand any complications you may have; and how to address them. We are no stranger to complicated family dynamics.
Together, we can check this box off your to do list and make sure you and your loved ones are protected.
Our Story
Frank’s father “Paco” (Amneh’s father-in-law) had spent over $10,000 setting up a will and trust, thinking he’d locked down his legacy and secured his family’s future. He figured he’d done everything he needed, so he put the estate plan on a shelf and forgot about it. Unfortunately, he was mistaken. He never updated it, and many of his assets were not inside the trust.
By the time he realized that his estate plan was deficient, it was too late and he ran out of the asset he thought he had the most of- time. Paco was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, and we found ourselves scrambling to transfer assets into his trust while he was undergoing chemotherapy.
Unfortunately, Paco became mentally incapacitated only 3 weeks after he was diagnosed and he passed away only 2 months after he was diagnosed.
Ultimately many of his wishes regarding the division of his assets never made it onto paper, which caused a lot of arguments between the family.
Most unfortunate of all, was that even though he had a medical healthcare directive, it wasn’t detailed enough- leaving his loved ones to make tough decisions about his care based on our best guesses all while trying to manage his care and grieve. The lack of clarity led to family disagreements, creating a mess he definitely didn’t intend.
Through this unfortunate situation, we realized that the traditional model of estate planning was not sufficient and we knew there was a better way.
The entire experience also made us realize that, like us, many of our friends with young children probably did not have an adequate plan for their future as well.
We knew we wanted to help our friends and family safeguard their legacy, and their families; so their loved ones would not have to experience what we did.
Meet the Founders
Amneh N. Ataya
Amneh is a founding partner of Gavina Ataya, LLP. Her practice specializes in foundational estate planning, probate representation, trust administration and religion-specific estate plans.
Amneh is a proud wife and mother of two from Pasadena, California. Amneh dedicated eight years of her career to Family Law Litigation, assisting families in navigating the complexities of relationship dissolution. She worked with a wide range of clients, from low-income to high net worth individuals. She is an advocate, guiding clients through their transition to a new normal while helping them safeguard their future.
After her personal experience dealing with a failed estate plan and the traditional model of estate planning, Amneh realized there were serious gaps that often left loved ones lost and confused. Her personal experiences led her to discover her passion for helping individuals safeguard their legacy.
Amneh continues to work tirelessly on behalf of her clients to further their interests, protect their legacy, and help their families avoid the pain of dealing with a failed plan.
Frank Gavina
Frank is a founding partner of Gavina Ataya, LLP and dedicated husband and father of two.
Frank has been working in-house for a national manufacturing business dealing with complex business law and generational wealth-transfer issues for the past 14 years.
What began as a passion project has evolved into something more. We’re proud of where we’ve been and even more excited for what’s ahead.
Every decision we make is shaped by a clear sense of purpose. Our journey has been anything but ordinary. Through every step, we've focused on staying true to our values and making space for thoughtful, lasting work.
We want to help you create a thoughtful estate plan, that will safeguard your legacy and protect your loved ones.
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