Richard Aaron has a diverse business transactions, corporate and real estate practice, and is also a Certified Specialist in Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Law. Since 1979, he has devoted his entire legal career to our firm, serving clients and providing firm leadership, and he currently serves as the firm’s California Region Chair. He also acts as general counsel to many companies involved in a wide variety of industries and service groups, including automobile dealerships, farming entities, food processors, packing houses and marketing companies, manufacturing companies, commercial and residential real estate developers, healthcare providers and professional practices. In addition to counseling mature businesses, Rich has guided a number of start-up companies through formation, fund-raising, development into operating companies, and execution of exit strategies.

As a part of the firm’s healthcare practice group, Richard has formed and represented numerous medical groups throughout the state. Similarly, he practices extensively in the areas of mergers, sales and acquisitions, real estate and corporate law. He is heavily involved in representing automobile dealerships, including ongoing representation of dealers in sales and acquisitions, manufacturer relationships, succession planning and dealership operations.

Unlike many attorneys, who are notoriously bad business people, Richard earned his undergraduate degree in finance at the USC School of Business, and honed his business skills by selling cars, even while attending UC Hastings College of the Law – not something most mortals should attempt, especially when grinding at one of the top-rated law schools in the United States. In fact, Richard became so good at it that he became a sales manager for Ford, and was offered his own dealership, which at the time meant he was making more money selling cars on the side than first year lawyers were making at law firms. Ford motors thought he was crazy, turning down a once-in-a-lifetime type of opportunity, but raised as a poor kid, the image of an attorney, and that lifestyle, prestige and stability is what really drove him to become a lawyer.

Richard has been certified by the California Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California as a Specialist in Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Law. His unique breadth of experience allows him to counsel business, corporate, professional and estate planning clients with a perspective that cohesively integrates a number of specialties in a way that offers clients cost-effective, practical solutions to their problems.

Happily married to his wife, Nancy, for nearly 44 years, four wonderful kids and two fully spoiled grandchildren later, Richard makes his family his main priority, and blows off steam by playing a regular round of golf with some 20 buddies of all ages and walks of life. He also loves fast cars!

In addition to managing a very busy practice, Richard makes an impact in the community, serving on the boards of a number of for-profit and non-profit entities, and has been a frequent speaker and lecturer to professional, civic and trade associations (Including California Continuing Education of the Bar, California CPA Society Education Foundation, and California State University Fresno).

• J.D., University of California, Hastings College of Law
• B.A., Business Administration/Finance, University of Southern California
• Beta Gamma Sigma

OTHER EXPERIENCE

• Administration and Probate
• Private Equity and Securities

• Super Lawyers^®
• AV^® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated (the highest rating available), by Martindale-Hubbell

• Featuring, “Illegal racist covenants linger in Fresno County property records. ‘It’s a disgrace’,” Fresno Bee, March 6, 2023
• Interview, “Executive Profile: Richard Aaron,” The Business Journal, September 25, 2020
• Interview, “Make Sure Every Year Has Been Sweeter Than the Last,” Attorney at Law Magazine, September 24, 2020

• Member, Fresno Estate Planning Council
• Member, Fresno County Bar Association, Estate Planning, Income Tax and Probate Sections
• Member, State Bar of California, Business Law Section
• Member, American Bar Association, Business and Health Care Law Sections

• California
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California