Merilyn Steele & Family

Ms. Merilyn M. Steele began practicing accounting in 1982 in the tax department with Kenneth Leventhal & Co. which specialized in real estate (a Big 8 Accounting firm) which has since merged with Ernst & Young, LLP (a Big 4 Accounting firm).  There she obtained her Certified Public Accountant professional license which remains currently active.  After 10 years of practicing in the accounting field, Ms. Steele returned to law school in 1992. While interning at a regional law firm in Newport Beach, California in their business and estate planning department, she received her law degree, license to practice law and transitioned to the practice of law in 1996.  During the last 19 plus years of practicing law, Ms. Steele has gained extensive experience in the areas of estate planning, business succession planning, corporate, tax and real estate matters as well as pre and post death trust administration. This includes both domestic and some international tax/legal planning.   


Originally from Indiana, Ms. Steele is almost a California native having received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (emphasis in Accounting) in 1982 from Cal State University Fullerton.  She obtained her CPA license 2 years later in 1984. In May of 1996 she received her Juris Doctorate Degree, Cum Laude, from Simon Greenleaf University of Anaheim (now Trinity Law School, Santa Ana, California). During law school, Ms. Steele was voted as Law Student of the Year and was a semi-finalist in the California Moot Court Competition.  She was admitted to the State Bar of California in December of 1996.   
 

Principal Attorney


​​MERILYN

STEELE

 

Staff


Our office staff includes administrative and paralegal support as well as professional consultants to serve you.


​Ms. Steele is a member of the 
following professional organizations:  


  • ​State Bar of California – Active Licensee 2016  
  • California Board of Accountancy- Active Licensee 2016 
  • North County State Bar Association – San Diego, California  
  • North County – Estate Planning Council- San Diego, California 
  • STEP SD - Society of Estate Trust & Estate Practitioners - San Diego Chapter
  • PEPNET (Pepperdine Center for Estate & Gift Planning)   
    • (Leadership Circle) – Malibu, California   
  • ProVisors – Carmel Valley Torrey View Group (Executive Council)
    •  Estate & Succession Planning  Affinity Group of San Diego
      • (Executive Council)  
  • Tri-City Planned Giving Council (former Member, Speaker)  
  • Christian Legal Society - National (Trusts & Estate Section Member)  
  • Christian Legal Society -San Diego Chapter (Co-Founder, Board Member and Treasurer)  
  • Christian Legal Aid Foundation d.b.a. Christian Legal Aid Office of Orange County (Co-Founder & former President)  

Ms. Steele lives in Carlsbad, California with her husband Ken L. Steele of 34 years. He is in Executive Management with SolAero Technologies, Corp. as an Aerospace Engineer/Director of Business Development.   Their son Tyler (29) is a Construction Engineer currently obtaining his MBA and working as Project Manager for Viking Commercial Construction, Inc. Tyler is married to Elizabeth (27), a teacher in San Elijo Middle School of San Diego County. They live in South Oceanside.  Their daughter Kelly (26) is a Georgetown, Finance graduate/Soccer-Scholar Athlete and former Analyst with Royal Bank of Scotland (NYC).  Currently, she is pursuing further education in Sydney, Australia and working as a financial analyst for A21 Campaign, a NonProfit Organization formed to abolish human injustice in the 21st Century.  

​​​Call 858.724.2149