Shanshan “Sophy” Han

Shanshan (“Sophy”) Han

Attorney, Head of Estate Planning & Probate Department

Sophy advises clients on sophisticated estate planning, trust administration, and tax strategies, including real property tax planning, lifetime gifting, entity structuring, business succession, and probate. She works closely with individuals, families, and business owners to create customized plans that protect assets, minimize tax exposure, and ensure the seamless transfer of personal and business legacies. Her clients include high-net-worth individuals, closely held business owners, entrepreneurial families, and internationally connected or immigrant families.

Sophy is a California Notary Public and an Enrolled Agent authorized to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. She helps families optimize estate planning and tax strategies, including Bypass and Marital Trusts, basis adjustments, capital gains management, and property reallocations, ensuring tax efficiency during life and beyond. Sophy also advises trustees and beneficiaries on trust administration matters, including trust divisions, disclaimer trust claims, and Deceased Spousal Unused Exclusion (DSUE) elections, guiding clients to maximize available estate tax exemptions. She has handled hundreds of revocable trust matters and trust administration cases, helped dozens of high-net-worth clients with complex gift solutions and property tax planning, and managed dozens of trust administrations, trust divisions, and DSUE tax filings.

Before relocating to the United States, Sophy spent over five years in the IPO department of South Korea’s leading investment bank. During her investment banking career, she guided two companies through initial public offerings on the Korea Exchange (KRX), advised them on pre-IPO investments and exit strategies, and assisted Chinese companies with cross-border listings on the Korean exchange. She now draws on this experience to help business owners develop estate and succession plans that protect wealth, ensure smooth ownership transitions, and optimize tax outcomes.

Sophy is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and Korean. She earned her Bachelor of Laws degree from Jilin University, one of China’s top-tier law schools, and passed the Chinese Bar Examination in 2011. She holds a Master of Laws degree from Korea University, where she served as a Teaching and Research Assistant, and an LL.M. from the University of Southern California, where she served as a Graduate Assistant and International Student Ambassador.

Personal Note

Born in China of Korean heritage, Sophy has ties to both cultures as well as to Southern California, where she has built her legal career in LA County and Orange County. She has one younger brother. Outside the office, she enjoys yoga, travel, exploring different cuisines, and wellness activities including sauna and massage therapy.

Experience Overview

Sophy’s practice is focused on estate planning, trust administration, and probate. She has handled hundreds of revocable trust formations, trust amendments and restatements, and trust administration matters. Her work with high-net-worth clients includes complex gift tax strategies, real property tax planning, business succession planning, and DSUE elections. Her background as an Enrolled Agent authorized to practice before the IRS, combined with her prior career in investment banking, gives her a strong foundation in both tax and business matters.

Practice Areas

Estate Planning

• Revocable & Irrevocable Trust Set-Up
• Trust Amendment & Restatement
• Trust Administration
• Real Property Tax Planning
• Gift Tax Planning & Charitable Planning
• Business Succession Planning
• High-Net-Worth Estate Planning
• Bypass & Marital Trusts / DSUE Elections

Probate

• Non-Contested Probate
• Heggstad Petition
• Spousal Property Petition

Bar Admissions

• California (2023)

Additional credentials: Enrolled Agent (EA), authorized to practice before the IRS. California Notary Public. Passed Chinese Bar Examination (2011).

Education

• University of Southern California (USC), LL.M.
• Korea University, LL.M. (Teaching & Research Assistant)
• Jilin University, Bachelor of Laws

Professional Memberships

• Orange County Bar Association
• Long Beach Bar Association
• Beverly Hills Bar Association
• California Lawyers Association
• American Bar Association
• National Association of Enrolled Agents
• Asian Pacific CPA Association (APCPAA)