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Education
Santa Barbara College of Law, J.D., Magna Cum Laude, 2003 Witkin Awards for Academic Excellence
University of California, Santa Barbara, B.A., Cultural Anthropology, 1994
Memberships
BAR ADMISSIONS
California
MEMBERSHIPS
State Bar of California
Santa Barbara County Bar Association
Jana transitioned into the practice of law from the field of social services. Prior to joining Mullen & Henzell, she was the Director of Fiduciary Services for a private social service agency specializing in aging and elder care issues such as incapacity, elder abuse, and conservatorship and trust administration.
In over 20 years of practice, Jana has handled a wide range of civil litigation matters, but she has always focused on probate and trust litigation, including contested conservatorship proceedings. Her practice now focuses exclusively on representing fiduciaries, beneficiaries, and other interested parties in estate, trust, and conservatorship proceedings, as well as representing the interests of her clients in non-court supervised administrations and other matters. She counsels and assists her clients to resolve disputes in the most pragmatic and cost-effective manner and to avoid litigation when possible. When necessary, however, Jana is a strong advocate for her clients in all stages of litigation and has tried several matters successfully.
Community Involvement
In addition to practicing law, Jana currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County (Home | FoodBank), Saybrook University (Saybrook University ), and The Community Solution Education System (The Community Solution ). She is Trustee Emeritus of The Colleges of Law (The Colleges of Law) and served on the Board of Directors for 10 years, the last several of which as Chair. Long before “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” became a common sight on the t-shirts of celebrities at professional sporting events, she was a founding member and past President of Body Electric, a local non-profit organization whose mission was to promote the participation and recognition of local women and girls in sports, and advocate for gender equity under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.