About Jana
In her thirty-plus years as a lawyer, and her twenty years practicing in El Dorado County, Jana has worked to make her practice and her firm reflect her values: a devotion to family, to excellence in her profession, and to serving the community. She balances experience and knowledge with a calming and caring personality to assist clients through the process of planning for their futures, protecting their families, and dealing with incapacity and loss.
Jana is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, a designation from the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. Her practice includes Estate Planning, Trust Administration, Probate, Conservatorships, Special Needs Planning, and Elder Law. Her clients include individuals, business owners, professional fiduciaries, and public administrators.
Jana was raised in rural Texas, being one of a handful of girls at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, where her parents worked. She went to college at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, and graduated with honors. In 1979, she moved to Los Angeles, where she attended Loyola Law School and received her law degree, with honors. Jana began her law practice as a corporate and real estate lawyer in Los Angeles. Then in 1997, she and her husband, Howell, resettled in El Dorado County to raise their five children and pursue new opportunities. In El Dorado County, Jana joined the law practice of Guthrie & Guthrie, established an estate planning firm, and found her real calling in the legal profession through the work of that firm. She continues that practice today.
Jana has been actively involved in staying informed of new developments and working to improve the practice of Trusts and Estates law throughout the state. She is a former member of the Trusts and Estates Executive Committee of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM), where she has served as a co-chair of the Education and the Legislation Subcommittees. She is a former chair of the El Dorado County Probate Roundtable and a former member of the El Dorado County Elder Protection Unit. She has spoken throughout the state to attorneys, professional organizations, and individuals on topics including various estate planning issues, administration of trusts, dealing with incapacity, and prevention of elder abuse.
Jana also believes in being involved in the community where she lives. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the El Dorado Community Foundation, and a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Cameron Park.