Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Administration
Bartley (Bart) S. Bleuel is an AV-rated attorney with 45 years of experience in the areas of probate, estate planning, trust law and administration. Over his career, he has seen the evolution of this field with new techniques in estate planning, new laws that complicate the process, and increased sophistication of clients’ knowledge of trusts and their needs. Helping clients navigate the complexity of creating a trust that will serve a family’s immediate and long-term needs, and then helping them administer those trusts, is rewarding to Bart. He enjoys the challenge of this dynamic field and keeping up with changes in the law and his clients’ needs.
Bart is a Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, as certified by the California State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization. He works closely with clients to draft their trusts and counsels them on their functions and administration. He counsels clients on all forms of estate planning, including living trusts, wills, insurance trusts, and charitable trusts.
Bart graduated from St. Mary’s College of California with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1963 and received his legal education from Hastings College of Law, where he graduated in 1966. He was admitted to the Bars in California in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, and in the United States Tax Court. He also holds a master’s degree in taxation from Golden Gate University. He was in the U.S. Navy, and then served in the Sacramento District Attorneys Office before transitioning to private practice in 1973.
An active volunteer in the community, Bart is currently a member of Ventura Kiwanis (past president and Kiwanian of the Year, Higson Award and Dunlap Award Recipient), Ventura Chamber of Commerce (past chairman of the board and recipient 2001 Shining Star Award), Channel Island Clippers (former president and Barbershopper of the Year), and is a Ventura Education Partnership director. He periodically acts as a mentor and tutor to Ventura Unified School District students. He was president of the American Heart Association’s Ventura City Branch and later chairman of the Ventura County Chapter. He was board member and vice president of the Ventura Commerce & Education Foundation, and a key developer, participant and chairman of the board of City Corps of the Central Coast until 2011 and helped develop the Ventura City Corps. He is a 2002 recipient of the Ben E. Nordman Award for community service, 2007 Jefferson Award recipient and member of the Preeminent Law Directory.
He belongs to several professional organizations, including the California State Bar Association, Ventura County Bar Association (past president, 1991), the Probate & Estate Planning Section of the Ventura County Bar Association, and former charter member of the Warner Center Estate Planning Council. He was a professor in wills and trusts at Southern California Institute of Law from 1997-2005, and instructor in trusts, estate planning, and taxation in several university and law school settings, including USC, CLU, GGU, & UCSB.
A Ventura County resident since 1973, Bart lives in Ventura with his wife. He enjoys chairing the Kiwanis Ventura Cool Breeze Century Bicycle Ride and Ventura Education Partnership’s Festival of Talent, and likes to spend his free time with his children and grandchildren. An avid swimmer, he is a member of the elite Ventura County Masters and he competes nationally in mid-distance and long-distance events and in ocean swim races. He walks for exercise with his wife whenever he is available, and until a few years ago participated in Olympic distance and sprint triathlons with his son, Eric.
Bart is of counsel and can be reached at 805-988-9886 or bbleuel@atozlaw.com.
