Valerie Gerard Kushel
Founding Attorney
Valerie is an experienced estate planning attorney who combines personalized service with a compassionate approach. With a Masters of Law (LL.M.) in Taxation, Valerie is well-equipped to advise her clients regarding the most efficient and effective means of protecting and transferring wealth. Valerie ensures her clients feel educated and empowered through the process as she builds long-term relationships with her clients through tailored advice and friendship.
Prior to founding VGK Law, Valerie worked at a large law firm in San Francisco and a boutique estate planning firm in Marin. A leader in her field, Valerie currently serves as a Chair of the Marin County Bar Association Probate and Estate Planning Section and speaks regularly on the subject of estate planning and trust administration.
Valerie lives in Corte Madera with her husband and two young sons and is proud to serve the community where she lives. A Bay Area native, Valerie previously lived in Los Angeles and London, England before putting down firm roots in Marin.
Education
London School of Economics - LL.M. in Taxation
University of Southern California - Juris Doctor
University of California, Berkeley - B.A., Political Economy of Industrial Societies
Current Activities & Affiliations
Marin County Bar Association, Board Member; Former Trust and Probate Chair
Southern Marin Mothers' Club, Member
Corte Madera Larkspur Mom’s Club, Member
Joy in The Law
Shelley Clark
Associate Attorney
As an associate attorney at VGK Law, Shelley’s practice focuses on estate planning and trust administration. She enjoys helping clients navigate the complexities of planning for the future and administering estates with clarity and confidence.
Before joining VGK Law, Shelley practiced at Epstein Holtzapple Christo LLP, where she specialized in trust, estate, and fiduciary litigation. She began her legal career at legal services organizations, including Legal Aid of Marin, focusing on housing law and policy. Shelley holds a law degree from Pace Law School and a master’s degree from the Yale School of the Environment. She is a Mississippi native and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi.
Shelley is a past president of Marin County Women Lawyers and has served on her local planning commission. She lives in Fairfax with her husband, two young children, and their dog. Outside of work, Shelley and her family love to travel and have spent time exploring Costa Rica, South Africa, and Indonesia.
Education
Pace Law School – Juris Doctor
Yale School of the Environment – Masters of Environmental Management
University of Mississippi – B.A., International Studies and French
Current Activities & Affiliations
Marin County Bar Association, Co-Chair of Probate and Estate Planning Section
Marin County Women Lawyers, Member
Joy in the Law
Colleen Tobin Finney
Paralegal
Colleen began her secretarial career with the California Attorney General’s Office in San Francisco. She then went on to work as a legal secretary for a small law firm in Monterey, California, where she also began her studies as a paralegal. Colleen was one out of a total of only 85 legal secretaries and paralegals nationwide to take the first certified legal assistants’ examination, and was the first paralegal in the State of California to pass the examination.
Colleen has worked as an estate planning and probate paralegal for her entire working career. She has worked in large law firms in San Francisco and Palo Alto, as well as small law firms in Mill Valley and San Rafael. Colleen has exceptional rapport with clients and is a highly trained and very competent paralegal.
Colleen was raised in Fairfax and now resides in Novato with her husband. She has been an officer and director of Soroptimist International of Marin County and currently of the SI Novato Club for over 15 years, and enjoys volunteering her time to raise funds to support the continuing education of women and girls in Marin County and around the world.