Team

Jamie Watson

Partner

Jamie is a current partner in GVM and Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law designated by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. Regularly speaks in seminars and private lectures regarding Estate Planning Issues, Advanced Estate Planning and Trust Administration throughout California.

Education
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, J.D., with Distinction 2008
Linfield College, B.A., International Business, cum laude, June 2004

Affiliations
Member, Napa County Bar Association
Board Member and Treasurer, Napa Valley Community Foundation

Professional Affiliations
Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law designated by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization

Bar Memberships
California, Admitted 2008

Nick Donovan

Partner

Although Nick represents clients in a variety of industries, including construction, food and beverage, manufacturing and logistics, Nick is the head of the firm’s Wine Law Team and his primary practice at GVM focuses on clients in the wine industry. Nick is frequently asked to speak about legal issues affecting the wine industry and family business succession issues.

Nick represents established brands and helps to create and develop new wine brands. His representation of wineries, brand and vineyard owners spans from formation including capital raising, drafting and negotiating primary documents (operating and shareholder agreements) and licensing of intellectual property, to general representation of established brands including corporate governance issues, acquisitions, buyouts among owners, transfers to family members, and sales of wineries, wine brands and vineyards. Nick also focuses on contract drafting and negotiation including custom crush agreements, alternating proprietorship agreements and grape purchase agreements among other documents.

Education
University of California, Los Angeles, J.D., 2001
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, B.A., 1997, phi beta kappa, summa cum laude

Honors & Awards
North Bay Business Journal, Top 40 Professionals in the North Bay under 40 years old, 2011
American Jurisprudence Award for Constitutional Law
American Jurisprudence Award for Torts

Bar Membership
California Bar Association, Member
Napa County Bar Association, Member
American Bar Association, Member

Jeffrey Stephens

Partner

Jeff’s practice is primarily focused on tax and estate planning for high net worth individuals, particularly business owners and agriculture families. He advises clients in creating plans to preserve important family assets and minimize taxes.

Jeff is a partner in GVM’s Trust, Probate and Estate Planning Department and is a certified specialist in Estate Planning, Trusts, and Probate law by the State Bar of California. He is a former member of the Estate and Gift Tax Committee for the Taxation Section of the State Bar of California. He has enjoyed speaking on the subject of estate planning, tax, and business succession for the State Bar of California’s Annual Estate and Gift Tax Conference, the Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), the CalCPA Education Foundation, and “in-house” presentations at banks, accounting firms, and professional associations.

Jeff serves on the board of the South Placer Estate Planning Council and is an active member of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, the Sacramento Professional Advisors Network, and the Placer County Bar Association. He is a former member of the Estate and Gift Tax Committee for the Taxation Section of the State Bar of California previously served on the board of the Napa County Library Foundation and for Molly’s Angels of Napa County.

The balance of Jeff’s practice is devoted to trust administration, probate, estate and gift tax returns, property taxes, and helping clients with “basic” estate plans.

Education
UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, California – J.D., 2009 (Tax Specialization)
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah – B.S., Business Management-Finance, 2006

Honors & Awards
UCLA School of Law – Moot Court Honors Program, 2008

Professional Affiliations
South Placer Estate Planning Council – Board Member
Sacramento Professional Advisors Network
Placer County Bar Association
Sacramento Estate Planning Council
J. Reuben Clark Law Society

Bar Memberships
California – 2009

Frank Martorana

Partner

Frank has been in practice for over 40 years. His practice consists of advising high net worth individuals and their various entities in tax planning, entity structure, real estate transactions, corporate and partnership governance and estate planning and taxation. He specializes in catering to farmers, ranchers, timbermen and small businesses in Northern California.

Education
B.S. Mathematics – Georgetown University
M.S. Statistics – Rutgers University
J.D. – University of Pacific – McGeorge School of Law

Ameris Cleary

Chief Operating Officer

With over 25 years of finance, marketing and business strategy experience, Ameris has worked with companies ranging from startups to Fortune 100. She began her career managing finance and accounting operations for an orthopedics startup, moving on to support the U.S. Sales team at Medtronic Vascular. After relocating from the Bay Area to Seattle, Ameris landed on the Corporate Planning team at Microsoft before transitioning to a Sales and Marketing role with Google where she managed market research, data and reporting for Enterprise Retail customers across the Pacific Northwest. She then made a return to Microsoft as a consultant, primarily within the Xbox Games Studios, later taking an internal role as the consulting firm’s Managing Director. There, she developed the Outsourced Services program, leading teams of consultants throughout Microsoft’s Xbox and Corporate Finance Divisions.

Education
University of California, Davis, B.A. Managerial Economics, 1995

Michael Rupprecht

Partner

As Senior Counsel, Michael has decades of diverse legal experience spanning Business, Real Estate, and Land Use matters within California as well as Florida. Michael also represents clients in the yachting business, domestically and Internationally.

Education
Golden Gate University, San Francisco, J.D.
Golden Gate University, San Francisco, MBA, Taxation
Michigan State University, B.S.

Affiliations
Active Pilot’s License
Active U.S. Coast Guard Issued Captain’s License
Past affiliations include President of Lion’s Club, County Chairman of the American Heart Association and Contra Costa Board of Realtors Ethics Committee.

Bar Memberships
California, Florida

Michael Wanser

Partner

Michael’s practice is primarily focused on representing business clients in a broad range of transactional matters, and related litigation. Such matters include, among many others, corporate governance and operations, shareholder agreements, financing transactions, protection of trade secrets, real estate purchases, leases, and sales and dissolutions of businesses.

Michael also advises public and privately held companies in all facets of civil litigation, including jury and court trials, arbitrations, mediation, appellate work, and a wide range of law and motion practice.

In law school, Michael was a member of the Trial Practice Honors Board and a recipient of the Deborah J. Frick Memorial Scholarship for Academic Achievement in Commercial Law.

Education
University of California, Davis, J.D., 2007
Sonoma State University, B.A., 2004

Professional Affiliations
American Inns of Court (Richard M. Sangster Chapter)

Bar Admissions
California (2012)
Illinois (2007, Inactive)

Kathleen Bock Stewart

Of Counsel

Kathleen became of counsel at GVM Law in 2022 after practicing as a sole practitioner for eighteen years, Kathleen practices in the areas of trust administration, probate, and estate planning and is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law designated by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

Education
University of California, Davis, J.D., 1994
University of California, Davis, B.A. Managerial Economics, 1987

Bar Memberships
California (1994)
California Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law

Jonathan Hollister

Senior Counsel

Jonathan Hollister joined GVM Law as Senior Counsel in 2019, working exclusively in trust administration, probate, and estate planning.

Prior to joining the firm, Jonathan managed his own law practice in Napa, California, for over ten years.

Education
William Mitchell College of Law – J.D.
Western New England College of Law – LL.M, Estate Planning and Elder Law

Bar Memberships
California, Arizona, Hawaii, and Minnesota
Napa County Bar Association
California Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law

Matthew Mraule

Senior Counsel

Matt’s practice focuses on representation of trustees in complex trust administrations and probate litigation. He also delves into elder law, real property disputes, and contract disputes on behalf of fiduciaries against third parties. Matt emphasizes a litigation-avoidance approach to intrafamily disputes whenever possible, however he does have extensive trial experience. He has served as an expert witness in the areas of estate planning and trust litigation and has concentrated his practice in those areas of the law since 2010.

Education
Pepperdine University, Caruso School of Law, J.D., 2007
Pepperdine University, Graziadio Business School, M.B.A., 2005
University of California, Davis, B.S., Viticulture and Enology, 2002

Bar Memberships
California, Admitted 2009

Kimberly Gambrall

Senior Associate

Kimberly Gambrall is a transactional attorney who focuses on commercial real estate, business transactions, and agricultural land.

Kim works with developers, investors, brokers, and property owners to close deals on the acquisition and sale of shopping centers, buildings, and agricultural land. She represents property managers, landlords, and tenants entering retail, office, industrial, and agricultural leases or amending current lease agreements. Kim also previously spent years working for her family owned and operated agribusiness wherein she gained industry knowledge of business operations and property management. Her unique perspective and understanding assists growers, farmers, and ranchers plan for continued success of their livelihoods and brings added value to help business owners achieve desired results.

Education
J.D., with great distinction, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, Business Certificate of Concentration, 2016
B.A., with highest honors, Trinity Christian College, 2012

Affiliations
Urban Land Institute (ULI) Young Leaders Group (YLG), Member, 2020-present
Sacramento County Bar Association, Real Property Law Section, 2021
California Lawyers Association, Real Property Law Section and Business Law Section, 2021
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, Moot Court Alumni Association, Board Member, 2019-present

Bar Memberships
California Bar Association, Member
Sacramento County Bar Association, Member

Corbin O’Donnell

Associate

Corbin O’Donnell is an associate attorney at GVM Law LLP. He primarily practices foundational estate planning, elder law focused on Medi-Cal planning, trust administration and probate. Corbin strives to build a working relationship and collaborate with each client to ensure that their final estate plan is shaped by their unique goals.

Since joining GVM Law in 2019, Corbin is a current board member for Pace Solano and Napa Valley PSI, which supports individuals with developmental disabilities so that they can enrich their lives through goal setting, employment, relationships, and community involvement. He is also a board director for the Northern California National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) that provides continuing legal education to members and advocates to meet the needs of seniors and people with special needs.

Education
John F. Kennedy University, College of Law, J.D. 2013
Sonoma State University, B.A., History 2009

Affiliations
Board Director, Northern California NAELA
Board Member, Pace Solano
Board Member, Napa Valley PSI

Bar Memberships
California Bar Association, Member
Napa County Bar Association, Member

Caitlyn Andrijich

Associate

Caitlyn joined GVM Law as an Associate Attorney in 2022. She practices in estate planning, trust administration and probate. Caitlyn is driven to bring peace of mind to clients knowing their estate plan is tailored to their needs and wishes. She approaches each trust and estate administration with empathy and compassion.

Outside of work she enjoys cooking and watching sports with her husband and their English Bulldog.

Education
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, J.D.
Sacramento State University, B.A.

Professional Affiliations
Sacramento Estate Planning Council
Women Lawyers of Sacramento
Asian Bar Association of Sacramento

Justin Gazzaniga

Associate

Justin joined GVM Law as a Summer Associate in 2021 and 2022, and upon passing the Bar in 2023 joined the team as an Associate Attorney. He primarily practices in estate planning, trust administration and probate. While at McGeorge, Justin gained valuable experience working with clients of the Elder & Health Law Clinic as well as the Bankruptcy Clinic. Outside of work, you can find him skiing at Palisades Tahoe or trying to break 90 on the golf course.

Education
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, J.D., 2023
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, B.S., Wine and Viticulture, 2019

Certifications
Elder and Health Law Certificate of Concentration
Business Certificate of Concentration

Bar Memberships
California, Admitted 2023