Cheryl G. Kushida

Founder

Cheryl is the founder of Compass Legal. Cheryl graduated cum laude from Scripps College, and received her law degree at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. At Berkeley Law, she served as co-chair of the Pilipino American Law Society, communications chair of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and member of the Berkeley Journal of International Law. Her holistic approach to estate planning always begins with two key inquiries: what are the client's goals and how best to achieve them. Prior to opening her private practice, she gained legal experience working at traditional law firms with expertise in international and domestic corporate and business transactions, as well as commercial litigation. Before law school, she also worked at a boutique estate planning and asset protection law office.

Having lived in the Philippines, Singapore, Tokyo and the United States, she gained insight and sensitivity in working with individuals of international and diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. She has native fluency in Tagalog, Visaya; conversational in Spanish; and basic competency in Japanese. Her avocations include tennis, dancesport and spending quality time with family and friends.

EDUCATION, HONORS, MEMBERSHIPS

PALO ALTO AREA BAR ASSOCIATION ESTATES & TRUSTS, Co-chair (2011-Present)

SUPER LAWYERS, Rising Star (2015-Present)

EAST BAY TRUSTS AND ESTATES LAWYER, Member

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, SCHOOL OF LAW, Berkeley, CA
Juris Doctor (2006)
Berkeley Journal of International Law
UC Berkeley Ballroom

SCRIPPS COLLEGE, Claremont, CA
Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, Political Science and International Relations with Honors (2001)

James E. Scripps Scholar
Scripps Humanities Institute Junior Fellow
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Women’s Varsity Tennis

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE (Study Abroad Program), Singapore (2000)

BELMONT HIGH SCHOOL, Los Angeles, CA (1993-1997)
Salutatorian
Class President
Forensics Speech National and State Qualifier

CARLETON COLLEGE (Summer Writing Program), MN (1996)

CHOATE-ROSEMARY HALL (Summer Program), CT (1995)
 

Selected experience

JOHANSON BERENSON LLP, Napa, CA
Associate Attorney (2006-2008)

QUISUMBING TORRES, associated office of BAKER & MCKENZIE LLP, Manila, Philippines 
Law Clerk (Summer 2005)

KERSHAW, CUTTER & RATINOFF LLP, Sacramento, CA 
Law Clerk (Summer 2005)

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, San Francisco, CA 
Division of Enforcement Legal Extern (Spring 2005)

SUPERIOR COURT OF SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY, San Francisco, CA 
Judicial Extern for the Hon. Ronald Evans Quidachay and Hon. James L. Warren (Summer 2004)
 
GLICKMAN ASSOCIATES, P.C., Palo Alto, CA
Legal Assistant (2003)

Courtney Martin

Of Counsel

Courtney A. Martin is the founder of Martin Legal and is of counsel to Compass Legal.  Courtney graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a double minor in Public Policy and Gerontology.  She received her law degree from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and graduated Summa Cum Laude in the top one percent of her law school class.  While in law school, Courtney served as a Lead Articles Editor on the Southwestern Law Review, was a finalist in the Dean Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Moot Court Competition, authored “Hoarding in California: Stop Our Elders from Being Buried Alive” in the Southwestern Law Review (Volume 41), and served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Ming W. Chin at the California Supreme Court.

Prior to starting her own law firm, Courtney was a law clerk while in law school at a firm specializing in elder law, and after graduation she worked for nearly a decade as an attorney at a firm in Pasadena focusing in the areas of estate planning and trust administration.  Courtney is a natural planner, and she wants to ensure that all clients have a complete estate plan in place that reflects their goals and expectations for the future.

Courtney loves being a mother to her two young sons, and she enjoys cooking and spending time in nature.