With more than 26 years experience in trust, probate and receivership law, David Shea has seen every side of civil, family and probate courts.

A certified specialist in the field and a partner at Ferguson Case Orr Paterson, David has handled trials, mediations and appeals dealing with probate, trust, estate and elder abuse matters. Before joining the firm, his experience included serving as a specially assigned prosecutor for the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and as Assistant City Attorney for the cities of Ojai and Fillmore. He has also presided over more than 1,000 cases involving probate, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, civil elder abuse, domestic violence and child support as a Judge Pro Tem of the Ventura County Superior Court. Prior to becoming an attorney, David was involved in implementing the California State Lottery for Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

David is a graduate of the Ventura College of Law, a school that was co-founded by his late grandfather, Richard E. Erwin. The school is firmly entrenched in Ventura County and has produced many successful attorneys and local Ventura County judges.

David writes and lectures on subjects related to estates, trusts and financial elder abuse. He has been published in Citations as well as the Ventura County Star. David also addresses trust and estate issues in lectures given to senior groups, numerous professional organizations, law students and business associations.

Active in the community, David likes to volunteer his time at the Ventura County Self-Help Center, where he addresses the needs of indigent clients relating to conservatorships, trusts and probate proceedings and other complex Probate Court issues.

In his free time, David enjoys water sports, horses, motorcycling and hiking.