Our Team

Sarah Summerall

Managing Attorney

Norell S. Manning

Attorney

Mary Miramontes

Billing Specialist

Kelly Wessels

Managing Attorney

Danielle Holt-Gsell

Attorney

"Capi" Schnuggles

Office Greeter

Albert Wu

Attorney

Kate Bartles

SF Office Manager

Amina Dzano

Attorney

Anne Ciccarelli

Sarah Summerall

Managing Attorney, Firm Founder, Sister of Kelly

Sarah started this law firm in 2008 because she wanted to help people use the law to make their loved ones’ lives better, even after they were gone. She believes each of her clients knows what is best for their family (biological or chosen) and enjoys helping them find the legal solution that makes that happen. She is proud to have built a law firm that now helps hundreds of families in the Bay Area do just that every year. She is an Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Certified Specialist and leads Summerall Law’s Probate and Trust Administration and Litigation practices. To learn more about Sarah's Philosophy and personal approach, read her full bio here.

Sarah

Kelly Wessels

Managing Attorney, Estate Plan Practice Leader, Brother of Sarah

Kelly has always loved the written word and solving problems. That’s why working in estate planning is such a great fit for him–he gets to use his precise legal writing and problem-solving skills to help people create the estate plan that is right for their family. Kelly has 20 years of experience as an attorney and working with LGBTQI families holds a special place in his heart. To learn more about Kelly, read his full bio here.

Start your plan with Kelly:

15-30-min Call/Video (Basic Intro)

Kelly

Albert

Albert Wu

Estate Planning Sr. Associate Attorney

Albert grew up in Stockton, CA then attended Cal (Go Bears!) where he was a double major in Business Administration at Haas and History and also was a member of the Cal Men's Lacrosse Team. Albert then attended Harvard Law School for his J.D. His family is from East Asia, specifically, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, and mainland China.

Albert enjoys trust and estate planning because it allows him to help families and individuals navigate their important family and financial decisions.

Albert also enjoys tennis, soccer, basketball, reading, and playing piano, and regularly attend Quaker meetings in the East Bay.

Albert is fluent in English and Mandarin.

Start an estate plan with Albert:

15-30min Call/Video (Basic Intro)

Amina

Amina Dzano

Estate Planning Associate Attorney

Amina was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina and grew up in Massachusetts and California's Central Valley. Amina studied international relations and philosophy at Mills College in Oakland, CA, where she was a member of the swim team and president of the Muslim Student Association before graduating with honors. During law school, Amina was active in student life and delivered the commencement address graduating from Penn State Law. Prior to joining the Summerall Law team, Amina worked in private practice in the U.S. Virgin Islands focusing on civil matters, in particular estate planning and probate.

As the administrator of her late father's estate, Amina appreciates the important role effective estate planning plays in providing individuals and families protection, comfort, and peace of mind.

In her spare time, Amina enjoys traveling, watching soccer, gardening, and perfecting recipes in the kitchen.

Amina is fluent in English, Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian.

Start an estate plan with Amina:

15-30min Call/Video (Basic Intro)

Norell S. Manning

Norell S. Manning

Estate Planning Sr. Associate Attorney

Norell is a west coast transplant from New Jersey, but grew up splitting her time between New Jersey and Delaware. She moved to California in 2013 to attend law school. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Delaware and an MBA specializing in Project and Team Management from Full Sail University. She graduated Cum Laude from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, where she was an active member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution team and Vice President of the Business Law Society.

In 2019 and 2020, she was recognized by the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program for her volunteer legal work assisting victims of domestic violence. She enjoys volunteering with organizations that provide legal assistance to indigent and disenfranchised communities in her free time. When she is not working or volunteering, she enjoys baking – her favorite thing to bake is vegan lemon bars (trust her, they are delicious!) - and she will be starting violin lessons soon.

Start an estate plan with Norell:

15-30-min Call/Video (Basic Intro)

Danielle Holt-Gsell

Associate Attorney

Danielle grew up in Maryland and is a graduate of University of Maryland, where she earned a B.A. in Economics and B.S. in Animal Sciences. Danielle moved to California to attend UC Berkeley for law school and fell in love with the Bay Area. While at Berkeley, Danielle was an editor for the California Law Review and Ecology Law Quarterly. After graduating from law school, Danielle practiced project finance in New York City before finally returning back to the bay to put down permanent roots.

Danielle is excited about estate planning because she enjoys getting to know clients and helping them plan for the future.

Outside of the office, you can find her working on stained glass projects and spending time with her wife and rabbit.

Start an estate plan with Danielle:

In-Person Meeting to Start Your Plan

Kate Bartles
SF Office Manager

Kate received her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona; majoring in Law and minoring in Creative Writing. She graduated cum laude and was involved in many organizations on campus such as student class council. Kate enjoys meeting with existing clients, and helping to create a welcoming environment for new clients. In her free-time, she loves to try new restaurants with friends and explore San Francisco.

Kate

Anne Ciccarelli

Anne grew up in the Bay Area, left to get an undergraduate degree at Northwestern University, and returned the day after graduation to escape the Chicago winter. She worked in tech and finance operations prior to joining Summerall, and is thrilled to welcome clients into the Oakland office. Outside of work, Anne enjoys working on her sci-fi/fantasy novel, annoying her cat, and spending time with family.

All notary schedules are available here

Anne

Mary

Mary Miramontes

Billing Specialist

Mary enjoys handling all the billing issues (so clients don’t have to) and working with a team that is kind, helpful, and hardworking.

She is from the Seattle area and has a bachelor’s in environmental studies from the University of Washington. Mary moved to California in 2018 after meeting her husband, and now they have 1 son together. She loves learning about native plants and is currently converting her lawn into a garden.

Captain "Capi" Schnuggles
Official Office Greeter

Captain Schnuggles joined the team in January of 2018 at 8 weeks of age. He is available at the Oakland office to provide greeting services, play with bored children, and supply hugs and love to all. Please let us know if you have any allergies or pet-avoidance preferences and he can stay in the training room. If you would prefer to hold him during the session we can provide a clothing-protection blanket.