Former Valensi Rose Senior Partner Philip Sidney Magaram died peacefully on August 22, 2021, after a long illness.
Phil retired from Valensi Rose and the practice of law at the end of 2018, after a long and illustrious career.
A graduate of UCLA and UCLA Law School, he was admitted to practice law in 1962. He joined Steve Valensi and Sid Rose 22 years later.
A certified specialist in taxation as well as estate planning and trust law, Phil specialized in complex tax and estate planning, and was widely recognized as one of the preeminent lawyers in his field.
Phil’s career spanned more than 56 years. He was fond of saying that he specialized in “disinheriting Uncle Sam.” His expertise enabled him to craft optimal tax, estate and business planning strategies that maximized financial benefits for his clients and their beneficiaries and, serving as a trusted confidant, helped his clients achieve their personal objectives.
He represented the prevailing parties in two published cases related to the largest estate ever subject to probate in California.
Because of his wealth of experience, his legal insights, and his uncanny business acumen, extremely high-net-worth and high-profile clients turned to Phil for help with the unique challenges and responsibilities that accompanied their circumstances, and relied on him for guidance on their complex business, personal, estate and tax issues.
In addition to estate and tax planning, due to his clients’ confidence in his business insight and judgment they frequently asked Phil to advise them on complex business issues, real estate transactions, and important family matters.
Recognizing the problems and complexities that face high-net-worth clients, he was able to draw upon his precise legal knowledge, his thorough understanding of business, and his empathic perception of personal and family issues, to craft effective solutions and successful outcomes.
Phil was a sought-after speaker, lecturer, author on complex tax and estate planning issues, and a highly regarded mentor to younger attorneys.
He was named a “Super Lawyer” among Southern California lawyers 13 years in a row, and prior to his retirement was selected by his peers for the 2019 "Best Lawyers in America" list.
An active and involved philanthropist, Phil formed and for many years chaired Couples Against Leukemia, which helped support Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Ronald McDonald House Charities. He served on the Board of Directors of the Joseph Drown Foundation, which provides grants supporting programs in education, science, health and social services. He was a lifetime member and past chairman of the Pacific Area Arthritis Foundation, and was a member and past chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cal State Northridge Foundation.
In 1991, to honor the memory and work of his late wife, he oversaw the creation of the Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics at Cal State Northridge.
We at Valensi Rose were honored to have practiced law with Phil. We join with his loving wife Sally, his children, grandchildren and other members of his family in mourning his loss.