Team

Jamie Watson

Partner

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

Recognizing the unique challenges and opportunities in estate planning, Jamie focuses on strategies to minimize taxes and facilitate charitable giving. His comprehensive approach ensures that clients’ assets are protected and efficiently transferred to future generations while maximizing the benefits of philanthropic contributions. Through personalized plans and meticulous attention to detail, Jamie helps clients achieve their estate planning goals, providing peace of mind and financial security for their families.

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

Professional Affiliations
Member, Napa County Bar Association
Board Member of the Queen of the Valley Foundation
Past Board Member and Treasurer, Napa Valley Community Foundation

Bar Memberships
California, Admitted 2008
Oregon, Admitted 2024

Nick Donovan

Partner

Nick represents a diverse set of clients across many industries, including agriculture, wine, construction, food and beverage, manufacturing, and logistics. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are a primary focus of Nick’s practice, and he represents acquirors across a number of industries and also provides sell-side representation. Additionally, Nick is general counsel to a broad range of companies and advises on corporate law and corporate governance, financing, and general business and contract law. Nick is frequently invited to speak on legal issues, particularly those related to mergers and acquisitions and family business succession.

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

Corbin O’Donnell

Senior 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

Ezekiel Gorrocino

Associate

Joining the firm in 2025, Ezekiel advises high net worth individuals and families on estate and gift tax planning to help them achieve their financial goals.

Ezekiel earned his J.D. from UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings), where he clerked for the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s Office of Legal Counsel, interned with Andersen Tax’s State and Local Tax Group, and supported low-income taxpayers through the school’s Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic. Before law school, he was a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs and worked as a Policy Associate with a national nonprofit focused on protecting family wealth from predatory lending practices.

Ezekiel holds a B.A. in Political Economy with a minor in Public Policy from UC Berkeley.

Education
University of California, Hastings, J.D., 2022, Honor Society
University of California, Berkeley, B.A., 2013

Bar Memberships
California Bar Association, Admitted 2022
San Francisco Bar Association
Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF)
San Francisco Raza Lawyers Association

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.

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

Samantha Ruggles

Associate

Samantha joined the team at GVM Law in 2024 as a law clerk, and after passing the Bar, continued on at GVM as an Associate Attorney. She practices in estate planning, trust administration and probate. While in law school, Samantha earned Certificates of Concentration in Taxation and Business.

Education
J.D., with distinction, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 2024
B.A., UC Santa Barbara, Sociology, 2020

Professional Affiliations
Placer County Bar Association – Probate and Estate Planning Section, Board Member

Bar Memberships
California, Admitted 2024

Joseph Harrison

Associate

Joseph is an Associate at GVM’s Napa office. He is primarily focused on meeting our clients’ business needs in transactional matters and associated litigation.

Education
University of California, Davis, J.D., 2024
University of California, Berkeley, B.A. in Rhetoric, 2020

Bar Memberships
California, Admitted 2024

Aya Yoneda

Associate

Aya is an Associate in GVM’s Napa office. She is primarily focused on meeting our clients’ business needs in transactional matters and associated litigation. While in law school, Aya was a member of the Moot Court Honors Board.

Education
University of California, Davis, J.D., 2025
University of California, Santa Cruz, B.A. in Legal Studies, 2020

Bar Memberships
California, Admitted 2025

Matthew Kermin

Associate

Matthew joined the team at GVM Law in 2025 as a Postbar Clerk, and after passing the Bar, continued at GVM as an Associate Attorney at GVM’s Napa office. He is primarily focused on meeting our clients’ business needs in transactional matters and associated litigation. While in law school, Matthew participated in the Business Law Journal as a Senior Articles Editor and was a member of the Negotiations Team, where he placed 3rd in the ABA Client Counseling Competition.

Education
University of California, Davis, J.D., 2025
University of California, Santa Cruz, B.A. in History, 2021

Bar Memberships
California, Admitted 2025

Matthew Manus

Associate

Matthew joined the team at GVM Law in 2023 as a Summer Associate and joined GVM as an Associate Attorney in 2025, located in GVM’s Roseville office. He practices in estate planning, trust administration, and probate. While in law school, Matthew earned a J.D. specialization in Taxation law.

Education
University of California, Los Angeles, J.D., 2025
University of California, Davis, B.A. in Economics and English, 2021

Bar Memberships
California, Admitted 2025