About Elijah M
Elijah M Keyes built a legal foundation at Golden Gate University, earning his J.D. in 2009 and a Master of Laws in Taxation and Estate Planning in 2010. He trained in litigation and real estate during law school and followed that instruction with graduate study in tax and estate matters. He is admitted to practice in California and has spent his career practicing in the Bay Area.
He joined Keyes Law Group, PC and rose to partner status in 2019. That role put him at the center of a small firm practice that handles both transactional work and courtroom matters. His background in litigation and real estate informs the way he structures estates and drafts documents. He has experience taking disputed matters through discovery and, when necessary, to trial.
Keyes holds a certification as a Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law through the Board of Legal Specialization of the California Bar Association. He also serves as a mediator for the Santa Clara County Mediation Office, a role that has him working with families, fiduciaries, and counsel to resolve contested trust and probate issues outside of court. The dual strands of mediation and contested litigation shape how he manages cases; he assesses settlement prospects and prepares for adversarial proceedings when settlement is unlikely.
From 2013 until 2020 he served as a trustee on the Silicon Valley Bar Association. That period included committee work and outreach aimed at connecting attorneys practicing in trusts and estates to local resources. His bar and community work has been practical in tone. He has focused on the nuts-and-bolts of practice management, dispute resolution, and client education rather than public office or academic roles.
At Keyes Law Group he handles estate planning, trust and probate administration, and related contest litigation. He drafts wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, advises fiduciaries on administration and compliance, and represents parties in conservatorship and probate contests. His mediation credential means he often proposes structured negotiation as an option early in a dispute. He maintains an active caseload in California and works primarily out of the firm’s main office. He currently practices estate planning, trust and probate matters, mediation and related litigation at Keyes Law Group, PC.
