Shaun Michael McNaughton

Shaun Michael McNaughton

Brown & Streza, LLP • Irvine, CA
TaxEstate PlanningPersonal Injury

Is this your profile?

Claim it for free to update your information and connect with clients.

Claim Profile →

Contact

Email
Phone
(949) 524-4518
Address
40 Pacifica, Irvine, CA, 92618, US

Professional

About

Shaun solves estate planning problems for high-net-worth individuals, families, and business owners. Many of those problems relate to income tax, estate tax, and California property tax issues, and risk exposure. He implements advanced planning techniques that reduce these taxes and risks, thereby increasing amount passing to family and charity. Shaun typically works on large, complex estates with many moving parts and intricate tax issues. Shaun earned undergraduate degrees (mathematics and philosophy) from the University of California, San Diego; a master’s degree in philosophy (magna cum laude) from Biola University; and his Juris Doctor, from Chapman University School of Law, where he earned an Emphasis in Taxation, completing more tax courses than any Juris Doctor candidate in the history of the law school, and receiving CALI Excellence Awards for earning the highest marks in several courses. Shaun is Board Certified in both Taxation Law and Estate Planning Law by the State Bar of California. While in law school, the Honorable Tom Campbell, Dean of Chapman University School of Law and former U.S. Congressman, chose Shaun as his research assistant for substantial work for his law review article on the severability of statutes (“Severability of Statutes,” 62 Hastings L. J. 1495 (2011)), a legal topic that was at the forefront of the debate whether the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) was constitutional. In addition, for another article with Dean Campbell, Shaun applied a branch of higher mathematics (known as “topology”) to models of competition in antitrust law. Shaun is licensed to practice law in California and is also admitted to practice before the United States Federal Court. He lives in Newport Beach where, in his spare time, frequently can be found on a paddle board on Balboa Island or reading everything he can get his hands on: technical tax treatises and journals, analytic philosophy and theology, selected areas of physics, and economics.

About Tax Law

Tax attorneys help individuals and businesses with tax planning, compliance, and disputes with tax authorities. They work to minimize tax liability and resolve IRS issues. Common matters include tax planning, irs audits, tax disputes, business tax.

Credentials

Education
2012 Chapman University Fowler School of Law JD - Juris Doctor 2008 Biola University MA - Masters, Philosophy 2008 Biola University MA 2005 University of California - San Diego BA - Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy 2005 University of California - San Diego BA - Bachelor of Arts, Mathematics
Languages
English

Recognition & Involvement

Awards
2020 Rising Star, Super Lawyers 2019 Rising Star, SuperLawyers
Publications
2005 Estate Planning and Community Property Law Journal Why Code Section 2036 Does Not Work Well with Many Family Limited Partnerships, and What Can Be Done About It
Associations
State Bar of California U.S. Federal Court, Central District of California Orange County Bar Association, Tax Law Section CalCPA Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP Orange County)
Speaking
2020 9th Annual Institute on Tax, Estate Planning and the Economy What's in it For Me? Income Tax Planning with Irrevocable Trusts 2019 The 39th Annual Tax & Estate Planning Forum Beyond Estate Taxes, Part 2: The Nitty-Gritty of Planning with Nongrantor Trusts 2018 Prudential Irvine Office The Private Retirement Trust: A Benefit to Living in California Besides the Weather 2018 2018 Agents Helping Agents (AHA) Conference Start the Conversation about Life Insurance in Estate Planning 2017 Financial Planning Association - Orange County Chapter Quarterly Meeting The Private Retirement Trust: A Benefit to Living in California Besides the Weather
Updated: Mar 08, 2026