Neptune vs Loeb & Loeb: Los Angeles Estate Planning, Compared

The Los Angeles estate planning landscape

Los Angeles concentrates several distinct kinds of Los Angeles estate planning needs:

• Entertainment industry: actors, writers, directors, producers, and executives with residual rights, royalty streams, intellectual property assets, and SAG-AFTRA pension considerations that require specialist structuring.
• Tech and startup founders: pre-liquidity equity at LA-based startups (Snap, SpaceX in Hawthorne, the broader Westside tech scene, and the AI cluster migrating south from the Bay Area) requires SLAT structuring before a tender or IPO.
• Real estate and HNW families: multi-property portfolios across LA and other states require state-specific trust funding. Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, Malibu, and Pacific Palisades real estate families typically have intergenerational planning needs.
• Standard dual-income couples: W-2 income, primary residence in Silver Lake, Echo Park, Mar Vista, or Atwater Village, brokerage and retirement accounts, no operating business or entertainment IP.

The standard couple plan is well-served by Neptune's $2,500 flat fee. The specialist work (entertainment residuals, pre-IPO equity, multi-property real estate) is well-served by Loeb & Loeb or similar established firms.

Loeb & Loeb positioning

Loeb & Loeb LLP was founded in Los Angeles in 1909 by brothers Edwin J. and Joseph P. Loeb. The firm is a multi-service BigLaw practice with 450+ lawyers across nine US and Asia offices and a distinguished private client practice. Per the Chambers ranking, the firm is nationally ranked across multiple practice areas including trusts and estates.

Loeb & Loeb has a notable entertainment industry heritage: the firm oversaw the 1924 transaction that led theater entrepreneur Marcus Loew to gain control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Pictures, ultimately creating Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). The firm has since counseled and handled the estates of numerous celebrities, actors, and musicians. That heritage translates into a deep specialist bench for entertainment-industry Los Angeles estate planning.

The Los Angeles estate planning fee structure at Loeb & Loeb is hourly. Senior partners at Loeb & Loeb's private client group bill $700 to $1,000+ per hour for the most complex tax-driven work; associates and counsel bill in the $400 to $650 range. A standard couple plan at the firm involves 15 to 30 hours of attorney time, putting the total in the $10,000 to $25,000+ range depending on complexity.

The strength of the BigLaw model in Los Angeles estate planning is the depth on the specialist work and the multidisciplinary coordination across tax, real estate, litigation, technology, and financial services practices under one roof. The trade-off is the cost and timeline for couples whose estate is more standard.

What Loeb & Loeb does well that Neptune is not built for:

• Entertainment-industry T&E planning: residual rights characterization, royalty stream trust structuring, IP licensing agreements, loan-out company integration, celebrity estate administration.
• Family business succession: multi-generation operating businesses, voting and non-voting share structures, buy-sell agreements.
• Federal-level tax planning: SLATs, GRATs, ILITs, CRTs, dynasty trusts, charitable lead trusts. The multidisciplinary firm structure integrates T&E with tax controversy and business succession.
• Multi-state and international planning: clients with property in CA plus other states, or international assets.
• Trust and estate litigation: contested trust matters, high-profile multimillion-dollar disputes over family wealth distribution.

Neptune positioning

Neptune is an online concierge estate plan at $2,500 flat fee, all-in for both partners. The intake is AI-led; a state-licensed California estate planning attorney drafts and reviews. Two to four weeks from intake to signed documents.

For LA couples with standard estates, Neptune covers the foundation. For LA couples with entertainment-industry residuals, pre-IPO equity, or multi-state real estate, Neptune refers to a specialist.

What Neptune does well that Loeb & Loeb is not built for:

• Standard couple plans at flat-fee predictability: $2,500 covers both partners; no hourly billing on top.
• Compressed timeline: two to four weeks vs two to four months at a BigLaw firm.
• Couple-first packaging: both spouses guided through the process together.
• Ongoing updates as life changes: new child, home purchase, change in financial picture handled without restarting.

How the price difference happens

Hourly billing concentrates attorney time on intake. A senior LA estate partner at $800 per hour, spending 10 hours collecting asset details, beneficiary information, and document preferences, is $8,000 before any drafting starts. Neptune compresses the intake into an AI-led conversation; the attorney spends their time on drafting, review, and judgment, not on the structured information collection.

For a standard Los Angeles estate planning couple plan, the document set is the same in either model. The step-up in basis advantage at the first spouse's death and the community property baseline that shapes California estate planning apply in either model. The price difference is the model.

When Loeb & Loeb is the right choice

Loeb & Loeb is the right fit for couples who:

• Have residual rights, royalty streams, or other entertainment-industry IP assets that require specialist structuring.
• Hold pre-IPO equity at a company expected to clear a liquidity event in the next 12 to 24 months and want a single firm to handle both the standard plan and the SLAT structuring.
• Have multi-state real estate or a closely-held operating business with succession planning needs.
• Want a BigLaw multidisciplinary relationship with a deep bench across T&E, tax, real estate, and litigation.
• Are at or above the $30M federal exemption and need irrevocable trust structuring.
• Have international assets or non-US citizen family members with cross-border tax planning needs.
• Have publicity rights or trademark interests governed by California's post-death right of publicity (CA publicity rights, Civil Code Section 3344.1, which extends 70 years post-death).

When Neptune is the right choice

Neptune is the right fit for couples who:

• Have a standard couple estate (W-2 income, primary residence, brokerage and retirement accounts).
• Are below the $30M federal exemption.
• Want a defined timeline and price.
• Are comfortable with a digital intake process.

For most LA couples in the W-2 income bracket with a primary residence and brokerage accounts, Neptune is the right starting point. For LA couples with entertainment-industry assets, pre-IPO equity, or multi-property real estate portfolios, Loeb & Loeb or another established firm is the right starting point.

Where the two models work alongside each other

A common pattern in LA: a couple in their early 30s with W-2 income and a Silver Lake bungalow uses Neptune for the foundation. Five years later, one partner becomes a director with active residual rights and a loan-out company. The couple keeps Neptune for the foundation (revocable trust, core documents, ongoing updates) and adds a Loeb & Loeb engagement for the residual rights structuring and the loan-out company integration. The two firms work alongside each other; Neptune handles the foundation that the specialist work sits on top of.

This pattern is increasingly common as the LA tech and entertainment sectors grow. Couples start with the standard Los Angeles estate planning package and add specialist work as the financial picture changes.

The entertainment industry Los Angeles estate planning specifics

For LA couples in the entertainment industry, several specific considerations shape the estate plan beyond the standard document set:

• Loan-out companies: actors, writers, directors, and other above-the-line talent often operate through a loan-out company (typically an S-corp or LLC) for tax purposes. The loan-out company is a separate entity from the individual; the estate planning must address how the company is structured, who succeeds as owner at death, and how the residual income stream continues.
• Residual rights: earned residuals from acting, writing, or directing continue to flow after the original work, sometimes for decades. The estate plan must address how residual rights pass at death, including SAG-AFTRA pension and health plan considerations.
• Royalty streams: music royalties, publishing royalties, and other IP-derived income require specialist structuring. The royalty stream is typically held in a separate trust or LLC.
• Trademarks and likeness rights: for established figures, the likeness rights and trademarks have post-death value. These require specialist IP planning.
• Publicity rights: California has a strong post-death right of publicity under Civil Code Section 3344.1 that lasts 70 years. This is a real asset that needs to be addressed in the plan.

These considerations are why entertainment industry couples typically use a BigLaw firm like Loeb & Loeb or another specialist rather than a standard online concierge. Neptune's $2,500 plan covers the foundation; the entertainment-specific structuring sits on top with specialist input.

Related guides

• Family Trust
• How Trusts Are Taxed
• Trusts for Children