A Different Kind of Attorney
Most estate planning attorneys came to the law directly. Klaus took a longer road — and it shows in how he works.
He holds a JD, an MBA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, and an MS in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics from Johns Hopkins. That combination of legal training, business fluency, and quantitative methods turns out to be unusual preparation for the kind of estate planning he now does: technically demanding work that still begins and ends with a family's real needs.
"Estate planning is fundamentally an act of care. The documents are the vehicle. The goal is protecting the people you love."
Since joining the California Bar, Klaus has published more than 120 blog posts, written for the California Trusts & Estates Quarterly and the SLO County Bar Bulletin, and contributed to the Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB). He teaches Wills & Trusts and Business Law at Monterey College of Law and is currently pursuing an LL.M. in Taxation at Golden Gate University School of Law — on merit scholarship.
His national CRT consulting practice, CalCRUT.com, serves CPAs and financial planners across the country who need rigorous charitable remainder trust analysis — something Klaus has made a particular focus, including analytical academic work on CRT suitability modeling. His work promoting charitable remainder trusts has a direct impact beyond any individual client — every well-structured CRT that reaches term delivers its remainder to charity, and Klaus's national consulting practice helps make more of those outcomes possible.
Life on the Central Coast
Klaus and his wife Monika have called the California Central Coast home since 2017, when they relocated from Washington, D.C. They live in Cayucos — a small, unhurried beach town that has a way of making you wonder why you lived anywhere else.
Monika, Rudolph & Mathilda
Monika works in philanthropy — which means the Gottlieb household spends a fair amount of time thinking about charitable giving from multiple angles. Rudolph and Mathilda, their two dachshunds, contribute primarily by being adorable and occasionally opinionated about walk schedules.
Traveler at Heart
Klaus and Monika take trips whenever they can. Travel has a way of sharpening perspective — which, it turns out, is useful in estate planning.
Community Roots
Klaus is a founding member of the California Central Coast Estate Planning Council. He and Monika are active supporters of the Cayucos Land Conservancy and the San Luis Obispo Symphony, among other local causes.
