John (Jack) D. Pettker was a founding member of the law firm of Rodi Pollock Christian & Pramov, a law corporation, in Los Angeles, California, that merged into Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP effective January 1, 2018. He currently serves the firm as Of Counsel.

Jack practices law principally in the areas of estate planning and probate administration, succession planning for family-owned businesses, and counseling private foundations. Jack uses traditional and cutting-edge strategies to assist families in accumulating, protecting and transferring their wealth and in minimizing taxes.

Jack is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He has been listed for over 25 years in Naifeh and Smith’s The Best Lawyers in America as one of the best lawyers in Los Angeles, California in the area of Trusts and Estates. In 2011, Jack was named one of the Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers.

Family businesses have been a major focus of Jack’s and the law firm’s trust and estate planning practice. Jack is experienced in planning and completing the succession of management and ownership in family businesses. He has authored many articles relating to the legal problems of family businesses.

Jack works actively with many charitable and nonprofit organizations. He currently dedicates much of his volunteer time in working with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, an international leader in pediatric medicine, where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Foundation. From 2006-2012, he served as Co-Chair of the hospital’s Governing Board.