Pantea I. Fozouni, attorney and counselor at law with Palm Desert Law Group, took a road less traveled by her family when she chose the legal profession. It might have felt a risk at the time, but for Fozouni, the rewards have sealed her certainty that she chose correctly.
“I come from a family where everyone is in medicine, and that was the path I was originally going to go,” she says. “I had always been drawn to history, political science and social justice. I really wanted to help my fellow man and community.”
Taking the expected direction, Fozouni, whose family moved to America from war-torn Iran in 1987 when she was a child, began following the premed track in college.
“My heart wasn’t in it, and I realized going into medicine wasn’t right for me,” Fozouni says. “My family moved to this country with the immigrant dream. They were trying to make a better life for them and their family. Seeing how they struggled made me want to help people like this, who are the backbone of the community.”
Her mother, who had been a teacher in Iran, made sure that Fozouni learned her native language, Farsi, to keep the family’s heritage strong.
“My mom has a great business mind and has always been the leader in the family – not only with kids and home life, but making sure everything my dad did as a doctor helped his practice grow.”
When Fozouni made the announcement that she was giving up the pre-med track for pre-law, she expected the news would be a serious disappointment.
With the support of her older brother, Dr. Pedram Ilbeigi, a physician in a prominent urology group in the desert, her family was accepting.
“He saw the opportunity and wisdom of having one lawyer in the family,” Fozouni says. “He’s always been one of my biggest cheerleaders and supporters.”
Fozouni began practicing in 2011, starting at a general practice firm before hanging up her own shingle four years later.
“I opened up my own practice to serve clients in a way that was really in their best interest as opposed to the typical experience some people have with an attorney,” Fozouni says. “I wanted to build something to foster communications and help families when they are at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives.”
Proposing a new and simple approach to estate business planning and business law, Fozouni never expects her experience with clients to be a one-and-done, but an ongoing relationship with people from all walks of life.
“It’s a misconception that only the very wealthy need estate planning,” Fozouni says. “We’re all going to die one day. We have people who depend on us. We need to plan so our loved ones have as little work to do with the courts as possible.”
Fozouni says being in probate law would be a much more lucrative way to practice – if someone dies with no plan in place, statutory fees are paid to attorneys and executors whittling away what inheritance their might have been in a modest estate. The family not only is grieving a loved one but suffering with red tape and unnecessary costs.
“I want to be sure the family has the minimum of cost after someone passes away,” she says. “I want to be sure the things they want to happen after they pass actually do happen. If they want certain people to raise their children, that needs to be part of the plan. Otherwise, the court can decide.”
Having a secure estate plan not only ensures a person’s wishes are carried out but prevents family members being at odds over who is entitled to certain things. A clearly defined plan eliminates ambiguity.
Business planning is equally important, says Fozouni.
“We are products of the American dream,” she explains. “Part of that is to make sure businesses are set up properly. There are headaches and hassles of owning a business, and you have to make sure you are doing all the things you need to do legally to comply.”
While punching a clock for another law firm would be easier, Fozouni says she feels like she can do so much more to help others in her own firm.
“It might not be as financially rewarding, but emotionally, it’s so much more satisfying to be a partner with people and make sure their families are protected,” Fozouni says. “I go to bed happy every night and that makes even the frustrating days worth it.”
Fouzoni and husband Dr. Derakhsh Fozouni, an OBGYN and local business owner, feel committed to the people and the area in which they live.
“We are locked into this community,” she says. “My stepdaughter was born here. I have a son, 14 months, who was born here, and I have another son due in August. We are both honored to be able to serve our community in our own ways.”
Fozouni credits her client services director, Katrina Thomas, with helping to give the best advice to those who come to her firm for help.
“I like to think of her as the heart of our organization, connecting people, and making sure no one falls through the cracks in the process,” she says. “She is wonderful, and we are so honored to have been named the Best of the Desert for 2021. It’s especially exciting since we were competing against so many of the bigger, well-known firms.”
