Dawn M. Hall Cunneen

Ms. Cunneen focuses her practice on the areas of estate planning, trust administration, probate, estate tax and gift tax matters.

Prior to joining Procopio, Ms. Cunneen was with the law firm of Lodge & Heller in Carlsbad, California.

Representative Matters

• Counseled clients in planning estates and prepared related documents including wills, revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, durable powers of attorney and advance health care directives
• Advised individual and corporate trustees regarding the proper administration of trusts
• Advised individual and corporate executors regarding the proper administration of probates
• Advised beneficiaries of trusts and estates with respect to their rights
• Prepared state and federal estate tax returns
• Represented clients in estate and trust litigation

Ms. Cunneen received her bachelor of arts degree, cum laude, from Bethel College in 1986. She received her law degree in 1991 from California Western School of Law. Ms. Cunneen also attended Florida State University School of Law where she was a McGuire, Voorhis, and Wells Scholar. Ms. Cunneen was admitted to practice in California in 1992 and in Minnesota in 1995. She is a former adjunct professor at Bethel College, Minnesota.

Ms. Cunneen is a member of the American Inns of Court, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Chapter, where she serves as an Executive Board Member (2006-present), is Outreach Committee Chair (2008-present), and Catering and Special Events Coordinator (2007-present). She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Bar Association of Northern San Diego County (2010-present) and serves on their Local Rules of Court Advisory Committee (2006-present). Additionally, Ms. Cunneen currently serves as President of the Lawyers Club, North County Division (2008 – 2009, re-elected 2012), and served as a 2007 Gala Committee Member for The Preuss School. In 2011, she was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Tri-City Hospital Foundation, where she also served on the Fiftieth Anniversary Golden Anniversary Ball Gala Committee and the Development Committee. She is also the Chair and Founder of the La Jolla Music Society’s Pat Stein North County Concert Series and has served as a member of the Society’s SummerFest Committee for the past three years.

Ms. Cunneen was named the 2005 North County Philanthropy Council Volunteer of the Year, is a 2006 YWCA Tribute to Women in Industry honoree, and from 2008-2011 was named a Five Star Wealth Manager by San Diego Magazine. Additionally, she was a Lawyers Club Community Service Award Winner in 2009 and a Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership Award Nominee.

Recent News Coverage

• Marshall, Scott. "Dispute over music legend's estate moves forward", North County Times, May 9, 2008

Recent Articles and Publications

• “Trust Litigation Chapter,” Matthew Bender Practice Guide California, co-author 2010
• “The Perils of the Five or Five Power,” Matthew Bender LexisNexis Article, 2011

Recent Seminars and Speeches

• 2011 Matthew Bender LexisNexis Speaker, Trust Litigation (Orange County and San Diego)
• 2007-present, NBI Panelist, various Trust & Estates topics
• 2007 Panel Speaker at the PFAC Annual Conference, Probate and Trust Administration
• 2007 National Business Institute Speaker, Probate and Trust Administration