Counsel for individuals, business owners, and insurance agencies.
Hargrove Law handles business disputes and transactions, insurance distribution matters, estate planning and probate, and consumer claims in California, and Social Security disability appeals nationwide.
Practice areas
Litigation, business, insurance, estate, and consumer matters in California, and Social Security disability appeals nationwide. Each one starts with the documents and a plain conversation about what is at stake.
- Civil LitigationContract and business disputes, money owed, and lawsuits filed against you.
- Business LawContracts, ownership questions, buying or selling a company, and outside general counsel.
- Insurance DistributionContracts, commissions, and agency sales for health, Medicare, and life insurance agencies and agents.
- Estate Planning and ProbateWills, trusts, and powers of attorney, and settling an estate after a death.
- Consumer LawDebt collection, credit report errors, security deposits, and disputes with businesses.
- Appeals of denied disability claims, from reconsideration through Appeals Council review.
A lawyer who has been on the owner’s side of the table
Before practicing law, Steven Hargrove worked in insurance distribution and sold a Medicare field marketing organization and life insurance brokerage general agency in a multimillion-dollar transaction.
That experience shapes the legal work. He reads contracts for what they will mean in practice, and he weighs every dispute against what it will cost to pursue.
It also means insurance agencies, marketing organizations, and agents work with a lawyer who already knows how carrier contracts, hierarchies, and commissions work (see insurance distribution).
Articles and tools
Plain-language explanations of California rules that come up often, and calculators for common deadlines. All resources
- Disability appeal deadlineEnter the date on a Social Security disability denial notice to estimate the last day to request the next appeal.
- Security deposit deadlineEnter your move-out date to see when a California landlord must return the deposit or explain deductions.
- Does this estate need probate?A guide to the common ways California property is transferred after a death, with current limits and waiting periods.
Consumer law
FDCPA basics: when debt collection crosses the line
What the federal debt collection law covers, why a validation notice matters, and what to keep.
Consumer law
Credit report errors: a practical introduction to the FCRA
Understand the difference between a reporting company and a furnisher, and document a specific dispute.
Consumer law
California security deposits: what “treble damages” really means
The 21-day rule, deductions, and the distinction between a refund and additional bad-faith damages.
Probate
California probate basics: who does what, and where to begin
A plain-language overview of the personal representative, estate information, and the formal probate process.
Talk with Steven Hargrove
Send a short description of your matter and the names of the other people involved. Keep confidential details for the first conversation. Steven replies to new inquiries within one business day.