Our firm’s history dates back to 1936, when Les Cleary and William Zeff formed Cleary and Zeff. Throughout our firm’s history, our attorneys have frequently been appointed to judgeships. William Zeff was appointed to the judgeship of the Stanislaus County Superior Court in 1965. Edward Dean Price was appointed to the Federal Bench. Hurl W. Johnson is a former partner and a retired judge, and is currently working as a mediator in Stanislaus County.  Thomas D. Zeff and Nan Cohan Jacobs were appointed to the Stanislaus County Superior Court and continue to serve as judges.

Our firm has continuously been listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Directory of Preeminent Lawyers. We are a trusted source of legal guidance for clients from Modesto, Merced and throughout the surrounding region.

At Crabtree Schmidt, our clients trust us enough to refer their friends and family members to us. In fact, most of our clients come from referrals and repeat business.

We handle a broad range of legal matters for clients throughout the region, including farmers, businesses and individuals in Stanislaus County, Merced County and San Joaquin County.

The scope of our practice includes estate planning, probate, business law, real estate law, secured transactions, agriculture law, civil litigation and creditor bankruptcy.