MONTEREY, CA. (May 3^rd,  2023) — Monterey law firm Fenton & Keller will open a new law office in King City, led by attorney John E. Kesecker, with a soft opening on May 1, and an official opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 12.

The King City Chamber of Commerce and Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold a joint ribbon-cutting ceremony from 4-6 p.m. Monday, June 12th. Guests can sip, savor and mingle, tour the office and meet the King City team at the new office, located at 218 Bassett Street, Suite A — right next to the King City Post Office. It has a reception area, four offices, a kitchen area, and a conference room.

Initially, the King City office will be staffed by Kesecker, Stefanie King, and Lesly Valdez as well as Kesecker’s wife Kerry, who will help in establishing the new office. Kesecker intends to be in King City three to four days a week, with King and Valdez working there full time. The office will be fully networked with the Monterey office, from a technology standpoint.

Kesecker and his wife made their home in South County and he practiced in King City for 10 years before joining Fenton & Keller — ironically, at the 218 Bassett Street, Suite A, location. 

“We have a lot of clients from South County, and we believe that this will give us a good physical presence in the Salinas Valley,” said Kesecker. “King City has historically supported two to four lawyers at any given time. Since closing my law office in King City, however, only one attorney remained with any kind of physical presence — Peter Anderson. Unfortunately, Peter passed away late last year, leaving a void in the community down there — both legal and otherwise — that Fenton & Keller intends to fill. I was asked by Peter’s family to handle the winding down of his practice, and we have been taking care of closing Peter’s law office over the last few months, and word is already out that Fenton & Keller is coming.” 

In practice since 1993, Kesecker’s principal areas of practice are business and real estate transactions; estate planning, trust administration and probate litigation.

He counsels businesses and families who need practical and timely advice in a challenging legal and regulatory environment. He has extensive experience in forming entities, advising clients in business and real estate transactions, and planning for business succession from one generation to the next.

Kesecker received a bachelor’s degree in 1990 from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and his Juris Doctor degree from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1993 and was admitted to the California Bar that same year.

He is a member of the Monterey County Bar Association, Monterey County Barristers (past member, board member, and president), Legal Services For Seniors (past board member and president), Soledad Mission Restoration Committee (past board member) and the Mission-Soledad Rural Fire Protection District.

Kesecker began his legal career as a litigator, which provided him with an ability to structure transactions with clarity and precision to minimize the risks of future disputes. He has worked extensively with businesses in the Salinas Valley, and understands the unique challenges facing the agricultural industry, as well as the opportunities presented in these changing times.

He has enrolled thousands of acres into Farmland Security Zone contracts saving his clients hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in property taxes. He has also handled many probates and trust administrations and has represented clients in probate and estate litigation matters that have required court intervention.

“We are excited about becoming a physical presence in King City,” said Kesecker. “I get to come back to a community I care about, and it will provide an ability for local residents to sit across from their attorney without having to travel to Salinas, Monterey, or Paso Robles.”

About Fenton & Keller

Fenton & Keller arose from the law partnership formed in 1952 by J. Hampton Hoge and Lewis L. Fenton in Monterey, California. Both men were exceptional trial attorneys committed to the legal profession and to serving their community.

In 1951, as a young lawyer defending the State of California in a lawsuit concerning a snowplowing accident, Mr. Fenton met his future mentor, the well-known trial lawyer, Mr. Hoge. In fact, Mr. Fenton later regarded Mr. Hoge as the most important influence on his career. The following year, the two attorneys moved to Monterey and founded the law firm, Hoge & Fenton, which expanded over the years to include branch offices in San Jose and San Luis Obispo.

Attorney Charles R. Keller joined Hoge & Fenton in 1965 as the sixth lawyer in the Monterey office, then located at 977 Pacific Street. In 1969, the office relocated to 2801 Monterey Salinas Highway in Monterey, where it remains today. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, the firm grew and became known as Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel, and focused primarily on insurance defense work. In 1993, attorneys at Hoge & Fenton’s Monterey office decided to break off from the San Jose and San Luis Obispo offices to become the independent law firm, Fenton & Keller.

Leading up to 1993, the attorneys in the Monterey office shifted their practice areas from primarily insurance defense work to a broader array of general practice, probate and general litigation. Since 1993, Fenton & Keller has further expanded its expertise in employment law, estate planning, real estate and land use, tax law, nonprofit governance, and business formation and advising.

Fenton & Keller attorneys continue the tradition of legal excellence established by Mr. Fenton and Mr. Hoge, and continued by Mr. Keller through vigorous, proactive representation on a wide variety of legal issues and a commitment to community service. Several of the firms’ attorneys have been appointed to the judiciary, while others have served and continue to serve as members of the boards of community service organizations throughout the Monterey Bay region.

P.O. Box 791

Monterey, CA 93942

2801 Monterey Salinas Highway

Monterey, CA 93940

Phone: (831) 373-1241

Fax: (831) 373-7219

Website: fentonkeller.com