Colleen Barney brings nearly 30 years of experience as an estate tax attorney in Orange County to her role as Director of Philanthropic Partnerships.  Colleen spent the majority of her legal career cultivating relationships with clients, advisors, and the community at large.  She utilizes her relationship skills to develop partnerships between the professional advisor community and OCCF.  Prior to joining OCCF, Colleen was one of the founding principals at Albrecht & Barney Law Corporation, a boutique estate tax planning firm in Irvine and spent her last 15 years as the managing partner of the firm.  She was a certified specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law as certified by the State Bar of California, as well as the co-author of the book “Best Intentions: Ensuring Your Estate Plan Delivers Both and Wisdom.”

Colleen has devoted a large portion of her free time serving in various capacities at a number of Orange County based philanthropic entities, including Human Options, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, and the Newport Harbor Educational Foundation, as well as on the national level at USA Track and Field.  It is through those experiences that Colleen developed a passion for supporting her community and its members.

Colleen earned her Bachelor of Science degree in both History and Philosophy from Central Michigan University, her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Michigan School of Law, and her Master of Laws degree in Taxation from the University of San Diego School of Law.  Colleen is a competitive master’s sprinter for USA Track and Field and has been a National, North/Central/Caribbean American, and World Champion gold medalist in distances ranging from 50 meters to 400 meters.