About AZ
Anderson Zeigler Values Commitment and Community
We are committed to our clients, the community, and to each other.
We are proud to have client relationships that have lasted decades. We build on our experience by creating relationships with new clients, including entrepreneurs in new industries and businesses.
Our attorneys and staff give back to the community by being involved as leaders in numerous community organizations – from professional associations to cultural, civic and educational organizations.
We work as a team, and work hard to provide dependable, responsive, efficient and effective legal work. We attract and retain top legal talent, with our emphasis always on top quality client service.
Founders
FoundersEd Anderson, Kirt Zeigler and Rob Disharoon founded Anderson Zeigler in 1982. They had each been members of the long-standing Spridgen law firm.
Mr. Anderson focused on estate planning and tax matters. He was a trusted counselor to many families and businesses, and was instrumental in clearing the way for Christo and Jean-Claude to bring The Running Fence to Sonoma and Marin Counties. He was honored by the Sonoma County Bar Association as a recipient of its valued Career of Distinction Award in 2003.
Mr. Zeigler advised a wide range of professionals and individuals on business and estate matters. Doctors, accountants, other lawyers and people in every type of business relied on his crisp guidance and advice. He was energetic in supporting education. Kirt was honored by the Sonoma County Bar Association as a recipient of the Career of Distinction Award in 2014.
Mr. Disharoon’s practice covered a broad range of estate planning, trust administration and business matters. He provided attentive guidance to ranchers, farmers, wineries, retail business owners, nonprofits, professionals, and many others. He was committed to supporting hospice.
Our founders have retired or passed away, but their client service and strong work ethic guide us and serve as the basis for our core values: Caring, Collaboration, Integrity, and Solutions.
Administrative Leaders
Marianne Leyva joined AZ in December of 2018. She assists Managing Director, Michael Shklovsky in overseeing the administrative and business operations of the firm.
AZ was proud to be recognized as a “Best Places to Work” by the North Bay Business Journal in 2017.
Recognition of Distinguished Careers
Peggy Elliott
Everyone who meets Peggy Elliott becomes a friend.
Although Peggy’s allegiance to her alma mater (Michigan – Go Blue!) was storied, her love and commitment to Sonoma County and to her clients ran even deeper. Peggy’s practice was focused on Estate Planning and Trust Administration and over the years she handled work for multiple generations of Sonoma County families and businesses. She excelled at complex estate tax matters.
Every client of Peggy’s was her favorite.
In addition to her practice, Peggy also gave much to the community: she was a long-time Board member of the Santa Rosa Symphony, and served on the Boards of numerous local non-profits. She has continued her volunteer work with 4Paws, visiting health care sites with her beloved Scottish Terriers, offering social therapy to those in need
Dave Bjornstrom
Dave Bjornstrom completed his successful, decades-long career with Anderson Zeigler in 2021.
Dave specialized in helping clients and their families with their tax, business and estate planning matters, including living trusts, and gifting to the next generation or to charity through the use of trusts and other techniques. He assisted families in trust or estate administration upon incapacity or death.
Dave and his family have deep roots in Sonoma County, and Dave is active in many local organizations.
Dave valued creating and maintaining interpersonal relationships with clients, and in creating clear and efficient planning of complex matters.
Don Black
After a career that spanned more than 40 years, Don retired in December of 2022.
Don came to Anderson Zeigler after being a long-time solo practitioner in Santa Rosa. Not only did he bring his tremendous experience as a real estate and business transactions lawyer to the firm, but he also readily shared his deep insights and knowledge. Don was always available to brainstorm with colleagues and enthusiastically serve as a mentor to the firm’s less practiced lawyers. We had no idea that a solo practitioner could be such a team player!
Don immediately made an impact on the firm’s culture and operations, becoming a co-managing director in 2016.
His enthusiasm for the practice of law and his excellence at problem solving served countless business clients in a wide range of matters from finance to employment law and complex real estate transactions. His practice also included a focus on the hospitality industry.
We wish Don the best in his next chapter!
Rob Rutherfurd
Rob joined Anderson Zeigler in 1987, practiced law until 2013, took two years to earn a Master’s Degree in History from the University of Montana, and returned to the Firm in December 2015 to practice law until his retirement in February 2025
One of the best transactional attorneys around, Rob’s practice focused on general business work, including business formation and operations, mergers and acquisitions, business succession planning, as well as real estate law. Rob was treasured by clients of the Firm. In turn, he took great pride in representing a variety of local, closely held businesses for many decades from inception and through founder succession.
They don’t make attorneys like Rob very often. For many of us at the Firm, he was a moral compass, someone we sought advice from to determine what’s right and fair. Rob was a patient and valued mentor to lawyers and law students alike; having served for many years as an adjunct profession of law at Empire College of the Law.
Dan Post
Dan joined Anderson Zeigler in 1994, right after law school and a year as a law clerk for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. He retired in March of 2026, after 32 years of practicing law with the Firm.
Dan was a thoughtful and hard-working civil litigator with broad experience ranging from real estate and business disputes to trust contests and appellate practice. Soft-spoken and determined, Dan cared deeply about helping his clients achieve just outcomes.
Kind words from a former client:
“One thing we will always remember and appreciate is the kindness and compassion you showed us throughout the process. You never lost sight of the emotional toll the situation was taking on our family. Your patience, understanding, and willingness to acknowledge what we were going through meant a great deal to us and helped us navigate an incredibly painful chapter in our lives.”
He was a prolific volunteer for the Sonoma County Superior Court, serving for many years as Judge Pro Tem and a facilitator of every stripe.
Dan’s impeccable integrity, sense of humor, and kindness earned him many a friend at the office and beyond. He was a mentor to many lawyers and paralegals over the years.
While we all miss Dan, we are thrilled to hear about his adventures in retirement!