It’s time to talk about something that happens all too often and can be avoided altogether with more knowledge and legal planning. We’ve had to help so many widows and widowers probate their family homes because they incorrectly believed they would inherit their home automatically even without an estate plan. The truth is that inheriting real property will involve some level of paperwork. How expensive, lengthy, or complicated a process depends on many things. Today, I will d
The sooner you start planning, the better. As a new mother, you naturally want to ensure your new baby’s future in every way. For many new mothers, infancy is a time for celebrating new life, and making a will is the last thing on their minds. For others, the process of bringing new life into the world sparks intense feelings of wanting control and needing organization. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, you might be struggling to figure out what steps you need to
What is a conservatorship? In simple terms, a conservatorship is a way for someone to assume legal guardianship over an adult when that adult can no longer take care of themselves or manage their affairs due to incapacity. Conservatorships follow the laws in the California Probate Code. Yes, this is the same probate code that deals with the administration of your estate when you die. A conservatorship is sometimes called a “living probate.” Families often use conservatorships
Probate is the legal process (e.g., court process) of administering a person’s estate when they die. In California, the process can last an average of 18 months, with some probates lasting more than 2 years. If there is a will, probate will be the process of proving a last will and testament, which means verifying that the will is legal and the deceased person’s intentions as written in the will are carried out. Probate, when there is no will, means that the court decides how