Estate Planning and Probate

Estate Planning Estate Planning and Probate Estate Planning and Probate

We assist you in the creation of Living Trusts, Wills, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, Irrevocable Trusts, Family Limited Partnerships, and Charitable Gifting Strategies to prevent the expense, delay and public proceeding of probate when it is time to transfer assets to your beneficiaries. Our plans encompass passing financial assets as well as ensuring that the right people will care for children and the children’s inheritance. Guardianship for children is a primary concern for our clients with minor children.  We work with blended families to carve out a mutually acceptable plan for children.

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A well-drafted Living Trust can avoid a Conservatorship or Guardianship proceeding. Should you become incapacitated, your affairs can be privately managed without court intervention.

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Legacy Planning

We help clients preserve their financial wealth and their legacy, for future generations. Legacy planning methods include special provisions and protections in Living Trusts, Wills (simple & complex), Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, Irrevocable Trusts, Family Limited Partnerships, and Charitable Gifting Strategies.

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 Legacy Planning includes minimizing estate taxes, avoiding the expense and nightmare of probate and protecting against remarriage after death of the first spouse. Your children’s inheritance can be protected from divorce and lawsuits. These directives can include the dramatically larger inheritance your family will receive through generation-skipping-transfer tax planning. At the legacy level, charitable planning provides a philanthropic inheritance to your family. Lifetime gifts to children are leveraged into asset-protected legal safety nets. Your beneficiaries with special needs will be carefully protected to ensure continued access to needed services.

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Asset Protection & Business Planning

We help clients who are small business owners and those who are most susceptible to being sued by assisting with Lawsuit and Asset Protection. We also assist with Business Succession Planning and
Small Business Planning as well as strategic planning. Some of the tools and strategies used are Family Limited Partnerships, Limited Liability Companies and Buy-Sell Agreements.

Professional Practices, Family-Owned Businesses
& Farms

Our law firm offers planning assistance for the unique needs of Professionals, Family Businesses and Farms. We help clients preserve this important part of their legacy for future generations.

Special Needs Planning

We offer assistance to clients who have special needs family members by creating tailored trusts to help them preserve government benefits while having their loved one cared for in all areas of their life: financial, educational and medical, and most importantly, their emotional and personal needs in the future. The Special Needs Trust is designed to promote the disabled person's comfort and happiness without sacrificing continued access to needed services. Your children’s inheritance will be protected from divorce and lawsuits.

Pet Trusts

Our firm assists pet owners to plan for the care of their pets if incapacitated or after they pass away. California allows an enforceable trust for animals which can assure that your beloved pets are protected.

Trust Administration and Probate

We help families who have experienced the loss of a loved one with the ensuing Probate or Trust Administration process.

Trust Litigation and Probate Litigation

We help families who are involved in will contests, trust litigation or probate litigation.

Financial Planning

We help clients preserve their wealth and achieve their long-term financial goals. Our attorneys work closely with clients’ financial advisors to make sure their estate plan and their financial plan are coordinated and meet the clients’ goals.

Family Law

We assist our clients through the entire divorce or legal separation process. In addition, we draft Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements to assist clients in maintaining their own assets for themselves or for children or other family members in the event of a divorce.