It is certainly a good idea to create and regularly review your will with an experienced estate planning and probate attorney. In it, you are able to share your wishes for what you would like to happen after you pass away, including who you wish to inherit your assets. But what happens if...

Most headlines surrounding celebrities are filled with drama and often possible misrepresentations. So, it was not likely a surprise to read that the late actor, Burt Reynolds, reportedly left his son, Quinton, out of his Will when he did his estate planning. That statement, coupled with the revelation that he reportedly named his...

California estate planning attorneys know that, while you can't always protect senior citizens from becoming victims of elder abuse, having a comprehensive estate plan is an important step in the right direction. As we age, our physical and mental capacities generally diminish, leaving elders vulnerable to physical, emotional, and financial abuse by predators. Where...

What happens when someone won’t return an estate asset? San Mateo estate planning attorneys know that the best way to secure your own future and that of your loved ones and ensure that your property ends up in the hands of those you want to have it after you’re gone is through a comprehensive...

The California slayer rule prevents a person who intentionally and feloniously kills someone from inheriting from that person’s estate, trust, life insurance policy, or other assets. In most cases, the law treats the killer as though they died before the victim, which allows the inheritance to pass to alternate heirs or beneficiaries...

Q: Why do same-sex couples need estate planning?

After decades of fighting the good fight, the LGBT community scored a major victory when it won the constitutional right to marriage equality in the 2015 United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell vs. Hodges.

The landmark decision conferred valuable federal privileges and rights upon...

Q: Can I change my estate plan?

Getting started with estate planning in California is simple. The hardest part is usually overcoming the natural inclination many people have to postpone facing their own mortality or potential disability.

A comprehensive estate plan generally includes a last will and testament and a trust to...

Why is it important to review your estate plan periodically?

You’ve taken the critically important step of making an estate plan. Now what? While it may be tempting to shove your will in a desk drawer and forget about it, estate planning lawyers recommend that you routinely review...

Q: Do I need to be rich to leave money to a favorite cause or charity?

One of the biggest misconceptions about estate planning is that you don’t need a will unless you have a lot of money. Another misconception is that you can’t donate money to a favorite charity or cause unless...

Q: How can incapacitated elders be protected?

A skilled California estate planning lawyer has an arsenal of legal mechanisms on hand to customize an estate plan that's personalized to each client’s particular situation.

In addition to documents that transfer your property to others--like a last will and testament or like a trust...