California Probate Form DE-310 Petition to Determine Succession to Real Property deals with estates of $150,000 or less in gross value. There are many sub rules to review in coming up with the $150,000. For example assets that are jointly titled or held in trust would generally NOT be considered in calculating the $150,000 in […]

Many people, especially those with children, desire getting their estate plan done (or updated) before a big trip.  Sure this may be an irrational fear to a degree as everybody has heard you are more likely to get in a car accident close to home than have a plane crash. However, it’s an extremely common […]

We do estate plans in a rush. Even comprehensive plans!  I remember a few years ago some clients wanted to get some major estate planning done before a long trip to Europe. We did wills, revocable trust, irrevocable trust, family limited partnership and all the accompanying documents in about a week.  We can do more […]

I have pasted below a standard estate planning questionnaire. I would be happy to email you an easier version to work with. Just send me an email and ask!  I can send in Word or PDF as you prefer.  -John PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL ESTATE   PLANNING   FACT GATHERING  PACKAGE     PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL Before we […]

Probate CALENDAR NOTES are notes prepared and made public BEFORE your Court hearing. Every county is different. In some counties the notes are prepared by attorneys and other counties it’s experienced probate Court staff. They review the file and post their calendar notes. In a few counties they call these “tentative rulings” also. The notes […]

I am constantly amazed at how slow some California probate attorneys are.  Probate is like a high hurdle race; a 7 month race.  Keep hitting those hurdles, ON-TIME, so you can be done and get on with life!  Here are some common things I have seen from my “competitors:” – They can’t get you in […]

This is the complete listing of AFR rates for June 2012 straight from the IRS website. I hope it assists you.   Section 1274.–Determination of Issue Price in the Case of Certain Debt Instruments Issued for Property (Also Sections 42, 280G, 382, 412, 467, 468, 482, 483, 642, 807, 846, 1288, 7520, 7872.) Rev. Rul. […]

There are a ton of things to remember when you need to appear in Probate Court. Here are three of them: 1) BE ON TIME: I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people, even attorneys, lose rights because of not being on time.  Plan to park far away, go through security, etc…. […]

California Probate Form DE-305 Affidavit re Real Property of Small Value ($55,425 – formerly $50,000 or Less) is very useful for transferring interests in real property after death. It can be used for any real property with a gross value of less than $55,425. This might include timeshares, vacant land, fractional interests in real estate, […]