I have been asked how fast a probate can be filed in California many times. In my office fast can be REALLY FAST and in some cases the same day as initial contact is made. You can read about that down below.

In most probate cases, I find, my clients want to get to the end of probate as quickly as possible. That is, most people want to check this horrible thing off the list and get on with normal life, to the extent they can, after the loss of a loved one. One of the best ways to finish probate faster is to START faster.

I pride myself on being extremely efficient with the probate process. Heck, I have done over 1,000 probate cases so hopefully I have figured out some ways to be efficient for my clients! That efficiency starts from day one. The other day I spoke to a client about 9:00 am. I laid out the following approach to him.

We spoke at 9:00 am and I told him that if he could get to my office at 11:00 I could have the initial documents ready for signature. Our courier normally comes at 11:30 so the documents would be on file at the probate court by about 1 or 2 in the afternoon. That’s an extreme case but it’s not unheard of in my office.

When you call a prospective attorney, that you might hire, do they tell you they can get you in next week? That’s nonsense. I’ll get you in today or tomorrow but usually TODAY. Call me right now. If I am available I’d love to talk to you about your probate case right now.

I had a similar case last week. Client called about 3:30 in the afternoon. We went over her dad’s probate. I told her to be at my office at 10:00 am the next day and we’d be ready for her. We signed the documents, couriered them at 11:30 and had our court date set a few hours later.

What about for my out of area clients!? I have clients all around the US who lost a loved one in California. Some counties need hard copies to sign and some we can e-file but here’s an example of what we do. We get the needed information from our prospective client. We then email, fax or FedEx the initial documents to you for signing. If we are going to file in a county that requires hard copies we will include a FedEx return label so you can overnight everything back to us.

So, even if you are across the country we can usually be on file in any probate court in the state within about 48 hours of initial contact. Sometimes 24 hours and, in the counties that allow e-filing, we can be on file the same day as initial contact as long as we talk early in the day. Yes, really it’s possible for you to call me right now and we could file your probate case TODAY!

Why wait when you can hire the most efficient California probate attorney, that I am aware of, right now!?

Why wait for an appointment next week when you can have an appointment today or tomorrow!?

Why wait to start your probate when waiting only means it’s longer until the finish!?

Now, having said all that, there are occasionally cases where we want to or need to delay probate. There can be strategic reasons behind slowing things down at the beginning or slowing things down later. However, don’t you want to talk to an experienced probate attorney NOW to find out what the options are?

I have been a probate attorney since 1994 and have significant experience with probate cases. My personal practice is 100% probate. I do not do other cases.

Call or email me TODAY and let’s talk about your case.

-John