I am just going to admit it right here… I really like Las Vegas, Nevada. Ok, that has little to do with the California probate process as I like the action, nightlife, entertainment and sports. As they say Las Vegas is the sports AND entertainment capital of the world! It really is! Vegas has the […]

What do you to handle a US Post Office Change of Address At Death for a Deceased Person?  That is, when a loved one dies how do you change their mailing address?  Furthermore, WHY would you want to change their address? Let’s address the latter question first.  If the person that died had only debts […]

I recently was contacted by a potential client trying to clear up title to land in Imperial County, California. When I looked it up I realized it was at, and appears to be beach front, at the Salton Sea.  Living in California for over 50 years I have heard of this place but never actually […]

As a California estate attorney since 1994 I have planned thousands of estates with people during their lives and, likewise, dealt with thousands of estates after death in trust administration and also in the California probate process.  Years ago I started calling the schedule of assets, that is often attached to a living trust, a […]

Each year people plan their new year’s resolutions and each year, for many people, “get will done” is on the list.  Another year has passed and, for many of us, that is one more year without a proper estate plan in place.  Please talk to an experienced attorney and get your estate in order.  For […]

As an old school rap aficionado myself I was saddened to hear that Coolio had passed.  He had a couple of big songs so wasn’t a one hit wonder.  However, maybe a two hit wonder!?  In any event, I liked his music and was bummed to see of his death. Even more bummed to see […]

I don’t think I am telling you anything you don’t already know.  People are moving out of California.  This post is not about that phenomenon or the political ramifications or reasons.  This post is focused on what do you do if a loved one moved out of California and then died.  So let’s talk about […]

The question of where to file probate for a California bank account, when the person who died lived in another state or country, brings into play what are called the ancillary probate rules.  Ancillary probate essentially means there are assets in two “states” and by state that could include a foreign nation. In cases where […]

I ask the question why are many attorneys so slow but really the question for today is why are some California probate attorneys so slow… and the converse… why are we SO EFFICIENT? I have heard countless times over the year compliments such as: “you are so efficient” “you always get back to me so […]

I selected the topic of Ancillary probate and property taxes in California because it’s a common discussion in my office and much more so since the passage of Prop 19 in California.  Prop 19 ripped the heart out of the parent to child transfer laws in California.  The old rules made it relatively easy for […]