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Another California celebrity dies without a will – Coolio

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 […]

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Billionaire dies without a will

The headline catches your eye right!?  Could a billionaire die without a will!? Actually, reading the story again he was “only” worth an estimated $840 million at death!  Let me say right now if you have $840 million, or $84 million, or $8.4 million, or $840,000 I suggest you get a will and most likely […]

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Chadwick Boseman Probate Documents from Los Angeles County

On, or about, October 15, 2020 a new probate was filed for the Chadwick Aaron Boseman estate in Los Angeles Superior Court.  I was talking about this case with a lawyer friend as it is interesting talking about any probates but especially one with a known decedent like a great actor.  As we like to […]

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Kobe Bryant’s estate plan and California probate situation

“There are no words” was a text I received from a good friend born and raised, and still living, in Los Angeles. He’s a big Laker’s fan and a big Kobe fan.  Kobe was beloved in LA but also throughout the US and even the world. He was truly a world class athlete. RIP Kobe […]

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Paulina Porizkova was excluded in Ric Ocasek’s will

I love celebrity probate and estate stories. The latest is a double celeb story! Paulina Porizkova was excluded in Ric Ocasek’s will according to the story I read. Paulina was, of course, a famous model and actress.  Her husband, or according to the story estranged husband, Ric Ocasek was the lead singer of the Car’s. […]

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Aretha Franklin’s attorney files THREE handwritten wills

I saw this headline today and here’s a link to the article in Aretha’s hometown paper. The reality is it’s not shocking to have three wills and even three handwritten wills. This happens as people change their mind from time to time and/or in some cases handwritten documents might be wills. For a lawyer helping […]

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Aretha is still in the news….

What a week in America with John McCain and Aretha Franklin’s funerals being must-see TV on seemingly every channel.  Yesterday I was presented with yet another article about Aretha Franklin’s lack of estate planning. Here’s a link. The question is what would her probate and estate look like had she died in California with no […]

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Aretha Franklin died with no estate plan

I can’t get no respect, no respect I say…. Oh wait, I have my celebrities and their lines on respect wrong but we have yet ANOTHER celeb dying without a proper estate plan in place. Here’s a good article on CNBC about Aretha’s lack of planning. With an $80m estimated net worth the costs of […]

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Coach Dean Smith leaves a small legacy… what will you do?

As an estate planning attorney I help clients plan the legacy they will leave. Often it’s simple such as “I leave everything to my children….”  Other times it’s a gift to an old friend, a church, or other charitable organization.  I just read an interesting article, on ESPN.com, about the former University of North Carolina […]

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Could Donald Sterling use a blind trust?

Donald Sterling has a pretty large net worth.  I don’t know if it’s $2 billion or $3 billion or what exactly it is.  I think most of us estate planning attorneys would call him “high net worth.”  I certainly don’t have any billionaire clients at this time.  Anyway, he is probably busily working with a […]

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