I have reported on this before but a good reminder there are tens of thousands of people who have money being held by the state of California. Go check your name and see if any is there in your name. Here is the link to that California lost property page or is the found money […]

After doing approximately 1,500 California probate estates, or “full probates,” I have a pretty good idea what the costs will be… but it’s still an approximation. Today I want to discuss the current costs and what you can expect.  Our probate cost calculator is a good start but remember it’s an approximation. So first thing […]

Lately I seem to have a run of small probate matters and I can say that small probates come in different sizes.  Though the rules are fairly simple I thought you might like to hear some fact patterns so you could see probate code section 13150 and 13200 inaction in real life! Messed up Title […]

Ok, I admit it I just wanted to put “Game of Thrones” in my blog to see a spike in readership. I am sorry. It’s like the old days when we talked about Star Wars. Here’s the strange thing though, and this has absolutely nothing to do with California probate law, I have never watched […]

I spoke recently to a potential new client who lives in the great state of Texas. Her daughter died here in California, with assets exceeding $150,000, and thus she needs to start a probate. This is the type of case I specialize in. I deal with dozens of such cases each year where my client […]

Dealing with well over 1,000 probate cases in my 25 years as a probate attorney I have been asked “Can I change the locks on [mom/dad/grandma/grandpa/etc] house now that they are dead?” The stories are different, and though often unlawfully, there are people in living in mom’s house. This may be a squatter, this may […]

I am often asked by prospective probate clients if they can serve as co-administrators or co-executors or co-personal representatives. For all practical purposes those three things are the same but the key is the word “CO.”  Co as in two or joint or together. That is usually two siblings want to work together so they […]

We lost my mom back in March of 2016 and I still get a lot of mail for her. My favorite is from AAA which says, on the envelope “WE WANT YOU BACK.” We get a chuckle, though a sad one, each time we receive that junk mail.  The mail continues.  Macy’s loves to send […]

I recently discussed a case with a potential new client. The facts are similar to other cases I have seen before and I thought it might be helpful for you, my loyal readers to hear of such a case. I have simplified a few of the facts and modified so this is similar but not […]

Today is September 27, 2018.  I had a hearing on a petition captioned as: PETITION FOR TERMINATION OF PROCEEDINGS AND DISCHARGE OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE This was filed under California probate code section 12251. This essentially was a probate that turned out to not be required. It was originally filed a couple years back as the […]