There are two statements Bay Area estate planning attorneys here regularly; the first is something like, “We’ve been meaning to do this forever…” and the second is, “Having our estate plan in place is like having a huge weight lifted...

In family and estate law, there are several ways to protect someone’s well-being when they are incapacitated or unable to make sound decisions on their own. Conservatorship is one of these, typically established for individuals who are limited in decision-making...

It doesn’t take much to render someone incapacitated, unable to speak or make decisions for themselves. For some, it’s a heart attack, stroke, or a simple trip/fall accident. For others, it results from a car accident or another unexpected traumatic...

You don’t have to be wealthy or even have a savings account to create an estate plan. However, most people with a healthy estate take good care to ensure they save enough for retirement.  Like estate plans, retirement plans have...

In family law, California is a “community property estate,” meaning nearly all assets acquired during a marriage are split equally between spouses in a divorce. The same is true in death; California estate law includes “forced share” or “equitable distribution”...

Legal adoptions provide adopted children the same rights as their adoptive parent’s biological children. This same tenet continues through in intestate succession. So, if a parent dies without a will or surviving spouse, the estate is divided equally between the...

Undue influence occurs when someone in a position of power or authority coerces or pressures another individual to make or change a will. This is one of the reasons why DIY estate plans are not the way to go; estate...

It is excruciating to imagine anything traumatic happening to parents with minor children in their care - most especially their death. So understandably, parents tend to behave like ostriches - proverbial heads in the sand - avoiding the most sensitive...

One of the most empowering things about creating this in an estate plan is the ability to thoughtfully distribute your assets in a way that honors your values and what you determine to be best for the whole when you...

Most people work hard to create an estate plan that is as fair as possible, working to avoid any apparent signs of favoritism. However, there are inevitable situations where a child or other heir feels favoritism at work.  If sibling...