As a Santa Clara County probate lawyer, I commonly say, “If you don’t create your own will while you’re alive, the state will give you one when you’re gone.” What that means is that if a person dies without a will (called “intestate”) their estate will be administered according to state law. Likewise, the heirs […]

In a perfect world, the executor of a Last Will and Testament will have all the information and resources they need to administer an estate quickly and efficiently. In the real world, however, many people don’t even know that they’ve been named the executor of an estate until after a person dies and they’ve read […]

Santa Clara County probate lawyers hear quite regularly from heirs who are shocked to learn that the property they inherited from a loved one comes with a mortgage. Now what? It’s important to know that a mortgage does not die when the owner does. How that mortgage is dealt with depends on a variety of […]

As we continue on in this time of social distancing and, in some communities, shelter-in-place, more and more people are faced with a difficult situation: handling out-of-state probate proceedings after the death of a loved one. Many seniors today are “snowbirds” who spend their winters in warmer states like Florida while keeping their actual residency […]

There are several strategies available that Bay Area estate planning lawyers use to help seniors and their families avoid lengthy and costly probate proceedings, including adding other people as joint owners on their accounts or making beneficiary designations on accounts and policies. However, these strategies should only be done under the supervision of an experienced […]

When a loved one passes away, the grief is often overwhelming and exhausting. Your emotional state may make it nearly impossible to carry on basic functions like sleeping or eating. Silicon Valley probate lawyers understand that the last things you’ll feel like tackling are the legal or financial tasks that must be handled after an […]

The death of a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences a person must handle. The financial aspect that accompanies funeral and burial expenses compounds the grief, making the situation even worse. Santa Clara County probate lawyers know that this is especially true if the deceased was the main breadwinner and the remaining […]

The thought of going through probate in Santa Clara County can strike fear in the hearts of most people, and with good reason. The time it takes is long and grueling, and the paperwork is overwhelming. The details of probate vary from state to state, so the process looks different depending on where the deceased […]

One of the main benefits of estate and trust planning according to lawyers in Santa Clara ounty is the avoidance of probate proceedings. But what does that mean? And why should you want to avoid probate in the first place? The main reason to avoid probate in Santa Clara County is simply that it’s a […]

How Long Does It Take to Settle an Estate in Santa Clara County, California? One of the most common questions asked when it comes to settling an estate in Santa Clara County is, “How long is this going to take?” The answer to that question is, of course, going to vary depending upon several factors. […]