For those who love their stepchildren as their own, it may come as a surprise that this bond isn’t enough when it comes to estate planning in California.  Because of the laws of inheritance, stepchildren do not always automatically inherit when a stepparent dies. Let’s say you’re creating your estate plan, and you stipulate that […]

Most business contracts feature some “boilerplate” clauses covering a number of items that may seem incidental to the main thrust of the agreement.  Many people are tempted to skim past this language or ignore it entirely, assuming it is “just standard,” but these clauses can sometimes make an enormous difference. This month, I would like […]

As our lives become increasingly digital, more and more of the assets we accumulate are based in technology or created online.   Estate attorneys in Santa Clara have the important job of educating their clients on how to handle “digital assets” in the event of a person’s death or incapacity, and then helping the client […]

By the time most people reach adulthood, they have experienced leasing property.  Whether it’s a house, an apartment, or just a room in a shared home, leasing a living space is a common experience. Leasing a business property, however, is very different from leasing a residential property.  A lot of the terms of a residential […]

Generally, we hear about prenuptial agreements when a celebrity split is splashed across the tabloids.  What you don’t usually hear about are the Bay Area prenup lawyers who are charged with making sure the stars are covered in the case of a high-profile divorce.  We may not have a lot of famous folks here in […]