Most people are familiar with the term “life estate” as a way to give someone “life rights” to a property. While a life estate does accomplish this goal, choosing to set up a life estate is not a one-size-fits-all solution and may even cause serious consequences for everyone involved. What is a Life Estate? A […]

As the coronavirus continues to affect life as we know it here in the United States, the most common question we’ve been asked during the course of the pandemic is whether an existing estate plan should be changed or updated. Of course, the answer to that question (like most things in life) is that it […]

A Special Needs Trust (SNT) is a complex legal tool set up on behalf of a person with special needs or disabilities. The SNT allows a beneficiary with special needs to safely take advantage of money or property in the trust without jeopardizing the ability to collect needs-based public benefits such as Supplemental Security Income […]

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 […]