Recent studies have shown that only a little more than half of all Americans have a Will or Trust document in place to direct their estate after they pass away, and that the vast majority of those documents have not been updated in the last five years. Even worse, it’s been reported that most adult […]

This may sound like a situation from a movie, but our San Francisco Peninsula estate planning lawyers have actually received a few calls like these. A long-lost child appears after the death of their parent. This is an alarming situation for so many reasons, but people often wonder if that child has a claim against […]

You’re pregnant! Congratulations! Your world is about to become brighter and sweeter than you ever imagined. I know that you are in the process of learning a lot of new things. So, as your neighborhood Santa Clara guardianship lawyer, I’m hoping that in between the baby showers and reading “What to Expect,” you spend a […]

The documentation that you and your lawyer create for your special needs planning in Santa Clara County will be quite detailed and will take an incredible amount into consideration, but it will likely not cover every possible concern or wish you may have for your child’s future care.  For that purpose, many parents work with […]

In order to better streamline the California estate planning process, it can be incredibly helpful to do a bit of organizing before meeting with your Bay Area Trust and Estates attorney. This allows you to feel confident in what you’re doing, as well as minimize the time spent on the task at hand.  Both you […]

When it comes to Santa Clara estate planning, most of us are aware of the common things we need to discuss with our Santa Clara trusts and estates attorney. There are so many financial concerns, legal concerns, and even personal concerns regarding a person’s inheritance and other desires. However, when it comes down to honoring […]

When it comes to your will administration in Silicon Valley, you likely assume that the hard work and planning you put in with your lawyer will ensure everything goes off without a hitch. The good news is that this is precisely what happens the majority of the time. Will and trust administration is a big […]

Of course, it makes sense that a Bay Area wills and estates attorney would tell you to create a will, right? Our job is to help people plan for what will happen to their estates once they’re gone. But having been involved in estate planning in the Bay Area for such a long time, it’s […]

By Gary Brainin, Bay Area Will and Trust Lawyer Based on what I am seeing as a Bay Area will and trust lawyer, more and more people are considering pre-planning and pre-paying for their own funeral. For years, I have recommended that my clients include their wishes for their final arrangements in their estate plans, […]

One of my greatest passions as a Santa Clara estate planning lawyer is educating parents about how important it is to prepare for their untimely death. Not a fun topic, I realize. But it just takes one sad circumstance of parents passing away and leaving the kids to deal with squabbling relatives to understand how […]