Funeral planning is not a pleasant experience, especially when you’re pre-planning your own. But, San Francisco Bay Area will lawyers stress that it’s important to have your wishes in writing for after you pass away, since you won’t be around to let anyone know what you want done once you’re gone. Do you want to […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, Silicon Valley wills lawyer If you own a car, you know it requires regular maintenance in order to perform well and be reliable. When you purchased your car, you probably received a recommended schedule for service. If you follow that schedule, most likely your car will continue to work well. If you […]

If I had to pick one question that I am asked the most, I’d have to say this one ranks way up there… Do I need a new estate plan if I move out of California? Just like the answer to most estate planning questions, the answer is “it depends.” However, this one has a […]

If you have a properly executed Will or Trust in place, good for you! You’ve taken a great step toward protecting your assets for future generations. But establishing an estate plan is only the first step. You still need to make sure that your plan will stay rock solid by keeping it up to date. […]

You have probably seen so-called “standard” (aka cheap) living trusts advertised all over the Bay Area. Seminars, direct mail, and telemarketing are all common marketing techniques for the companies that sell “Do-It-Yourself” legal plans. But buyer beware! These one-size-fits-all estate plans are NOT created to deal with your unique situation or handle your unique assets. […]

Many people are familiar with this common horror story: a parent remarries later in life to a person with a family of his or her own. When the parent passes away, their estate goes entirely to their new spouse through the laws of intestacy. When the new spouse then dies, the cumulative estate goes to […]