Our Blog Posts

so alone

What options do you have when one of your siblings is isolating one, or both, of your parents? Well, you have two options. The first option is to file for conservatorship. And the second option is to do nothing. And, sometimes, that second option is the best option to take. Filing a Conservatorship Petition Let’s […]

idea time

We want to talk to you about a fantastic device that we’re starting to use in our cases called the Informal Discovery Conference. We call these IDCs for short. What is an Informal Discovery Conference? It’s an informal meeting with the judge to resolve a discovery dispute. Discovery disputes arise where a party either refuses […]

refusing to answer

Nobody likes Motions to Compel. We don’t like Motions to Compel. Judges don’t like them, and neither do the opposing parties we bring them against. But they are, sometimes, required to be brought in cases where you need information to make sure you know what facts, witnesses and documents are in a case prior to […]

trustee conflicts

Many times, a Trustee will get themselves into trouble because they will take some action that is a conflict of interest. A Trustee is a fiduciary of the Trust. That means that they owe a duty to the Trust and to the Trust beneficiaries to treat them fairly, to do the right thing. And one […]

out of line

How do you handle bad trustees? We do many, many consults with clients where they come in and say: “I’m the beneficiary of a trust, I have a right to these assets, and the trustee’s refusing to distribute those assets to me; what am I to do?” Many people think that we, as lawyers, can […]

capacity vs coercion

What is the difference between lack of capacity and undue influence? We talk a lot about these concepts on our videos, our blog, all of our websites, because it really is the most important part of a Trust or Will contest. We’re almost always bringing a claim to try to overturn a Trust or Will […]

woman with a megaphone

How do you handle a bad Trustee who refuses to communicate with you? One of the biggest problems we see for Trust beneficiaries is that their Trustee simply doesn’t communicate with them. The Trustee may not tell you what the assets of the Trust are, may not explain what the investments are, may refuse to talk […]

how hard can it be

How hard is it to obtain your California inheritance? That’s really a loaded question because our law firm deals primarily with clients who have a difficult time obtaining their inheritance. That’s why they come to us because they have some sort of problem that is preventing them from getting the money that they deserve – […]

court again?

Must you always go to court to receive your inheritance under a trust? For example, say that you’re the 50% beneficiary of a Trust, but the Trustee refuses to distribute your assets to you. It’s been three years since your Mom or Dad passed away and there’s no reason for your sibling, the Trustee, to […]

which way to my money?

How do you get your inheritance in California? That can be a confusing question because it really depends on the type of assets you are inheriting. You may be receiving assets from a Trust, Will, life insurance, paid-on-death account, joint tenancy account, or others. Each asset has its own set of rules for how it […]