Our Blog Posts

inheritance lawyer

Real estate passed on from one generation to the next is one of the primary ways wealth is built in this country. Siblings who jointly inherit a home or other California real estate assets from a deceased parent can sell the property and the proceeds. However, the common transfer of wealth through inheritance can be complicated if […]

trust beneficiary bill of rights

If you are a beneficiary of a Trust in California, you have legal rights. Below is a list of some of a California Trust beneficiary’s basic rights. Obtain Copies of Trust Documents Trust beneficiaries are entitled to receive copies of the Trust documents. Beneficiaries should receive copies of the Trust when either: The Trust (or […]

Trustee Whos Next

So, you need a new Trustee and you don’t like the next person named, huh? Removing a Trustee is never easy, but why bother even trying if the next person named to act as Trustee is no better than the currently acting Trustee? Well, you may be in for a nice surprise. When a court […]

Waiting for your Inheritance

When children inherit assets from a Trust there are basically two ways for them to receive the assets. They can receive their assets “outright and free of trust,” which means their share of the Trust will be distributed into their name now with no further strings attached. Or their share of the Trust can remain […]

court order enforcement

Suppose you have fought a long, hard fight in court and taken your Trustee all the way to trial. You win the trial, obtain a court order, and now the Trustee refuses to comply with the terms of the court order. What do you do? There are several options you must enforce a court order […]

big challenge

If you want to challenge a Trust or Trust amendment, it all starts with the pleadings. Pleadings refers to the paper work, usually a petition to the court, that must be drafted and filed to start the process. You have to know what to say and what legal claims to include to start your lawsuit. […]

nature of trusts

In California, married couples typically create a joint Trust—One Trust where both husband and wife are the settlors, beneficiaries, and trustees. They transfer all of their property into the joint Trust and the Trust is revocable during their lifetime. That means it can be changed or terminated while they both are alive. Nothing set in […]

If you want to challenge a Trust or Trust amendment, it all starts with the pleadings. Pleadings refers to the paper work, usually a petition to the court, that must be drafted and filed to start the process. You have to know what to say and what legal claims to include to start your lawsuit. […]

What is Evidence

You must have evidence if you want to win at trial. But what is evidence? There are three types of evidence: facts, witnesses, and documents. And most facts will be introduced at trial through either a witness or a document, or sometimes both. Evidence further comes in two broad varieties: direct and circumstantial. Direct evidence […]

Sink your lawsuit

If you are a party to a Trust lawsuit will your case help all the Trust beneficiaries? The answer is a definite maybe. There are times when your lawsuit could help other beneficiaries that did not join the case, but there are also times when the non-participating beneficiaries could be left out in the cold. […]