If you are opening probate for someone who has died with or without a will you may be wondering how to correctly fill out a petition for probate.
Attorney Keith Davidson explains how to fill out a petition for probate in California, form DE-111.
Anytime you have a hearing schedule in California probate court for a trust, will, estate, conservatorship, or guardianship matter you must mail notice of the hearing to all interested parties.
In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson walks you through how to prepare and file a Notice of Hearing, Form DE-120.
If you are opening a probate estate in California, then you are required to give notice to all interested parties using Form 121, California Notice of Petition for Probate.
In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson walks you through how to properly fill out Form DE-121.
Do you know what an Attestation clause is? Or a self-proving Will? If you don’t have one of these in your Will, then you must prepare a proof of subscribing witness.
In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson walks through the proof of subscribing witness, form DE-131, and when the form is needed.
In California, you can hand write your own will and it can be valid even without any witnesses. But you may need someone to testify that the will is written in the testator’s handwriting.
In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson discusses the uses of the Proof of Holographic Instrument, Form DE-135; and walks you through how to complete the form.
Before your executor or administrator can be appointed, they must read and sign a brief summary of their duties and liabilities, Form DE-147.
In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson discusses how Form DE-147 is used, and how to complete it.
Every California probate estate requires notice be given to all known creditors. The creditors then must file a creditor’s claim, and the personal representative will then allow or reject the claim.
In this video, Partner Keith A Davidson walks you through how to fill out the following California Probate forms: Notice to Creditor’s, Form DE-157, Creditor’s Claim, DE-172, and Allowance or Rejection of Creditor’s Claim, DE-174.
After your petition is granted, you will need two forms to finalize the process and appoint your personal representative. First, you need the Probate Order, Form DE-140. Then you will need the Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, Form DE-150.
In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson walks you through how to complete Forms DE-140 and DE-150.
If you are required to personally serve a summons in your probate filing, this is the form you must use. Form DE-125 is the probate court version of a summons. In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson walks you through how to complete Form DE-125.
You can find the California Judicial Council forms here.
You can find Form DE-125 here: DE-125
If you want to be “in-the-know” it helps to file a Request for Special Notice, Form DE-154. In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson describes how to fill out a Request for Special Notice for your probate matter.
You can find the California Judicial Council forms here.
You can find Form DE-154 here: DE-154
The California Notice of Proposed Action form is used to help a personal representative stay out of hot water. By notifying the estate beneficiaries in advance, the personal representative can ensure that the action they want to take is acceptable to the beneficiaries.
In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson describes how to properly complete the Notice of Proposed Action, Form DE-165.
You can find the California Judicial Council forms here.
You can find Form DE-165 here: DE-165
Every estate requires an Inventory & Appraisal to be filed. In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson discusses how to complete an Inventory & Appraisal, Form DE-160, and how to complete the necessary attachments using Form DE-161.
You can find the California Judicial Council forms here.
You can find Form DE-160 here: DE-160
In this video partner, Keith A. Davidson discusses how to use a California Spousal Property Petition forms. This tool can be used if a spouse passes away and leaves assets to the surviving spouse. Download the form here and learn more in our video explanation.
You can find the California Judicial Council forms here.
You can find Form DE-221 here: DE-221
The Case Management Form is typically used in civil lawsuits, submitted to the court before going to a case management conference. This updates the court on the status of the case and is an opportunity for the attorneys to collaborate. Partner Keith A. Davidson explains how to effectively fill out this form.
You can find the California Judicial Council forms here.
You can find Form CM-110 here: CM-110
In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson explains the California Request for Dismissal Form. This form can be used to dismiss your lawsuit once you are done with it. At some point, your case must be dismissed, whether you have a judgment or reached a settlement.
You can find the California Judicial Council forms here.
You can find form CIV-110 here: CIV-110
The California Notice of Settlement Form is used to notify the court that your matter has settled. It is very helpful for the court to know when you have settled your case so they don’t expend their resources trying to prepare your case for a hearing while notifying the judge of the status of your case. In this video, partner Keith A. Davidson walks you through how to understand and complete form CM-200.
You can find the California Judicial Council forms here.
You can find form CM-200 here: CM-200
The California Parent to Child Exclusion Form is used if you are going to be receiving a real property or a qualifying property from your parents, either during their lifetime or as a result of their passing.
You can find the California Parent to Child Exclusion Form here.
The California Substitution of Attorney Form MC-050 is used when one is changing attorneys or if someone wishes to stop using an attorney and decides to represent themselves in court.
You can view the California Judicial Council forms here.
You can find Form MC-050 here: MC-050
The California Preliminary Change of Ownership Report is used to file your deed and to save you money on taxes. The purpose of the form is to let the county assessor know there has been a change in ownership of real property and to notify the county assessor that you qualify for a tax exclusion.
You find the California Preliminary Change of Ownership Report here.
Do you need to access a copy of a Will or Trust? Perhaps you had a parent pass away and you can’t seem to obtain a copy of these documents that they had completed.
In this video, Attorney Keith Davidson discusses how to obtain a copy of a Trust or Will.
You can find our free Letter Template for Requesting a Trust here, and our Letter Template for Requesting a Will here.
