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Areas of Legal Practice

California Probate and Trust Administration

We are dedicated to providing high-quality legal services, with personalized attention at reasonable rates.

We have handled hundreds and hundreds of probate cases, trust administration cases and trust disputes, as well as conservatorships. We handle all aspects of probate and trust administration from providing advice to the decedent's surviving family with respect to the preliminary steps to be taken, through preparation of court documents, collection of assets and preparation of accountings, distributions and assistance with tax returns. We are also well-qualified to represent you in any estate-related disputes or litigation. Our attorneys have over 25 years experience in probate and civil litigation.

About Probate and Trust Fees: We accept probate cases on an hourly rate basis which is unique among probate firms which usually take a fee set by statute irrespective of the hours involved. In many cases, the hourly fee arrangement offered by us results in a fee that is less than the statutory fee charged by other firms. We accept trust matters on an hourly rate basis, charging a reasonable hourly rate for our services.

Probate and Trust Disputes

With the proliferation of living trusts taking the place of simple wills, complications and disputes connected with trusts are on the rise. With our extensive experience in probate, trust administration, conservatorships and civil litigation, we are uniquely qualified to handle any trust or estate dispute. Many estate attorneys or firms have experience in the probate and trust areas only and send the case out to a litigation firm if a dispute arises in the course of handling a probate or administering a trust. Unlike most estate attorneys, we have handled hundreds of litigated cases and we are well-qualified to handle any dispute that may arise from the initial filing through trial.

Life Insurance Disputes

We have handled numerous cases involving the proper distribution of the proceeds from a decedent's life insurance policy acquired through employment. In many situations, the beneficiary designation is not determinative of the ultimate disposition of the proceeds. Under California community property law, a surviving spouse may have a claim to his or her community share of the life insurance proceeds where the decedent has designated a third party as the beneficiary without the surviving spouse's written consent. In other situations, the decedent may have attempted but failed to complete a change of beneficiary in accordance with the policy's terms. Nevertheless, in some cases, the attempted change may be recognized and enforced by the courts. We can assist you with disputed claims to life insurance proceeds.

Elder Abuse

With Americans living longer, the elderly are vulnerable to various forms of abuse and neglect. Abuse of the elderly can take place in retirement homes and convalescent hospitals. An elder is also vulnerable to abuse by a caretaker - particularly if the elder is isolated. Such abuse may be in the form of physical abuse, neglect by a caretaker, or the abuse may be financial. Elders may be preyed on financially by their caretakers or persons in a position of trust who wrongfully appropriate the elder's assets or funds for themselves. California has enacted laws to protect the elderly from these forms of abuse. We can assist you in protecting a relative if these issues arise.

Conservatorships

When a person becomes unable to care for themselves or their financial affairs, a conservatorship may be necessary to protect their interests. A conservatorship is a court proceeding to appoint someone to manage the financial and/or personal care of the conservatee. We can assist you in determining whether a conservatorship is advisable and are experienced in handling all aspects of conservatorship proceedings, and any claims which must be brought to protect the conservatee, the conservator and the conservatorship estate.

Personal Injury and Wrongful Death

Our attorneys have been handling major personal injury cases since 1985. Many cases can be settled without trial. We accept personal injury and wrongful death cases on a contingency fee basis. With a contingency fee, the attorney's fees are a percentage of the recovery which are not paid until the case is concluded. If there is no recovery, there is no fee.

Civil Litigation

Since the time our firm was established in 1985, we have prepared and resolved hundreds and hundreds of civil cases through arbitration, mediation and trial with a record of outstanding results. These cases have entailed a wide variety of litigation matters including estate and trust litigation, business and employment litigation, real property and personal injury cases.

Practice devoted to probate, trust administration and estate litigation

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