California Probate Form DE 350 Petition for Appointment of Guardian Ad Litem is important for cases where a minor needs representation. This can be any cases where a minor’s financial interests may be at stake. In those instances Form DE 350 is used to ask the Court to appoint a guardian ad litem to protect […]

People sign their wills, put them in a safe place and then forget about them.  Many people put their will, or trust, in such a safe place that they forget where it is. Sometimes it’s so safe, and so secret, that their family members can’t find it. This can be a problem after death.  I […]

California Probate Form DE-315 Order Determining Succession to Real Property is the order that goes with the DE 310 petition.  That is, first you file the form 310 petition and if it’s approved the Judge would sign a form 315 order. Of course you have to complete the order, to match the petition, and then […]

Sacramento County has local probate forms which are crucial for many probate cases filed in Sacramento. I will go into details on each form in the coming weeks but here is the link to the page. Scroll down to probate once there. https://www.saccourt.ca.gov/forms/

California Probate Form DE-310 Petition to Determine Succession to Real Property deals with estates of $150,000 or less in gross value. There are many sub rules to review in coming up with the $150,000. For example assets that are jointly titled or held in trust would generally NOT be considered in calculating the $150,000 in […]

Many people, especially those with children, desire getting their estate plan done (or updated) before a big trip.  Sure this may be an irrational fear to a degree as everybody has heard you are more likely to get in a car accident close to home than have a plane crash. However, it’s an extremely common […]

We do estate plans in a rush. Even comprehensive plans!  I remember a few years ago some clients wanted to get some major estate planning done before a long trip to Europe. We did wills, revocable trust, irrevocable trust, family limited partnership and all the accompanying documents in about a week.  We can do more […]

I have pasted below a standard estate planning questionnaire. I would be happy to email you an easier version to work with. Just send me an email and ask!  I can send in Word or PDF as you prefer.  -John PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL ESTATE   PLANNING   FACT GATHERING  PACKAGE     PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL Before we […]

Probate CALENDAR NOTES are notes prepared and made public BEFORE your Court hearing. Every county is different. In some counties the notes are prepared by attorneys and other counties it’s experienced probate Court staff. They review the file and post their calendar notes. In a few counties they call these “tentative rulings” also. The notes […]

I am constantly amazed at how slow some California probate attorneys are.  Probate is like a high hurdle race; a 7 month race.  Keep hitting those hurdles, ON-TIME, so you can be done and get on with life!  Here are some common things I have seen from my “competitors:” – They can’t get you in […]