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Estate Planning › Wills › Probate Code

Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the... more +
Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the disposition of assets, guardianship of minor children, and appointment of representatives to make medical and financial decisions. Effective estate planning can decrease tax liability and facilitate the probate process.  less -
Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University...

Whether an equitable power of appointment incident to a trust relationship is “in gross” or “collateral”: The practical...

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University... on

Section 17.3, comment f, of the Restatement (Third) of Property (Wills and Other Donative Transfers) explains the difference between a collateral power of appointment and a power of appointment in gross: “In traditional...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Is a Scribbled Will Valid in Massachusetts?

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A handwritten or scribbled will signed by the testator is technically known as a holographic will, and many people try to prepare their own wills in an attempt to be frugal. However, are holographic wills valid in...more

Stark & Stark

Capacity to Execute a Last Will and Testament

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When an individual executes a Will near the end of their lives, or at a time that they are suffering from emotional or physical trauma, a question may arise whether the decedent had sufficient capacity to execute their Last...more

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University...

Incorporating into a trust instrument a nonjudicial mechanism for effectuating on an ongoing basis the wishes of the deceased...

Charles E. Rounds, Jr. - Suffolk University... on

There is much to commend in O’Brien, Proposing a Model Antilapse Clause, 48 ACTEC L. J. 257 (2023), particularly its flagging of the doctrinal and practical flaws in Uniform Probate Code §2-707, which would apply the...more

Patton Sullivan Brodehl LLP

Strict Notice Is A Must To Trigger Deadlines For Will Contests

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It is a standard requirement in Probate Court disputes that the parties strictly adhere to the rules regarding notice of relief sought to all potential heirs and beneficiaries. The recent decision of Bailey v. Bailey...more

Downey Brand LLP

Aretha Franklin Makes Us “Think” About Handwritten Wills

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Earlier this month, a Michigan jury considered whether handwriting in a spiral notebook found under a couch cushion at singer Aretha Franklin’s home constituted her valid last will. Franklin had written and signed the...more

Downey Brand LLP

Court Applies Harmless Error Rule to Validate Will Benefiting Ex-Fiancé

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Typewritten wills in California generally require the signatures of two witnesses to be found valid, but the harmless error rule can save the day. Probate Code section 6110(c)(2), as recently discussed, provides that a will...more

Downey Brand LLP

How Can We Reduce Conflict Over the Allocation of Mom’s Wedding Ring and Other Tangible Property?

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We often see siblings litigate in California over the allocation of tangible personal property held in the family trust. When Mom and Dad have passed, the tug of war may involve jewelry, paintings, photos, firearms,...more

Downey Brand LLP

Home Is Where You Lay Your Sombrero – Spouse Who Lives Abroad Cannot Serve as Administrator of Husband’s Estate

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Here’s another reason (uno más in Spanish) to create and properly execute a will. If your spouse or other trusted designee lives out of the country when you die, he or she won’t be eligible to administer your California...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Indiana Court of Appeals Invalidates Trust for Failure to Identify Trust Beneficiary

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP on

Recently, the Indiana Court of Appeals decided the case of Wilson v. Wilson. The case involved the last will and testament (“Will”) of decedent Terrel Wilson, Sr. (“Terrel Sr.”), which purported to create a trust....more

Freeman Law

Challenging Testamentary Capacity in Texas

Freeman Law on

When an interested party contests the capacity of the testator, what standard do courts use to determine the validity of a will? The recent case of Neal v. Neal provides insight. In that case, following her diagnosis of...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Tales from the Docket – Single Parent Dies Without a Will

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A divorced person died leaving 2 children under the age of 18 years of age. The decedent did not have a Last Will and Testament (“Will”), which means that we did not know who the decedent wished to nominate as the Personal...more

Downey Brand LLP

Immortal Right — Income Beneficiary’s Entitlement to Accounting Continues after Death

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Many California trusts confer a lifetime right to income on a person (often the surviving spouse) with the remainder passing to designated survivors upon the income beneficiary’s death. When the income beneficiary dies, is it...more

Downey Brand LLP

Who Gets the Tahoe House and Other California Real Estate Inheritance Disputes

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Many California trust and estate disputes involve the allocation of real estate amongst several beneficiaries. Mom and Dad, may they rest in peace, owned an upscale home in the Fab 40s neighborhood of East Sacramento, a sweet...more

Downey Brand LLP

California Powers of Appointment: Follow Instructions When Exercising

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In California, a trustor (person who creates a trust) can confer a “power of appointment” on trust beneficiaries, empowering them to designate to whom they want to give their shares of the trust. The trustor can require trust...more

Downey Brand LLP

What California Trust and Estate Litigation Will Arise from the Economic Downturn?

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The COVID-19 pandemic has idled workers and the coming weeks will bring more news of business closures and bankruptcies. After a decade of sustained growth, we are facing a recession of uncertain depth and duration. The New...more

Downey Brand LLP

Mind Your Notice in California – Even Remote Contingent Beneficiaries May Need to Be Served

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It’s unremarkable that California courts require that notice be given to affected beneficiaries in trust and probate proceedings. After all, the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees that no person will be deprived of life,...more

Downey Brand LLP

Put It on My Tab – When Is a Lifetime Gift in California an Advancement Against Inheritance?

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A primary purpose of estate planning is to determine what a child will inherit (if anything) upon a parent’s death. But what about a gift given during the parent’s life? Is it an advance on the child’s inheritance, like...more

Downey Brand LLP

California Courts May Invalidate Right of Survivorship in Joint Accounts

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Often an aging parent will add an adult child to the parent’s account as a joint holder to assist with asset management or bill payment. However, this may lead to an unintended result in California when the parent dies. The...more

Downey Brand LLP

California Legislature Cracks Down on Caregivers Who Marry Dependent Adults

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Many California financial elder abuse cases we see involve caregivers. While the vast majority are honest, a caregiver who spends many hours alone with a vulnerable client has a unique opportunity to exploit the situation. A...more

Cranfill Sumner LLP

Understanding Trusts: Do you need one? What are the? How do they work?

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One of the most common questions clients ask is whether they need a trust. While they are usually seeking a “yes” or “no” answer, as with most legal questions, the correct answer usually is, “It depends.” The answer depends...more

Downey Brand LLP

California Probate Administration Is No Time for Napping

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In the absence of a trust that allows assets to pass without opening probate, the California probate process lasts for at least six months and can run much longer depending on the size of the estate and the nature of assets....more

Downey Brand LLP

When Defending Becomes Offensive: California Court Expands No Contest Clauses to Defense of Invalid Amendment

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No contest clauses are included in wills and trusts to discourage dissatisfied beneficiaries from challenging the document’s validity. Because enforcement of these clauses results in disinheritance, the California Probate...more

Weintraub Tobin

And You Are? Long Lost Relatives Need To Prove Up Their Entitlement To Inherit

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Under California law, the laws of intestacy control who inherits when a person dies without having prepared a valid will or trust. These rules can be complicated particularly as remote or even unknown blood relatives may have...more

Downey Brand LLP

Probate Code Provides Ground Rules for Who Gets What from Wills and Trusts

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Many California will and trust disputes arise from ambiguity in the document with respect to who is entitled to an asset. Maybe the document was hazy from the start or perhaps circumstances have changed such that the rightful...more

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