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Estate Planning › Beneficiaries › 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

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

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

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

McGuireWoods LLP

Recent Cases of Interest to Fiduciaries: May 2023

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In the most recent installment of the McGuireWoods Fiduciary Advisory Services annual multipart series on recent fiduciary cases, developments in the law concerning various topics are examined through the following... ...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter - May 2023

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This newsletter is intended to keep readers informed about developments in probate and fiduciary litigation in Massachusetts and New York. ...more

Downey Brand LLP

Cohabitation Required for “Marital Presumption” to Bar Heirship

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Who’s your father for inheritance purposes in California? Family Code section 7540(a) states that “the child of spouses who cohabited at the time of conception and birth is conclusively presumed to be a child of the...more

Downey Brand LLP

Late Trust Contest May Trigger Enforcement of No Contest Clause

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No contest clauses generally are not enforceable against beneficiaries of California trusts when there is “probable cause” to challenge the trust instrument. Yet the probable cause safe harbor may disappear if the contest...more

Downey Brand LLP

See No Evil? Premarital Agreement May Cause Spouse to Lose Inheritance and Role as Administrator of Estate

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We write today about probate law, premarital agreements and the importance of doing your homework. In Estate of Eskra (2022) ___ Cal.App.5th.____, the First District Court of Appeal upheld a Humboldt County Superior Court...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

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

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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

Winstead PC

Trustee’s Obligation to Inform Beneficiaries: Avoiding Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims - Presentation

Winstead PC on

David F. Johnson presented “Trustee’s Obligation to Inform Beneficiaries: Avoiding Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims” to a national audience on November 16, 2021, via Strafford publishing with his co-presenter Scott E. Rahn,...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

Downey Brand LLP

Will California SB 315 Improve Revocable Transfer on Death Deeds?

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The thrifty do-it-yourselfers among us might jump at the opportunity to transfer their family home to their kids while avoiding probate and the expense of creating a trust. Revocable Transfer on Death Deeds, or RTODDs, have...more

Downey Brand LLP

Steps to Follow with a Difficult Co-Trustee

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We’ve written about how co-trustee conflict fuels California trust litigation and the problem seems to be growing. Trust administration grinds to a halt because a co-trustee (or two or three) is hostile, stubborn,...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

Goulston & Storrs PC

Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter – February 2021

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Testamentary Capacity at Moment of Execution of Will Is Crucial;  Testator’s General “Cognitive Decline” Does Not Invalidate Will - Haddad v. Haddad, 19-P-1378 (January 12, 2021) - Where the maker of a will has entered...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

Showdown at the O.K. Corral – The Battle of the Omitted Heirs

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Providing for your children is one of the primary purposes of estate planning, but what happens to your carefully crafted trust if you had children you did not know about when you created the trust? Or, what if you have...more

Downey Brand LLP

En Garde! A Trust’s Revocation Method May Not Be Enforced Unless It Explicitly States It’s the Exclusive Means of Revocation

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Creators of trusts (also known as settlors or trustors) usually think long and hard about how their property should pass when they die. It’s therefore common for trustors, or their lawyers, to incorporate protective...more

Downey Brand LLP

Guardian of the Galaxy – What is the Role of a Guardian Ad Litem in Trust and Estate Disputes?

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Most California trust and estate disputes involve adults who can make their own choices about what to seek and how hard to litigate, such as the common scenario of siblings competing for assets. But many disputes, or at...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

Lewitt Hackman

When There is Only a Will There’s No Way You’re Avoiding Probate

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A common misconception is that when you die with a Will, your heirs avoid probate. In California when you die with a Will and the total assets owned in your sole name exceed $166,250, your estate goes through probate (a court...more

Winstead PC

Administering A Trust In A Recession: Securing Loans For Beneficiaries

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Beneficiaries often request that a trustee secure a loan from a third party. In an economic downturn, such requests are even more prevalent. As a general rule, a trustee should not want to do so as it should assume that the...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

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