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Estate Planning › Probate › 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...

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

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Admission Of Remotely Witnessed Wills To Probate In New York

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

In 2021 and 2022, I wrote about Surrogate’s Court decisions that addressed the admission of remotely witnessed wills to probate in New York State.  Since then, Surrogate’s Courts have issued at least two more decisions...more

Downey Brand LLP

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

Downey Brand LLP on

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

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

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

Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C.

What Does “Probate” Mean?

Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C. on

The term “probate” is one you may have heard and might associate with negative connotations, but you don’t fully understand what it is. For some, the term conjures images of lengthy delays waiting for wealth to be transferred...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter – February 2021

Goulston & Storrs PC on

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

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Admission of Remotely Witnessed Will to Probate

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

In an April 2020 post to this Blog entitled “The Remote Witnessing of Estate Planning Documents during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” my colleague Cheryl L. Erato addressed Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order authorizing the remote...more

Downey Brand LLP

Daughter Liable for Interfering with Stepmother’s Inheritance

Downey Brand LLP on

Intentional interference with expected inheritance (IIEI) was recognized as a legal claim in California about eight years ago in Beckwith v. Dahl (2012) 205 Cal.App.4th 1039. Last week, the Court of Appeal issued the first...more

Downey Brand LLP

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

Downey Brand LLP on

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

California Powers of Appointment: Follow Instructions When Exercising

Downey Brand LLP on

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

Lewitt Hackman on

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

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

Holland & Hart LLP

2020 Cost of Living Adjustment of Certain Dollar Amounts Under Colorado Probate Code

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The 2020 cost of living adjustments of certain dollar amounts under the Colorado Probate Code has been published by the Colorado Department of Revenue. Probate practitioners should be aware of the change in figures related to...more

Downey Brand LLP

Beware of Dormant Creditor Claims in California Probate Cases

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California’s probate process aims to expeditiously identify and resolve the claims of creditors against decedents. Creditors who are unsophisticated, or who simply do not learn of the decedent’s passing, may find themselves...more

Cranfill Sumner LLP

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

Cranfill Sumner LLP on

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

Downey Brand LLP on

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

Weintraub Tobin

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

Weintraub Tobin on

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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