California Estate Planning Attorney

What Is Estate Planning?

Estate planning is deciding, in advance and in writing, who will manage your money and health care decisions if you can’t, who will care for your minor children, and who will receive your property when you die. In California, a good plan also keeps your family out of probate court and keeps your affairs private.

Estate Planning Services

• Revocable living trusts and trust restatements
• Wills and pour-over wills
• Durable financial powers of attorney
• Advance health care directives and HIPAA authorizations
• Guardianship nominations for minor children
• Trust transfer deeds and step-by-step trust funding instructions
• Specialized trusts, quoted individually: irrevocable trusts, special needs trusts, IRA inheritance trusts and charitable remainder trusts
• Reviews, amendments and updates of existing estate plans
• Guidance for successor trustees administering a trust
• Business succession planning for owners of LLCs and corporations (business law)

Will or Living Trust: Which Do You Need?

• A will names your beneficiaries and a guardian for minor children, but property passing under a will generally goes through probate, which is public and can take a year or more.
• A revocable living trust holds title to your assets during your life. When you die or become incapacitated, your chosen successor trustee takes over without court involvement.
• Most California homeowners choose a trust-based plan, which also includes a pour-over will as a safety net for anything left outside the trust.

Learn how to avoid probate in California.

What Happens Without an Estate Plan in California?

If you die without a will or trust, California’s intestate succession laws decide who inherits, which may not match your wishes, and your estate generally goes through probate. If you become incapacitated without powers of attorney, your family may need to ask a court to appoint a conservator. If you have minor children and no guardianship nomination, a judge decides who raises them.

When to Create or Update Your Plan

• Marriage, divorce or a new domestic partnership
• The birth or adoption of a child or grandchild
• Buying a home or other California real estate
• Starting, buying or selling a business
• Moving to California from another state or country
• A death, illness or change in a named trustee, guardian or agent
• Every few years, even if nothing major has changed

Flat-Fee Estate Plans

• Trust-based plan: $3,500 for an individual; $4,500 for a couple
• Will-based plan: $2,500 for an individual
• Stand-alone documents such as powers of attorney and health care directives from $550

Additional properties and specialized trusts are quoted separately, in writing, before any work begins. See all fees.

Estate Planning in Your Language

Andrei Jingan meets with clients in English, Romanian and Russian, and coordinates an interpreter for Spanish or Bulgarian. Romanian-speaking lawyer · Russian-speaking lawyer

Estate Planning FAQs

How much does an estate plan cost in California?

With AJ Law Firm, a trust-based estate plan is a flat fee of $3,500 for an individual or $4,500 for a couple, and a will-based plan is $2,500. Additional properties and specialized trusts are quoted separately, in writing, before work begins.

Do I need a trust if I don’t own a home?

Not always. A will plus powers of attorney may be enough for some people without real estate or significant assets. We’ll tell you honestly which plan fits during your free call.

What documents are in a complete estate plan?

Typically a revocable living trust, pour-over will, durable financial power of attorney, advance health care directive, HIPAA authorization, guardianship nomination for minor children, and a deed transferring your home into the trust.

Can you review a trust prepared by another attorney?

Yes. Reviews of existing estate plans are billed at $400 per hour, and we can amend or restate the trust if it no longer fits your situation.

Can we complete the whole process remotely?

Yes. Meetings and reviews can happen by Zoom or phone anywhere in California. Documents that must be notarized can be signed at our offices or with a notary near you.