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May 20, 2021
Impact of Marriage or Domestic Partnership on Existing Wills

Impact of Marriage or Domestic Partnership on Existing Wills

What happens if a person makes a will and thereafter marries, or registers as a domestic partner, and the new spouse, or new domestic partner, is not provided for in the will or otherwise provided for or disinherited? Unless a Will or Trust provides for a new spouse or domestic partner, or clearly indicates the new spouse or domestic partner will receive nothing, the marriage effectively and automatically invalidates any pre-existing Will or Trust. If, […]
May 18, 2021
When Is a Real Property Deed Effective in California

When Is a Real Property Deed Effective in California?

California’s “statute of frauds” requires that a deed that transfers title in real property must be in writing. The parties to a grant deed are the grantor, the owner, and the receiver of title, the grantee. With a quitclaim deed the owner transferring the property is commonly called the “quitclaimor.” Many falsely believe only the act of recording a deed transfers title and if not recorded the deed is ineffective. There are times when an effective deed […]
May 13, 2021
What Happens in California if You Cannot Find the Will

What Happens in California if You Cannot Find the Will?

A common question that a probate attorney is asked is how to obtain a copy of a last Will and Testament. Locating the Will may be urgent if funeral or burial instructions are contained in the Will or if anatomical gifts or the authority to conduct an autopsy are granted in the Will. First of all note that you cannot ask to see a copy of a living person’s Will – this is because while […]
May 12, 2021
My Spouse (or Registered Domestic Partner) Left Me Property, What Should I Do

My Spouse (or Registered Domestic Partner) Left Me Property, What Should I Do?

In California, spouses or registered domestic partners are given privileged status in regards to collecting the assets of their deceased partner’s estate. After the death of a spouse or domestic partner, a spousal property petition can be used to transfer assets from the deceased spouse or domestic partner to the surviving spouse or domestic partner. It is a simplified probate, and takes much less time than a full probate. Legal fees are usually much lower […]
May 10, 2021
Payable on Death (POD) and Transfer on Death (TOD) Accounts

Payable on Death (POD) and Transfer on Death (TOD) Accounts

The form of ownership determines how property will be managed during the owner’s lifetime and how it will be distributed at the owner’s death. Alternative methods of transferring property on death are sometimes known as “nonprobate transfers,” which include transfers made under California Probate Code §5000. If an account, e.g., a bank account, is payable-on-death (POD) or is a retirement account, e.g., an IRA or non tax deferred brokerage account, is transfer–on-death, with a designated beneficiary (TOD), at death […]
May 7, 2021
Ownership of Real Property by Same-sex Couples in California

Ownership of Real Property by Same-sex Couples in California

As with heterosexual relationships, breakup or death are the two possible endings for homosexual relationships. The manner in which property is held affects the outcome of co-owned property between same-sex couples, just as it does with opposite-sex couples. Manner of Holding Title Or Ownership By Multiple Parties Since 1872, California law has defined four types of ownership interests in real property by multiple persons: 1) joint interests; 2) partnership interests; 3) interests in common; and […]
May 6, 2021
Out of State Wills

Out of State Wills

Many people migrate to California each year. The fact that thousands of people come to California means that their estate planning instruments also follow them to California. If you were domiciled in another state or outside the U.S. and prepared your Will in that other state or foreign country (both regarded as “foreign Wills”), but later change your domicile to California, is your foreign Will valid in California if you die? Yes. Under California Probate Code §6113 a foreign Will is valid […]
May 5, 2021
Out of State Personal Representative

Out of State Personal Representative

Whether the Executor/Administrator (commonly known as “Personal representative”) of a decedent’s estate can live out of state depends on the laws of the state in which the Will or estate is probated. In California, an out of state Personal representative is fine. While it’s generally possible to have a relative living out-of-state serve as your Personal representative if that is the individual you really want handling your estate, certain people cannot serve as Personal representative […]
May 4, 2021
What Happens if an Emergency Arises Before a Personal Representative Is Appointed

What Happens if an Emergency Arises Before a Personal Representative Is Appointed?

Letters of Special Administration Most probate cases follow a similar pattern. It generally takes four to six weeks from the time a petition for probate is filed until Letters can be issued to the personal representative. However, in some cases there are exigent emergencies that need to be dealt with immediately. If an emergency situation exists so that appointment is urgently needed before the Petition for Probate can be heard by the Probate Judge, you […]