Homelight.com Website Review
I recently became acquainted with HomeLight.com. This website helps consumers find experienced Realtors to help them with their home sale among other features. It’s a really robust site and I encourage...
View ArticleHow to Hold Title to Real Estate
I have been asked the questions many times how should people hold title to real estate in California. Let’s talk about the options. First and foremost, for anybody that owns real estate in California,...
View ArticleHow long should a California probate take?
A lot of people who google the question “how long should a California probate take” probably are either: 1) contemplating hiring a lawyer who says it will take a year or more; or 2) in the midst of a...
View ArticleCan I sell a house during a California probate?
People are often pleasantly surprised to learn that the answer to this question (Can I sell a house during a California probate) is an affirmative, YES! That is correct, without hesitation, and that...
View ArticleFree California Probate Book
Back in 2016 I wrote my first book on the California probate process. It is called How to Live and Die with the California Probate: a Layperson’s Guide to the California Probate Process. I have put a...
View ArticleAretha Franklin died with no estate plan
I can’t get no respect, no respect I say…. Oh wait, I have my celebrities and their lines on respect wrong but we have yet ANOTHER celeb dying without a proper estate plan in place. Here’s a good...
View ArticleSacramento Magazine – article August 2018 issue
Sacramento Magazine was kind enough to interview me in their August 2018 issue. The issue includes the area’s top lawyers, which I am listed, and interviews me for the article in the estate and probate...
View ArticleAretha is still in the news….
What a week in America with John McCain and Aretha Franklin’s funerals being must-see TV on seemingly every channel. Yesterday I was presented with yet another article about Aretha Franklin’s lack of...
View ArticleLong continuance in this California probate Court
Today is September 27, 2018. I had a hearing on a petition captioned as: PETITION FOR TERMINATION OF PROCEEDINGS AND DISCHARGE OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE This was filed under California probate code...
View ArticleSpousal Property Petition (SPP) v. Full Probate
I recently discussed a case with a potential new client. The facts are similar to other cases I have seen before and I thought it might be helpful for you, my loyal readers to hear of such a case. I...
View ArticleMailing list removal for deceased
We lost my mom back in March of 2016 and I still get a lot of mail for her. My favorite is from AAA which says, on the envelope “WE WANT YOU BACK.” We get a chuckle, though a sad one, each time we...
View ArticleCo-Administrators in Probate – another problem
I am often asked by prospective probate clients if they can serve as co-administrators or co-executors or co-personal representatives. For all practical purposes those three things are the same but the...
View ArticleSuze Orman or other form trusts MIGHT work ok
I got a new case recently where the person who died had a Suze Orman will and trust. Let’s just say, in legal terms, it’s all messed up! Before I go on let me make clear that Suze has a well deserved...
View ArticleSuze Orman estate plan part two – what’s a general transfer?
I got my court’s calendar notes today for my recently filed Heggstad petition where the decedent had done a Suze Orman trust. Different counties call them different things – calendar notes, tentative...
View ArticleInternational Ancillary probate
As a probate attorney for 25 years I have dealt with countless ancillary probates in my personal practice. These typically involve a person who has property in two, or more, US states. However, on...
View ArticleCrazy Long Probate Court Continuances
Today is Monday February 25, 2019. We had a probate hearing on calendar in a county in California. I am not trying to throw any specific Court under the bus so let’s just say a county somewhere south...
View ArticleCan I change the locks on my mom’s house?
Dealing with well over 1,000 probate cases in my 25 years as a probate attorney I have been asked “Can I change the locks on [mom/dad/grandma/grandpa/etc] house now that they are dead?” The stories are...
View ArticleFiling the Original Will with a California probate court
I spoke recently to a potential new client who lives in the great state of Texas. Her daughter died here in California, with assets exceeding $150,000, and thus she needs to start a probate. This is...
View ArticleSome Thoughts on Spousal Property Petitions in California Probate Courts
As a probate attorney since 1994 I have prepared and file a lot of Spousal Property Petitions over the years. The main form is state form DE-121 which you can find here on the web. I think a lot of...
View ArticleJohn Palley speaking on probate and estate law April 18th in Sacramento
I am excited to announce that I have been invited to speak on California probate law and how to improve your trusts. This will be April 18, 2019 in Sacramento AND online! Here is a link to the Facebook...
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