Your mother named you the executor of her estate. She had a detailed estate plan when she died. However, she hadn’t gotten around to updating her plan to take into account some issues that arose after the plan was put in place. For example, your brother has developed a serious drug problem. You’re concerned that […]

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Most California wills go through probate without any challenges. However, there are some grounds on which family members, heirs or others who believe they should have been included in the will can challenge them. One of the most common reasons for a will challenge involves the decedent’s testamentary capacity. Under the law, people who have […]

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When someone loves you and trust you, he or she may be willing to entrust you with important responsibilities. That could include naming you as the executor of one’s estate in the last will or estate plan. Typically, people tend to discuss this decision with family members and loved ones before committing it to paper. However, it […]

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As people get older, they often share their home with others. Sometimes these are family members or friends who help care for them so that they can avoid having to move into an assisted living facility. In other cases, they rent out a room or guest house to bring in some extra income. Some people […]

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If a loved one died here in California owing money, it’s essential to understand how to handle creditors’ claims on the estate. These claims have to be filed within a year after the death of the person who owed money. If that deadline is missed, a creditor’s claim is generally unenforceable. If the estate has […]

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When Californians don’t have an estate plan, there’s the chance that people whom they wouldn’t want to have any authority to administer their estate may petition to do so. The case of a former television actor is evidence of this. Mark Salling, who appeared in the TV show “Glee,” hung himself earlier this year. This […]

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The loss of a loved one is a tragic event in a person’s life. Even if you knew that the person wasn’t going to be around for much longer, the actual death can be difficult to handle. Once you get past the final arrangements and funeral, you will likely have to deal with the estate. […]

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If a loved one asks you to be the executor of his or her estate, it’s understandably not something you want to think about until you have to. However, after your loved one is gone, you’re likely going to be in a state of grief and perhaps denial. Therefore, it’s important to know what being […]

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Recently, we discussed the battle over music legend James Brown’s estate among those involved in his complicated personal life. Now the estate of another wealthy and colorful man, billionaire mogul Kirk Kerkorian, is the source of a legal battle here in California nearly three years after his death at 98 years old in June 2015. […]

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Most people wouldn’t assume that someone like Charles Manson had an estate worth fighting over. Manson, the “mastermind” behind multiple murders in the Los Angeles area in 1969, died in prison last year. These were infamously known as the “Manson murders,” and involved the deaths of nine people, including actress Sharon Tate, who was pregnant […]

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