Frequently Asked Questions

  • Estate planning is the process of deciding what happens to your assets and your dependents when you die. It is the legal infrastructure that gives effect to your wishes. An estate plan is a set of documents that answer the questions your loved ones will otherwise be left to figure out on their own: Who inherits what? Who makes decisions if I can't? And who takes care of my children?

    Our Foundational Plans include the following core documents:

    • Revocable Living Trust

    • Pour-Over Will

    • Advance Healthcare Directive

    • Durable Power of Attorney

    • Certificate of Trust

    • Trust Funding Instructions

  • Probably, at least a Foundational Plan. In California, if you die without a will or a trust, California law determines who inherits your assets, which probably won’t reflect your actual wishes. Further, your estate will go through a process called probate, which is public and can be costly and time-consuming. Getting your Foundational Plan in place now can protect your family from having to go through this process and ensures your wishes are clear.  

    For unmarried partners, chosen family members or anyone whose relationships don't fit traditional legal defaults, dying without a Foundational Plan can have even more severe and irreversible consequences for the people you care about most.

  • First, let’s discuss the difference: a revocable trust can be changed at any time during your life. It is the foundation of most estate plans.

    An irrevocable trust generally cannot be changed once it’s created. In exchange for giving up control, you may achieve significant benefits, such as removing assets from your taxable estate or facilitating long-term generational planning.

    Whether irrevocable trust planning makes sense for you depends on your estate size, goals and family circumstances. We can discuss this during your initial consultation and decide what makes the most sense for your particular situation.

  • All of our engagements are flat-fee, confirmed during your initial consultation. Fees reflect the complexity of your matter: a Foundational Plan looks different from a multigenerational plan involving irrevocable trusts and business interests. We'll always be transparent about cost before work begins and you can request a copy of our fee schedule by contacting the firm directly.

  • Maybe. AI tools are increasingly popular and increasingly skilled. That said, generated documents can contain gaps, inconsistencies or provisions that don't reflect your actual wishes or current California law.

    Our firm offers thorough plan reviews for clients who have existing documents they want evaluated. A review is almost always less expensive than discovering a problem after the fact.

  • Nothing! Reach out and we’ll start there.