I'm sorry about your loss. Unfortunately there are no options to avoid probate. The reverse mortgage went into default as soon as your parents passed. Most reverse mortgage companies will give the family some latitude before setting the default process in motion, however, there is no time to... View More

Greetings nice ex-wife from Yucaipa. As an alternative to transferring the property to your son at this time, you can create a revocable living trust to insure a smooth transfer of ownership to your son upon his father's passing. Good luck with this.

I'm sorry to hear about your mom passing. Wills must be hand-delivered to the Clerk of the Court, probate division, where your mom passed. Make sure to keep a good hard copy for yourself as well as a good digital copy so that you can share the will with beneficiaries or financial institutions.

Yes. In this case, the life insurance policy is a non-probate asset. You can use a non-probate asset to pay probate attorney fees and other costs of probate administration.

Greetings Chico. I agree with the other attorneys' answers, however, I wanted to add that your father can execute and record a new deed adding you as a joint tenant with the right of survivorship. If you survive your father, then you will become the sole owner after recording a Affidavit of... View More

Probate attorneys do not get paid until the judge authorizes payment to both the attorney and the executor/administrator. Yes, I can assist. Call me to discuss.

I'm sorry to hear about your mom passing. Please call me so that we can discuss how I can best assist you through the process.

Attorneys cannot be paid for representing executors or administrators in probate court absent a court order. Typically the property gets sold to pay all probate-related fees and fees of the estate. With that said, call me if you would like to discuss how I can best represent you through the... View More

As a first step, I recommend severing the joint tenancy by filing a tenancy in common (TIC) deed. The next step is to create a living trust and then fund the trust with the property by way of a trust transfer deed. This will insure a smooth transfer of the property without probate to your kids... View More

Assuming the 1990 Will was properly drafted, executed, and witnessed, is valid unless another Will superseded the 1990 Will. I would have a probate attorney review the 1990 Will and the divorce decree to see if there is any conflict. I would also check with the new spouse to see if she has an... View More

I'm sorry about your loss and the lack of an estate plan. I too must be the bearer of bad news. I have personal experience representing estranged siblings in probate court who end up inheriting even though their deceased sibling "promised" to take care of non-family members who end... View More

I'm sorry to hear about your dad passing. According to the probate code, as the surviving spouse, your mom has priority to act as the administrator of your father's probate estate. The court can waive the bond requirement if all beneficiaries sign a bond waiver. If all beneficiaries do... View More

In order to claim property through adverse possession, there must be uninterrupted and continuous possession of the property for at least five years. Once the adverse possessor invades the property, the clock begins ticking on the five-year requirement. If the true owner resumes possession,... View More

Yes. Probate Code section 21110 requires the issue (in this case children) of the deceased transferee to take in the deceased transferee’s place unless the will specifies otherwise.

Yes, you can certainly request a continuance at the time of the hearing or beforehand. Oftentimes you can call the court clerk beforehand and request a continuance. Worst-case scenario, you can request the continuance at the hearing. I also recommend checking the probate examiner's notes on... View More

The bank will not turn over the funds to the Trust absent a court order. Through a Heggstad petition, you can ask the court to fund the bank account into the trust. Since the trust lists this account, a Heggstad should be granted. Unfortunately, in Alameda County, it takes around 9 months to... View More

This is a really good question that comes up regularly in co-ownership situations. The co-owners should sit down with an attorney or mediator and come up with a co-ownership agreement. Legally, both co-owners are entitled to possession, responsible for the bills and costs associated with... View More

Greetings Eureka,

It sounds like it is time for you to draft a simple estate plan which spells out compensation to the executor. I can help you with this. Call or email me to set up a consultation.

The current executor should have opened up a bank account and funded the account with cash from the estate. You should ask around to find out who may know where the account is. In addition, the executor is required to provide an accounting to the probate court and beneficiaries before they are... View More

I'm very sorry to hear that your husband passed. I hope that you are doing ok. The life insurance proceeds are not part of your husband's estate. Also, I highly doubt that the credit card company will come after used cars, especially if they are in particularly poor condition.... View More