Simi Valley, CA asked in Estate Planning and Probate for California

Q: How to move past trust administration delays?

My parents passed away just over a year ago in August 2020. My sister is the trustee and I am just a beneficiary. She hired an attorney and we are near the last stage of closing the trust. The law firm is in the process of putting together the accounting and keep telling my sister that they'll have something for her to review "this week." They have been telling her that for the last 4 weeks. The majority of the time they don't even reply to her email inquiries. The law firm has been delaying the closing of the trust for what has now been months. The delay is not the fault of my sister the trustee, it's the law firm. Is there anything that I do to move the process along?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Julie King
Julie King
Answered
  • Estate Planning Lawyer
  • Monterey, CA
  • Licensed in California

A: Your sister needs to tell the law firm exactly what you said here, i.e., that they are the cause of the delay and she needs the document by the end of the day tomorrow. Other than that, your sister can just show up at the law firm and take a chance that they're open (due to COVID many people are working remotely, as you likely know.) If they still do not do that, threaten to report them to the Bar Association. That should get them moving! Best wishes.

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