Estate Planning, Trust Administration and Probate
Unlike other firms where estate planning and probate are merely sidelines to a general legal practice, our firm focuses squarely on the complete package, encompassing estate planning, medi-cal planning and probate and trust administration, including:
- Wills
- Trusts
- Health Care and Asset Powers of Attorneys
- Special Needs Trusts
- Trust Administration
- Amendments to Wills or Trusts
- Succession Planning
- Probate
- Medi-Cal Planning
Estate Planning:
Sandra Clark is pleased to offer clients legal expertise in all aspects of planning for their futures, and providing for the ones they love, by working with them to create trusts, wills, and powers of attorney. Ms. Clark understands that every client's most important estate planning goal is to ensure that his or her personal matters and financial affairs are appropriately handled upon his or her death or disability. We strive to make estate planning as efficient and clear as possible. An attorney with our firm will speak with you directly and address your concerns regarding your estate.
Significantly, by setting up a living trust, a client may avoid probate. Much like a will, a living trust will describe what happens to your property in the event of your death. While you are alive, you remain in control and have the power to change the trust at any time. Setting up a living trust allows you to avoid the expense and long delays of probate, and may even save you money on taxes.
Another important reason to meet with an estate planning lawyer is to set forth, in a legal document, your wishes regarding your healthcare in the event you are rendered unconscious or otherwise unable to state your wishes to medical providers. Our lawyers can help you draft a document that will help your family and medical providers make important decisions regarding your care if you are unable to do so.
Trust Administration:
A living trust can help you avoid the costs of probate administration. However, a living trust does not dispense with the need for legal assistance altogether. Following the death of the creator of the trust, how do the beneficiaries transfer title to property and close out the trust? This and other questions require the help of an experienced estate administration lawyer.
Our firm can advise and assist you regarding these matters. We can make a full accounting of all assets of the trust, including those assets without title as well as titled property. We provide cost effective advice as to how to transfer title of specific assets to beneficiaries of the trust. We pay particular attention to tax considerations, particularly regarding the avoidance or minimization of capital gains taxes on appreciated assets and property taxes on real property.
You can depend on Campbell & Clark to provide the trust and will creation and trust administration services you need. Call (530) 244-6286 or contact us online to arrange for an appointment to provide advice and legal services.
Probate:
The passing of a loved one can be an emotional experience like no other. Unfortunately, you and your family may have probate problems if the deceased has not written a will or if the integrity of the will has been contested. If you and your family need legal counsel in regard to the distribution of an estate, our firm can help.
Probate is the process that enables the distribution of assets to the beneficiaries of a will and closes out the financial affairs of an estate. If the process it is not done correctly, it can lead to needless costs and delays in the distribution of assets.
Our firm can advise and assist a personal representative at all stages of the probate administration process. We can identify assets and debts of the estate, provide advice regarding the disposition of particular assets and debts, and reconciliations and file the final documents with the probate court.
At Campbell & Clark, we have extensive experience in all aspects of probate administration. Call (530) 244-6286 or contact us online to arrange for an appointment to provide advice and legal services at all stages of the process.