The Journal — Plain-English Estate Law
Plain-English guidance on wills, trusts, probate, and protecting your family in California.
Prop 19 Implications When Selling Inherited Property
If you're selling an inherited home rather than keeping it, most of Prop 19's reassessment rules don't apply to you. What still matters is timing and basis.
Read →Prop 19 Parent-Child Exclusion: The Two Requirements That Matter
Prop 19 replaced the old, broad parent-child exclusion with a narrow one. Two requirements decide whether an inherited house keeps a parent's property tax base.
Read →Probate Code § 850 Petition: Full Scope in California
A § 850 petition covers a lot more ground than the Heggstad house scenario. Here's every kind of ownership dispute it can resolve.
Read →The Presumption of Undue Influence Under Probate Code § 21380
For a caregiver, drafting attorney, or fiduciary who ends up as a trust beneficiary, § 21380 flips the burden of proof. Here's who it covers and how it…
Read →Petition to Modify an Irrevocable Trust Under §§ 15403-15404
Irrevocable trusts can still be modified in California through a court petition under sections 15403 and 15404. Here's what the petition has to show.
Read →Notice to Creditors for a Trust in California
A trustee doesn't have to send formal creditor notice, but sending it converts a one-year exposure window into a 60-day sprint. Here's why that matters.
Read →Medi-Cal Recovery Against a Trust in California
Moving assets into a revocable trust doesn't stop Medi-Cal estate recovery. Here's what's actually exposed and where real protection has to come from instead.
Read →Can the IRS Put a Lien on Trust Property in California?
A properly filed federal tax lien reaches trust property in ways ordinary creditors and even careful spendthrift drafting generally can't stop.
Read →Want a straight read on where you stand?
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