The Journal — Plain-English Estate Law
Plain-English guidance on wills, trusts, probate, and protecting your family in California.
The Successor Trustee Refuses to Serve. Who Takes Over?
Nobody can be forced to serve as trustee. If the person named after you declines, the trust itself almost always says who’s next, and the answer is in…
Read →Can a Trustee Pay Themselves and Hire a Lawyer With Trust Money?
Yes to both. A trustee can pay themselves for their work and hire a lawyer at the trust’s expense, and doing both isn’t double-dipping. They’re payments for two…
Read →Trustee Won’t Give Me a Copy of the Trust: What California Law Requires
The trustee has to give you a copy. Not a summary, not the pages they think you need, not a redacted version. Prob. Code § 16061.5 says a…
Read →Ventura County Probate: Courthouse, Calendar, and Probate Notes
Ventura County probate isn’t heard in Ventura. Every probate, trust, conservatorship, and guardianship matter in the county is filed and heard at the Juvenile and Probate Courthouse in…
Read →What Probate Actually Costs in California on a $700,000 House
A $700,000 house in probate costs about $34,000 in statutory fees alone, before the court takes a filing fee or the referee appraises anything. That number surprises people…
Read →Can I Give Away Assets to Qualify for Medi-Cal in California?
Quick answer: Giving away assets before applying for Medi-Cal isn’t a crime by itself. Nothing in California law makes the gift itself illegal. What can happen instead is…
Read →The Medi-Cal Look-Back Is Phasing In Through 2028: What That Actually Means
Quick answer: California’s Medi-Cal transfer look-back period is 30 months, but it isn’t actually 30 months deep yet. Any transfer made between January 1, 2024 and December 31,…
Read →Do You Need a Lawyer for Trust Administration in California?
Quick answer: No California statute requires a successor trustee to hire an attorney. But the law imposes real personal exposure on a trustee who administers a trust incorrectly,…
Read →Want a straight read on where you stand?
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