Help for California Families
Most legal information online is written to sell something. This is not that. These are the guides I hand to people who call the office, whether or not they hire me.
Each one covers a moment that forces legal decisions on people who did not ask for them. Take what is useful. If you need help after that, you know where to find me.
Caring for an aging parent
You are managing someone else’s medical decisions, money, or housing, and finding out how little authority you actually have. What a power of attorney does and does not let you do, what happens when your parent can no longer sign one, what Medi-Cal counts as of January 2026, and what to do when your siblings disagree with you.
Read the incapacity planning guide
New and young parents
The only document that matters right now is the one naming a guardian for your children, and most parents do not have it. What guardianship nomination does, why a will alone leaves gaps, how to hold money for a child too young to manage it, and the beneficiary designation mistake that undoes everything else.
After someone dies
Someone died and you have been handed a stack of paper. What has a deadline and what does not, whether you actually need probate, the California thresholds that decide it, and the Proposition 19 clock on an inherited home.
Tools
- Will or trust? Answer a few questions, find out which one your situation calls for.
- Who inherits in California? If there is no will, California decides. This shows you what it decides.
- Medi-Cal asset screener. Updated for the asset limits that returned January 1, 2026.
More guides
- The first 30 days after a death
- Trust changes after a dementia diagnosis
- California durable power of attorney
- Small estate affidavit in California
- Proposition 19 and inherited property
- Out-of-state heirs
A note on using these
Nothing here is legal advice, and reading it does not make me your lawyer. California law changes, and several figures in these guides changed in 2025 and 2026. Every number is dated where it appears. If a number matters to a decision you are about to make, confirm it is still current before you rely on it.
If you want to talk, reach the office here. Consultations are free, and I will tell you if you do not need a lawyer.
Want a straight read on where you stand?
Talk to Eric. A free 30-minute call, no pitch. He’ll tell you where you’re exposed, what it would cost to fix, and what you can skip.
Talk to Eric