Estate Planning
In California, if somebody dies without a will, the court decides who gets the deceased individual's property based upon rules set forth in the California Probate Code. Often the Probate Code does not allow an individual's property to pass to the person the deceased would have choosen. In order to avoid this problem, an individual can draft a will or create a living trust. A will designates exactly who should receive what property, but still needs to be litigated in Probate Court. Probate Court can take a long time to complete the transfer of property. A living trust, on the other hand, is a document that allows property to be placed in trust while the individual is alive, and upon that individual's death, the property passes to the designated party outside of probate court.
Lipton, Piper & Sganga works with families to set up their estate in a manner that allows their property to be disbursed quickly and effectively. The manner in which this is done depends upon the individual, their goals, and the amount and type of property they own. With planning and foresight we can work with you to see that your affairs are in order in the event of your death.