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How to Determine Value for Assets in Probate Court - Werner Law

How to Determine Value for Assets in Probate Court

POSTED ON: January 9, 2023 BY: The Werner Law Firm, PC
The purpose of probate is to facilitate the distribution of a decedent’s assets among the living. However, it is rarely as simple as taking everything a person ever owned and giving it to someone else wholesale. Read on for a look into how the value of assets in probate is determined. There are processes involved, […]
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Preliminary Change of Ownership Report and Estate Planning - Werner

Filing a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report in Estate Planning

POSTED ON: January 6, 2023 BY: The Werner Law Firm, PC
Any property transfer in California may require filing a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report. For most people, this report is needed whenever real estate is transferred from one person to the next, even if only partially. An interest in real estate must be reported to the state for tax appraisal purposes. All 58 counties in […]
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How Much Does Probate Cost in California? A Complete Fee Breakdown

POSTED ON: December 30, 2022 BY: The Werner Law Firm, PC
Quick Answers How much does probate cost in California? Total probate costs typically range from 4-7% of the gross estate value, including statutory attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and appraisals. What are probate attorney fees in California? California Probate Code Section 10810 sets statutory fees: 4% of the first $100,000, 3% of the next […]
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California’s Escheatment Process for Unclaimed Property

POSTED ON: December 29, 2022 BY: The Werner Law Firm, PC
Here is a shocking number: there is over $49 billion in the unclaimed property sitting around in the United States today. This number includes everything from unclaimed refunds and last paychecks to entire homes, investment properties, and abandoned parcels. What happens to all of that property? And how did it get there in the first […]
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When Should You Consider Joint Tenancy?

POSTED ON: December 27, 2022 BY: The Werner Law Firm, PC
Homeownership represents the unattainable ideal for many millennials and younger Americans today. Between record-high housing costs, inflation, and stagnating wages, the dream of owning a place you can call home might seem exceedingly distant. However, if that home could somehow be split between multiple parties, a distant dream can quickly become a realistic prospect. One […]
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Is Forced Heirship Real and How Common Is It - Werner Law Firm

Is Forced Heirship Real and How Common Is It?

POSTED ON: December 20, 2022 BY: The Werner Law Firm, PC
Forced heirship is a concept or legal stipulation that involves leaving a mandated portion of your estate to an heir. In other words, forced heirship implies that it is illegal to disown or disinherit certain heirs without precedence. The concept of forced heirship stems from civil law, a largely European legal system derived from Roman […]
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How to Avoid Estate Tax on Your Life Insurance Payout - Werner

How to Avoid Estate Tax on Your Life Insurance Payout

POSTED ON: December 12, 2022 BY: The Werner Law Firm, PC
Let’s assume you have written and finalized your will and double-checked your accounts. You've specified your designations and talked to your family about certain medical decisions and financial responsibilities. Let’s say you have your affairs in order but want to make the funerary costs and final arrangements a little less hefty in your loved ones’ […]
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All-Encompassing Guide on Including Bequests in a Will - Werner

All-Encompassing Guide on Including Bequests in a Will

POSTED ON: December 5, 2022 BY: The Werner Law Firm, PC
How do you ensure that your belongings are properly distributed between your friends and family after death? A common answer is to use a will – but what sort of property can and cannot be distributed via a will? Also, how does a will choose and bequeath an inheritance, and how do you go about […]
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Use an AB Living Trust to Maximize Your Estate Tax Exemptions

Use an AB Living Trust to Maximize Your Estate Tax Exemptions

POSTED ON: November 30, 2022 BY: The Werner Law Firm, PC
Trusts and estate plans can get incredibly complicated, so let us break the AB living trust down into its most basic moving parts. AB living trusts are a two-part trust process involving the creation of an A trust (the marital trust) and a B trust (the bypass trust). Both trusts ensure that the wealth accrued […]
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What Happens to Credit Card Debt When You Die - Werner Law Firm

What Happens to Credit Card Debt When You Die?  

POSTED ON: November 25, 2022 BY: The Werner Law Firm, PC
When a person dies, their belongings pass onto the living. There’s little you can take beyond the grave with you, and few of those things may be substantial assets, such as a home or investment property. As such, creditors and lenders – particularly those you owe – can turn towards the remnants of what material […]
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Founded in 1975 by L. Rob Werner and serving California for over 50 Years, our dedicated attorneys are available for clients, friends, and family members to receive the legal help they need and deserve. You can trust in our experience and reputation to help navigate you through your unique legal matters.

Whether you need help creating a living trust or navigating probate, our living trust law firm's compassionate team of estate planning lawyers and probate lawyers are here to help you and ready to answer your questions.

Our goal is to make your case as easy as possible for you. Hiring a lawyer can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. From the moment you contact our firm, through the final resolution of your case, our goal is to make the process easy and understandable. We cannot change the fact that probate is a long and complicated process, but through our Werner Law Firm Difference, we strive to go out of our way to keep you informed of your case through every step of the way. We are constantly refining our processes and procedures for a more streamlined and calm client experience. Our goal is to have you feel like a burden was lifted from your shoulders, and that we made the whole process an easy one

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The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship! See full disclaimer here.