Are you looking for an estate planning lawyer in Los Angeles, CA?
At The Werner Law Firm, PC, we are trusted estate planning lawyers with five decades of experience serving families across Los Angeles.
If you are ready to put a plan in place for your family and your property, an estate planning attorney can help you get it right. Our Los Angeles, CA estate planning lawyer can prepare the documents that protect your wishes, from wills and trusts to powers of attorney. The Werner Law Firm, PC has served California families since 1975, and our founder brings fifty years of practice to this work. Your first consultation is free, and it comes with no obligation.
Estate planning is the process of deciding what happens to your property, your health care, and your dependents if you become incapacitated or die. A complete plan usually combines several documents, each with its own job. Together they give your family clear instructions and legal authority at the moments they need them most.
Estate planning is not only for the wealthy or the elderly. A homeowner with a single property, a parent of young children, and a business owner all benefit from a plan. Without one, California's default rules decide who inherits your assets and who acts on your behalf. An estate planning attorney in Los Angeles helps you replace those defaults with choices that are genuinely your own. The goal is not paperwork for its own sake. It is making sure the people you care about are provided for and spared avoidable conflict and expense.
Estate planning covers more than one document, and most plans draw on several. The right mix depends on your family, your assets, and your goals. These are the estate planning services our Los Angeles attorneys handle most often.
Wills. A will names your beneficiaries, an executor, and a guardian for minor children. It is the foundation of most plans, and even a modest estate benefits from having one in place.
Living trusts. A living trust passes your assets to your beneficiaries without probate and keeps your affairs private.
Special needs trusts. These provide for a loved one with a disability without putting their public benefits at risk.
Powers of attorney. A power of attorney lets someone you trust manage your finances if you become unable to.
Advance health care directives. An advance health care directive records your medical wishes and names an agent to speak for you.
Probate. When an estate goes through probate, we guide the personal representative through the court process and the filings it requires.
Trust administration. After a death, we advise trustees through the trust administration process and the deadlines that come with it.
An estate plan touches your family for years after it is signed. We build each one with the care that longevity deserves.
The Werner Law Firm, PC has guided California families through wills, trusts, and probate since 1975, with offices across Southern California, including Los Angeles. We also provide services in English and Spanish. Our founder, L. Rob Werner, has practiced for fifty years and holds a Readers' Choice Award for Best Attorney from the Los Angeles Daily News, along with membership in the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Our managing attorney, Troy Werner, brings 17 years of practice and admission in both California and Texas. As an estate planning lawyer in Los Angeles, CA, our firm understands how local families think about property, family, and legacy. Across those decades, we have helped families with plans of every size, from a single will to layered trusts, and we bring that range to each new matter.
Much of our work comes from clients we have helped before and the people they refer to us. Every plan begins with a free consultation and a clear explanation of what it will involve.
An estate plan is a set of instructions and legal authorities that work together. Some documents take effect while you are alive, and others only after you pass. Knowing what each one does helps you decide what your family actually needs. A plan does not have to be elaborate to be effective. For many families, a will, a trust, and a couple of health and financial documents cover most of what matters.
Most estate plans in California are built from a handful of core documents, and each has a specific role.
Will. Directs who inherits your property and names guardians for minor children.
Living trust. Holds your assets so they pass to beneficiaries without probate.
Durable power of attorney. Lets a trusted person handle your finances if you cannot.
Advance health care directive. Records your medical wishes and names a health care agent. You can file one with the state's advance directive registry so providers can locate it.
Beneficiary designations. Pass accounts like retirement plans and life insurance directly to named people.
Knowing which of these estate planning documents you need is the first step toward a plan that fits. A trust is often the centerpiece, though not every plan calls for one. Which documents you need depends on what you own, whom you want to provide for, and what you want to happen if you cannot speak for yourself.
A good plan reflects your real circumstances, not a template. The best plan for a young family with small children looks different from the best plan for a retiree or a business owner. A few things deserve attention from the start.
How your property is titled, since joint accounts and beneficiary forms can override a will.
Who you trust to serve as executor, trustee, or agent.
Whether a loved one has special circumstances, such as a disability or a share in a family business.
What should happen if you become incapacitated, not only what happens at death.
When no plan exists, state law steps in and decides these questions for you. You can read what happens when someone dies without a will to see why that outcome rarely matches what families would have chosen.
Most plans come together within a few weeks, though the right pace depends on your situation.
An initial consultation to discuss your family, your assets, and your goals.
A review of your property and how each asset is titled.
Drafting of your documents, followed by a chance to review them and ask questions.
A signing appointment where your documents are notarized and witnessed.
Funding any trust, which means transferring your assets into it.
Planning for incapacity planning is part of this process from the beginning, because a sound plan protects you while you are alive as well as after you are gone. We will give you a realistic timeline at the first meeting, once we understand what your plan involves.
Bringing a few items helps us give you useful guidance from the first meeting.
A list of your major assets, including real estate, financial accounts, and business interests.
Any existing will, trust, or power of attorney you have already signed.
The names of the people you may want as beneficiaries, guardians, or agents.
You don't need everything in hand to begin. We can start with what you have and identify what is missing as we go. We would rather you begin the conversation than wait for the perfect moment. Even a first meeting usually brings real clarity about which documents your situation calls for.
Estate planning is governed by California law, and several public resources can help you understand your options before or after you meet with an attorney. The following are good places to start.
The California Courts self-help guide on wills and estates explains planning and probate.
The same guide offers sample legal documents, including a statutory will and power of attorney.
The full California Probate Code is published by the state for those who want the statutes themselves.
These resources offer general information, not advice about your own estate and family.
A clear estate plan gives your family direction and protects the people and things you care about. We would be glad to walk you through your options and answer whatever questions come up along the way. Your first consultation is free, with no pressure to decide on the spot. Contact us to get started.
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.
