Are you looking for a living trust lawyer in Los Angeles, CA?
At The Werner Law Firm, PC, we offer living trust representation grounded in five decades of work for families across Los Angeles.
If you would rather your family inherit your property without a trip through probate court, a living trust is often the answer. Our Los Angeles, CA living trust lawyer can prepare a trust, fund it properly, and coordinate the documents around it. The Werner Law Firm, PC has drafted living trusts for 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.
A living trust is a legal document you create while you are alive to hold your property. You serve as trustee at first, with a successor trustee ready to manage the trust if you become incapacitated or pass away. Because the trust owns your assets, they can pass to your beneficiaries without probate, often sparing your family months of court proceedings and considerable expense.
Most living trusts are revocable, which means you can change or cancel them whenever you like. A living trust attorney in Los Angeles can draft the trust and, just as importantly, guide you through funding it. A trust that owns nothing accomplishes nothing, so that step is where much of the real work lies. Many people are surprised to learn that a will alone does not avoid probate, while a funded living trust generally does. That single difference is why so many California families choose to build their plan around one.
A living trust rarely works alone. It pairs with other documents and can take different forms depending on your goals. Our Los Angeles living trust lawyers match the structure and supporting documents to your situation rather than defaulting to a template. These are the living trust services our Los Angeles attorneys handle most often.
Revocable living trusts. The usual choice for California families, giving you full control while you are alive and avoiding probate when you pass.
Irrevocable living trusts. These trade some control for asset protection or tax benefits. Whether a trust should be revocable or irrevocable depends on what you want it to do.
Wills. A living trust plan usually includes a pour-over will to catch any assets you did not transfer into the trust and direct them where you intended.
Special needs trusts. A living trust can hold a sub-trust for a beneficiary with a disability, protecting the public benefits they depend on.
Trust funding. A trust only works once it holds your assets, so we help you move real estate and accounts into it and explain why funding the trust is so important.
Trust amendments and restatements. As life changes, we prepare amendments for small updates and restate a trust when the revisions are larger.
Trust administration. After a death, the successor trustee follows the trust administration process, and we guide them through their duties.
A living trust is only as strong as the drafting and the funding behind it. We work to get both right.
The Werner Law Firm, PC has prepared living trusts and estate plans for California families since 1975. Our founder, L. Rob Werner, has practiced for fifty years, earned recognition from the Los Angeles Daily News as a Readers' Choice Best Attorney, and belongs to the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Our managing attorney, Troy Werner, adds 17 years of practice and admission in both California and Texas. As a living trust lawyer in Los Angeles, CA, our firm knows how to build a plan that holds together over time. Clients who want a fuller plan can also work with an estate planning lawyer in Los Angeles, CA at our office.
Much of our work comes from families we have served before and the people they send our way. Every trust begins with a free consultation and a clear explanation of what it will accomplish. Our Los Angeles living trust attorneys aim to leave you with a plan you understand and can rely on.
A living trust brings together three things a will cannot offer on its own: control while you are alive, a smooth handoff if you cannot manage your affairs, and privacy from the public probate record. For many families, the privacy alone is worth a great deal, since a will becomes a public court filing while a living trust stays private. Understanding how it works helps you decide whether one belongs in your plan.
Living trusts take a few forms, and the right one depends on your goals and your family.
Revocable living trust. You keep control and can change it anytime, and it avoids probate at death.
Irrevocable living trust. You trade some control for asset protection or tax planning.
Joint trust. Married couples often use a single trust for their shared property.
Separate trusts. Some couples keep individual trusts, especially with separate property or children from earlier marriages.
Sub-trusts. A living trust can hold trusts within it, such as a special needs sub-trust for a beneficiary who receives public benefits.
Couples weighing a joint or separate trust should look closely at how their property is held. A living trust is one kind of trust, and it is the one most families encounter first.
A living trust that is signed but never funded does very little good. Several things determine whether yours works as intended.
Funding, which means retitling your home, accounts, and other assets in the trust's name.
Naming a successor trustee who is both willing and able to serve.
Coordinating beneficiary designations so they do not conflict with the trust.
Keeping the trust current as your family and assets change.
Assets you never transfer can still end up in probate. That is why we give funding such close attention, and why a properly funded trust can help your family avoid probate altogether. Assets left out of a trust are one of the most common reasons a plan falls short. A living trust is not a document you sign once and set aside; it works best when it keeps pace with the changes in your life.
Creating a living trust usually takes a few weeks, and funding can continue after signing.
A free consultation to review your assets, your family, and your goals.
A recommendation on the type of trust and the supporting documents you need.
Drafting of the trust, a pour-over will, and powers of attorney.
A signing appointment where the documents are notarized.
Funding the trust by transferring your assets into it.
Simple trusts move quickly. Estates with business interests or property in more than one state take longer to complete. We will give you a realistic sense of the timeline at the first meeting, once we understand what your estate involves.
A little preparation makes the first meeting more productive. If you can, bring the following.
A list of your assets, including real estate, financial accounts, and business interests.
The deed to your home and any other real property.
The names of the people you want as beneficiaries, successor trustee, and agents.
You don't need to have everything ready. Bring what you can, and we will work out the rest together during the meeting. There is no need to have every decision made before you come in, and most families find the process more straightforward than they expected once it is underway.
California law shapes how living trusts are created and administered. Before or after you meet with an attorney, these public resources can help you get oriented.
The California Courts self-help guide on wills and estates introduces trusts, wills, and probate.
The same guide offers sample legal documents you can review.
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 trust and family.
A living trust can spare your family the delay and expense of probate, but only when it is drafted and funded with care. We would be glad to walk you through the process and answer your questions as they come up. Your first consultation is free, and there is no pressure to decide right away. 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.
23 Corporate Plaza Dr., Suite 150
Newport Beach, California 92660
