Are you looking for a trust lawyer in Los Angeles, CA?
At The Werner Law Firm, PC, we are trust lawyers with five decades of experience guiding California families through complex matters.
If you want to protect your assets, provide for your family, and keep your estate out of probate, a trust can do all three. Our Los Angeles, CA trust lawyer can recommend the right kind of trust and prepare it with care. The Werner Law Firm, PC has drafted 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 trust is a legal arrangement in which one person, the trustee, holds and manages property for the benefit of another. You decide what goes into the trust, who benefits from it, and the rules the trustee must follow. Trusts are a central tool in estate planning because they can pass property outside of probate, protect assets, and provide for people over time.
There is no single kind of trust. The right one depends on your goals, whether that means avoiding probate, planning for a child, protecting assets, or reducing certain taxes. A trust attorney in Los Angeles can explain the options in plain terms and match a structure to your situation, rather than leaving you to sort through the choices on your own. Trusts are also more flexible than many people expect. The same tool that helps a young family avoid probate can, in another form, provide for a relative with a disability or hold a business interest for the next generation.
Trusts come in many forms, and each serves a different purpose. These are the types our Los Angeles attorneys work with most often.
Living trusts. The most common trust for California families. A living trust holds your assets during your life and passes them to your beneficiaries without probate.
Revocable trusts. A revocable trust can be changed or canceled while you are alive. Most living trusts are revocable, which keeps you in full control of your property.
Irrevocable trusts. An irrevocable trust gives up some control in exchange for asset protection or tax planning. Whether a trust should be revocable or irrevocable depends on what you want it to do.
Special needs trusts. These provide for a beneficiary with a disability without putting their public benefits at risk.
Testamentary trusts. A testamentary trust is created through a will and takes effect after death, often to hold property for minor children until they are older.
Asset protection trusts. An asset protection trust is built to shield certain assets from future claims. These are specialized and fit particular circumstances.
Trust administration. After a death, the successor trustee must follow the trust administration process, and we guide trustees through their duties step by step. The role carries real deadlines, and missteps can create personal liability for the trustee.
The value of a trust lies in the details. We prepare each one so it does what you intend, both while you are here and after you are gone.
The Werner Law Firm, PC has drafted and administered trusts for California families since 1975. 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, earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his law degree from Southwestern Law School, and is admitted in California and Texas with 17 years of practice. As a trust lawyer in Los Angeles, CA, our firm can match the right trust to your circumstances. Clients who want a complete plan can also work with an estate planning lawyer in Los Angeles, CA at our office.
Much of our work comes from clients 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 goal is a trust you fully understand and can rely on, drafted to do exactly what you intend for your family.
A trust can seem complicated from the outside, but the structure is logical once you see how the pieces fit. Trusts have a reputation for being reserved for the wealthy, and that reputation is outdated. Middle-class families use them every day to spare their heirs the cost and delay of probate. Knowing the parts helps you decide what kind of trust, if any, belongs in your plan.
Every trust has three roles, and understanding them makes the rest easier.
The grantor, sometimes called the settlor or trustor, creates the trust and places assets into it.
The trustee manages the trust and carries out its terms.
The beneficiary receives the benefit of the trust's assets.
One person can hold more than one role. In a typical living trust, you are the grantor, the trustee, and the beneficiary while you are alive, with a successor trustee ready to step in later. That flexibility is part of what makes trusts so useful, because adjusting who holds each role, and when, lets a single tool serve very different goals from one family to the next. The difference between a trustor and trustee is a common source of confusion, and we take the time to make it clear.
A trust only works if it is set up and maintained properly. The document itself is only the beginning, and what happens after signing often matters as much as the drafting. A few things determine whether it does its job.
Funding the trust, which means transferring assets into it. An unfunded trust cannot protect what it does not hold, so funding the trust is essential.
Choosing a trustee who is both capable and trustworthy.
Keeping the trust updated as your family and assets change.
Coordinating the trust with your will, beneficiary designations, and the rest of your plan.
Many families use a trust specifically to keep their estate out of court. A properly funded trust can help your family avoid probate, which saves both time and expense.
Creating a trust usually takes a few weeks, though funding it can continue afterward.
A consultation to review your assets, your family, and your goals.
A recommendation on the type of trust that fits your situation.
Drafting of the trust and any supporting documents, such as a will.
A signing appointment where the documents are notarized.
Funding the trust by transferring your assets into it.
Simple trusts move quickly. More complex estates, or those with business interests and property in more than one state, take longer. We also make sure you understand how to keep the trust working after it is signed, since a trust is not a document you file away and forget.
A little preparation helps us give you useful guidance from the first meeting.
A list of your 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 want as beneficiaries and as trustee.
You don't need everything in hand to start. We can begin with what you have and identify what is missing as we go. A first consultation is usually enough to clarify whether a trust belongs in your plan and which kind fits.
Trusts are governed by California law and, in some cases, by federal tax rules. These public resources can help you understand the basics before or after you meet with an attorney.
The California Courts self-help guide on wills and estates introduces trusts and how they relate to 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.
The IRS explains how trusts are taxed and which returns a trust may need to file.
These resources offer general information, not advice about your own trust and family.
A trust can protect what you have built and make things easier for the people you leave behind. We would be glad to explain which kind of trust fits your goals and answer whatever questions come up. Your first consultation is free, with 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
