Elizabeth Gabrielle Blust

I have been helping clients for over ten years. My clients fall into two main categories, although there are definitely nuances within these categories:

Estate Planning -- most people only think about estate planning as a thing to do to avoid probate when they die, but there's more to it than that. Proper estate planning includes discussions about what will happen if you are too sick to care yourself but haven't died yet. I get to know my clients so I can figure out the best plan for them to avoid probate but also to manage their homes, finances, and businesses during their incapacity and upon their deaths. Trusts are not just for "rich people." If you have minor children or own real property in California, you probably ought to have an estate plan that includes a will and a trust. I can usually determine a flat fee price after your free consultation, so you'll know in advance how much your estate plan will cost. The most common elements of estate plans are: a will, revocable trust, durable power of attorney for personal and financial affairs (e.g., everything non-health care), and advance health care directive (including power of attorney for health care). 

Trust and Probate administration -- if someone dies without a will ("intestate") or with only a will ("testate") but no trust, it is likely that we would need to probate their estate, especially if they owned real property. But with a trust or with a small estate, it is likely that we will not need to involve the probate court. For estates that go through probate, the fees for the attorney and executor (or administrator) are set by statute. For trust administration, the fees are negotiable. Some people pay me to do almost everything, but most just pay for some guidance at the beginning and along the way to make sure they're following all the rules for fulfilling their fiduciary duties. Oh, and forms. I prepare a lot of forms. Like official notice of trust administration, certifications of trust, receipts for beneficiaries to sign when they receive their distributions, and things like that.

That's it! So, call me if you want to talk about your own estate planning needs or if someone has named you the executor or trustee of their will or trust and you need to know what to do.  Most work can be done remotely, so I can help you with estate planning anywhere in California. If you live somewhere else but you are the executor or trustee for someone who died in California, I can help you, too. I look forward to hearing from you.