Westport Wills & Probate Lawyer, California

Sponsored Law Firm


Includes: Estate Administration, Living Wills, Wills

Elina Nicole Agnoli

Estate Planning, Products Liability, Contract, Dispute Resolution, Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  16 Years

Richard Delapena

Other, Trusts, Employee Rights, Business
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  47 Years

Brandt Richard Stickel

Power of Attorney, Tax, Real Estate, Estate, Business
Status:  In Good Standing           

Phoebe Graubard

Trusts
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  36 Years

Debra Irwin Decarli

Estate Planning, Personal Injury, Mass Torts, Trusts, Estate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  30 Years

Jennifer M O'Brien

Litigation, Public Law, Trusts, Estate, Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           

Margaret Mary O'Rourke

Estate Planning, Wills & Probate, Trusts, Elder Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  43 Years

Herbert Arnold Schwartz

Real Estate, Lawsuit & Dispute, Trusts, Estate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  58 Years

Chandra Marie Apperson

Gift Taxation, Bankruptcy
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  17 Years

Terry Nan Gross

Public Law, Trusts, Estate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  36 Years

Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-620-0900

Member Representative

Call me for fastest results!
800-620-0900

Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-620-0900

By submitting this lawyer request, I confirm I have read and agree to the Consent to Receive Messages from all messaging and voice technologies including Email, Text, Phone, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy. Information provided is not privileged or confidential.


Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

Member Representative

Call me for fastest results!
800-943-8690

Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

By submitting this lawyer request, I confirm I have read and agree to the Consent to Receive Messages from all messaging and voice technologies including Email, Text, Phone, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy. Information provided is not privileged or confidential.

TIPS

Easily find Westport Wills & Probate Lawyers and Westport Wills & Probate Law Firms. For more attorneys, search all Estate areas including Estate Planning, Trusts and Power of Attorney attorneys.

LEGAL TERMS

ABATEMENT

A reduction. After a death, abatement occurs if the deceased person didn't leave enough property to fulfill all the bequests made in the will and meet other exp... (more...)
A reduction. After a death, abatement occurs if the deceased person didn't leave enough property to fulfill all the bequests made in the will and meet other expenses. Gifts left in the will are cut back in order to pay taxes, satisfy debts or take care of other gifts that are given priority under law or by the will itself.

BEQUEATH

A legal term sometimes used in wills that means 'leave' -- for example, 'I bequeath my garden tools to my brother-in-law, Buster Jenkins.'

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR

Someone appointed by a probate court to oversee probate proceedings when a person dies without a will or heirs, and his or her property is expected to pass to t... (more...)
Someone appointed by a probate court to oversee probate proceedings when a person dies without a will or heirs, and his or her property is expected to pass to the state. Some states have public administrators who are responsible for temporarily preserving the assets of an estate if there are disputes about specific provisions in the will or about who will be appointed the regular administrator.

HEIR AT LAW

A person entitled to inherit property under intestate succession laws.

INHERIT

To receive property from someone who has died. Traditionally, the word 'inherit' applied only when one received property from a relative who died without a will... (more...)
To receive property from someone who has died. Traditionally, the word 'inherit' applied only when one received property from a relative who died without a will. Currently, however, the word is used whenever someone receives property from the estate of a deceased person.

RULE AGAINST PERPETUITIES

An exceedingly complex legal doctrine that limits the amount of time that property can be controlled after death by a person's instructions in a will. For examp... (more...)
An exceedingly complex legal doctrine that limits the amount of time that property can be controlled after death by a person's instructions in a will. For example, a person would not be allowed to leave property to her husband for his life, then to her children for their lives, then to her grandchildren. The gift would potentially go to the grandchildren at a point too remote in time.

DOWER AND CURTESY

A surviving spouse's right to receive a set portion of the deceased spouse's estate -- usually one-third to one-half. Dower (not to be confused with a 'dowry') ... (more...)
A surviving spouse's right to receive a set portion of the deceased spouse's estate -- usually one-third to one-half. Dower (not to be confused with a 'dowry') refers to the portion to which a surviving wife is entitled, while curtesy refers to what a man may claim. Until recently, these amounts differed in a number of states. However, because discrimination on the basis of sex is now illegal in most cases, most states have abolished dower and curtesy and generally provide the same benefits regardless of sex -- and this amount is often known simply as the statutory share. Under certain circumstances, a living spouse may not be able to sell or convey property that is subject to the other spouse's dower and curtesy or statutory share rights.

PROBATE COURT

A specialized court or division of a state trial court that considers only cases concerning the distribution of deceased persons' estate. Called 'surrogate cour... (more...)
A specialized court or division of a state trial court that considers only cases concerning the distribution of deceased persons' estate. Called 'surrogate court' in New York and several other states, this court normally examines the authenticity of a will -- or if a person dies intestate, figures out who receives her property under state law. It then oversees a procedure to pay the deceased person's debts and to distribute her assets to the proper inheritors. See probate.

SPECIFIC BEQUEST

A specific item of property that is left to a named beneficiary under a will. If the person who made the will no longer owns the property when he dies, the bequ... (more...)
A specific item of property that is left to a named beneficiary under a will. If the person who made the will no longer owns the property when he dies, the bequest fails. In other words, the beneficiary cannot substitute a similar item in the estate. Example: If John leaves his 1954 Mercedes to Patti, and when John dies the 1954 Mercedes is long gone, Patti doesn't receive John's current car or the cash equivalent of the Mercedes. See ademption.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

Guardianship of Ann S.

... 1118 OPINION. CORRIGAN, J.—. In 2003 the Legislature enacted Probate Code section 1516.5, making it easier for children in probate guardianships to be adopted by their guardians. (Stats. 2003, ch. ... We granted review. II. DISCUSSION. A. Probate Guardianship. ...

Schwartz v. Labow

... In August 2003, the probate court appointed Lionel B. Sanders, certified public accountant, conservator of Sylvia's and Louis's estates in the related conservatorships. ... DISCUSSION. 1. The probate court had jurisdiction in November 2005 to suspend appellant trustee's powers. ...

Estate of Bennett

... (collectively Smith), appeal from a probate court order granting the motion of petitioners Lu Ella Bennett, Jack H. Bennett, Jr., and Louise Comer to set aside and rescind a settlement agreement and an assignment of their interests in the estate of Jack Harry Bennett (decedent). ...