Learn how probate validates a will, pays debts, and distributes assets to heirs. State intestacy laws apply when there is no ...

In Gaddy v. Fenenbock (In re Est. of Fenenbock), a probate court entered an order directing the independent executor of an estate to make a partial distribution of assets from the residuary clause in ...

In a groundbreaking decision that could reshape the landscape of California estate law, the Court of Appeal in the Second District Division Four has ruled in favor of trustee David Henry Simon, ...

Estate planning professionals and families face significant challenges when dividing tangible personal property—artwork, jewelry, family heirlooms, and collectibles—among multiple heirs. Traditional ...

Probate is a legal procedure through which a deceased individual's estate is administered and distributed. The probate process commences when the deceased individual's representative, known as the ...

Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and ...

The need for probate when a spouse dies depends on various factors. If assets were owned jointly, they often pass directly to the surviving spouse without probate. Similarly, assets like life ...

John Madden would be proud. When I am explaining the difference between probate and nonprobate assets to clients and seminar attendees, I usually produce a diagram that is worthy of the most elaborate ...

The loss of someone close is an upsetting time that can be stressful and confusing from the start. In addition, when the aftermath involves settling an estate, the chaos seems to go from bad to worse.