About A People's Choice

A People’s Choice Legal Documents Inc. was originally founded by Sandy McCarthy in early 1980. Ms. McCarthy served as the 2004-2005 President of CALDA (California Association of Legal Document Assistants). She obtained a Paralegal Certificate from the University of California, Santa Barbara. During her career in the legal field, she worked as a freelance paralegal, law office manager and paralegal studies teacher. She co-authored numerous legal publications and wrote hundreds of self-help legal articles and blogs dedicated to the expansion of affordable, low-cost, self-help document preparation. She retired in 2020 when she sold the company to Ian Corzine, a California attorney.

How to File for Conservatorship in Lake County, CA

Do you need help learning how to file for conservatorship in Lake County, California? Obtaining a conservatorship can be a lengthy process, but it's well worth it to protect your loved one who needs help. For disabled persons, those suffering from mental illness, or others who simply can't manage their daily tasks, a conservatorship can [...]

By A People's Choice|April 27th, 2022|California Courts, Family Law, Probate|Comments Off

How Independent Adoption in California Works

The adoption process has been around for thousands of years, with roots extending to the ancient Roman Empire and beyond. This legal process establishes a parent-child relationship between adoptive parents and an adopted child. If your family is planning on becoming an adoptive family and you're a resident of California rather than the Roman Empire, [...]

By A People's Choice|April 25th, 2022|Adoption, California Courts, Family Law|Comments Off

How Much Does Adoption Cost in California?

Adoption is a beautiful thing. It's the official legal process of assigning parental rights to adoptive parents, making the adopted child a legal part of the family. Nonetheless, adoption comes with its fair share of worries, and the cost is one of them. This leaves many Californians wondering, "How much does adoption [...]

By A People's Choice|April 20th, 2022|Adoption, California Courts, Family Law|Comments Off

How to File for Conservatorship in Santa Clara County, California

Nobody wants to end up in a conservatorship, but these arrangements can be a literal lifesaver for many people. A conservatorship permits a responsible grownup to take care of an adult who can’t care for themselves. If you’re a resident of Santa Clara County and you have a loved one who needs help, you [...]

By A People's Choice|April 18th, 2022|California Courts, Probate|Comments Off

What You Should Know about Mental Incapacity Divorce in California

Divorce isn’t easy. You have to agree on difficult topics like custody of children and division of property, all while dealing with painful emotions. A mental incapacity divorce in California complicates things even further. It's not enough to show that your spouse acts erratically or irrationally; they have to fit very specific criteria for [...]

By A People's Choice|April 11th, 2022|California Courts, Divorce, Family Law|2 Comments

How to File for Conservatorship in Alpine County, CA

Conservators play a critical role in our society. They help many elderly, infirm, and disabled people live fulfilling and rich lives, caring for their physical, emotional, and financial needs. If you need to file for conservatorship in Alpine County, CA, you've come to the right place. This article walks you through the basics of how [...]

By A People's Choice|April 4th, 2022|California Courts, Family Law, Probate|Comments Off

What Is a Conservatorship Account?

According to the National Council on Disability, there are an estimated 1.3 million Americans under conservatorships and guardianships right now. All kinds of people can be subject to such an arrangement—everyone from elderly infirm individuals to celebrities like Britney Spears. If you’re involved in one of those 1.3 million cases as a conservator (or are [...]

By A People's Choice|March 30th, 2022|Conservatorship|Comments Off

A Guide to Public Guardian Conservatorship in Los Angeles

If you have a loved one in LA who needs help, you may well find yourself googling "public guardian conservatorship Los Angeles." You're not alone; people seeking public guardian conservatorship for their ailing or at-risk family members and friends are commonplace in LA. To help you understand this legal process, we've crafted this guide to [...]

By A People's Choice|March 23rd, 2022|California Courts, Family Law, Probate|Comments Off

How to Get an Incurable Insanity Divorce in California

Just like every marriage is unique, every divorce is unique. The incurable insanity divorce, or the divorce due to permanent legal incapacity, is one of the more difficult types of divorce. The burden of proof is on you to show that your case truly qualifies for this type of divorce. So, what do you do [...]

By A People's Choice|March 16th, 2022|California Courts, Divorce, Family Law|Comments Off

What Is Conservatorship Abuse?

In recent years, cases of conservatorship abuse have captured the public eye. Although conservatorship mostly applies to the elderly, any incapacitated individual above 18 years can end up in a conservatorship arrangement. And with more attention on conservatorships in general, many people worry about conservatorship abuse. If a conservator financially or physically abuses a conservatee, [...]

By A People's Choice|March 9th, 2022|California Courts, Probate|Comments Off

Conservatorship Scams: What to Look For

It's a sad story, one we hear on the news from time to time: a vulnerable, elderly person is robbed by their own conservator. It’s a bitter tale, and it's all too common. You never want to hear that someone close to you has fallen victim to a conservatorship scam. Concerned? To establish whether someone [...]

By A People's Choice|March 2nd, 2022|California Courts, Family Law, Probate|Comments Off

Is It Time to Set Up an Elderly Conservatorship?

Aging may be a privilege denied to many, but not many people like to admit they're enjoying that privilege. For plenty of people, part of the aging process is becoming subject to a conservatorship. If you have a loved one who is becoming unable to care for themselves, you may wonder: is it time to [...]

By A People's Choice|February 23rd, 2022|Family Law, Probate|Comments Off

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Description of Will Documents (Notary fees additional)	Price
Will (individual)	$200
Codicil to Will	$125
Will package (individual) includes Will, Healthcare Directive and Financial Power of Attorney	$250
Will package (couple) includes 2 Wills, 2 Healthcare Directives and 2 Financial Powers of Attorney	$399
Other Services	Call for Quote

Description of Trust Documents (Notary fees additional)	Price
Revocable Trust or Restatement of Revocable Trust (Individual) Trust or Trust Restatement only (you must have an existing revocable trust)	$300
Revocable Trust or Restatement of Revocable Trust (Couple) Trust or Trust Restatement only (you must have an existing trust)	$400
Revocable Trust or Restatement of Revocable Trust Package (Individual) Includes Trust, Pour-over Will, Certificate of Trust, Healthcare Directive, Financial Power of Attorney and estate folder	$499
Revocable Trust or Restatement of Revocable Trust Package (Couple) Includes joint trust, 2 Pour-over Wills, Certificate of Trust, 2 Healthcare Directives, 2 Financial Powers of Attorney and estate folder	$650
Special Needs Trust Designed for beneficiaries with physical or mental disabilities.	$700
Irrevocable Medi-Cal and/or VA Planning Trust	$700
Trust Transfer Deed and Preliminary Change of Ownership (California property)	$200 ($50 discount w/trust pkg)
Trust Transfer Deed (Out-of-State property)	$275 ($50 discount w/trust pkg)
Trust Transfer Deed (Timeshare)	$275 ($50 discount w/trust pkg)

Description of Individual Documents (Notary fees additional)	Price
Will	$200
Healthcare Directive	$125
Financial Power of Attorney	$125
Codicil to Will	$125
Trust Amendment	$200 and up
Trust Transfer Deed and Preliminary Change of Ownership (California property)	$200
Trust Transfer Deed (Out-of-State property)	$275
Trust Transfer Deed (Timeshare)	$275
Other Services	Call for Quote

Conservatorships Services We Offer	Price
Standard Conservatorship of Person AND/OR Estate (1 Petitioner) with or without Dementia Orders (Documents Only)	$1500
Limited Conservatorship for Developmentally Disabled (Documents Only)	$1200
Add-on Fees for Emergency Ex Parte Conservatorship (limited or standard)	+$450
Additional co-petitioner fee to any Conservatorship Petition	+$200
Add-on Fees for application for notice waivers and order	+$300
Add-on Fees for case management through Petition phase. Services include scheduling of any associated hearings, facilitating filing of documents with the court and other management services typically required to complete your Petition request	+$750
Standard preparation time is 10-14 business days. Rush preparation of all documentation is available for additional fee	$350+

Estate Administration Services	Price
Trust Administration (1 real property) each additional property +$200	$499
Probate Transfer by Affidavit (non-court, for estates with personal property only. This process cannot be used for estates with real property. Property must be valued under $166,250/$184,500)	$225
Simplified Probate Proceeding to Transfer Real Property Not Exceeding $55,425/61,000 (up to 2 Petitioners; 1 real property)	$649*
Simplified Probate Proceeding to Transfer Real Property Not Exceeding $166,425 (up to 2 Petitioners; 1 real property)	$799*
Spousal Property Petition (1 real property)	$749*
Heggstad Petition (1 Petitioner, 1 real property)	$1500**
No frills Probate Petition Documents Only for California Probate with Order of Probate and Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary (document prep only with instructions. No court filing or additional support services.)	$750**
Phase 1 California Probate Petition (Full Service with court filing assistance, arranging publication, notices and case management) up to Order of Probate and Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary	$1500**
Most Popular Full service, complete California Probate, facilitation of court filings, arranging publication, administrative notices, and ongoing case management services	$3900**
Probate Phase 2 or Phase 3 Full Service	$1500.00+/phase
Report of Sale and Petition for Order Confirming Sale Real Property (for matters with limited authority)	$1500.00 +costs
Notice of Proposed Action (up to 5 notices)	$250
Supplements to Petitions	$250 min. and up
Other Probate Services	Call for quote

About A People's Choice

Will Documents

Trust Documents

Individual Estate Documents

Will Documents

Trust Documents

Individual Estate Documents

Business Services We Offer	Price
General Corporation Includes standard minutes, bylaws, resolutions, stock certificates and corporate folder. Secretary of State fee: $100.00	$275
S-Corporation (Includes S-Corp election) Includes standard minutes, bylaws, resolutions, stock certificates and corporate folder. Secretary of State fee: $100.00	$310
LLC Includes Operating Agreement and corporate folder. Secretary of State fee: $70.00	$399
Professional Corp Includes Bylaws. Secretary of State fee: $100.00	$499
Non Profit Corporation Includes standard minutes, bylaws and corporate folder. Secretary of State Fee: $30.00	$499
501(C)(3) Non Profit Federal Tax Application	$599
Dissolve Corporation	$200
Walk Through Service with Secretary of State (turn around time 7-10 days)	$165
Registered Agent for Service (Annual) Click here to sign up.	$175
IRS S-Corp Election only	$50
Obtain Tax ID Number	$50
Statement of Information	$50
Fictitious Business Name Includes facilitating processing and publication (filing fee and publication fees vary from county to county).	$175
Basic Partnership Agreement	$300
Business Sales Agreement	$300
Copyright Standard Application	$150
Other Business Services	Call for Quote

Copyright Services	Price
Federal Copyright Application	$150
Government Filing Fee	$45-$65

Agreements	Price
Marital Settlement Agreement only	$275+
Stipulation and Order	$350+
Stipulation/Order with Paternity petition	$624
Pre or postnuptial Agreement (basic)	$299
Nuptial Agreement with complex, custom clauses	$999

Pre and Postnuptial Agreements	Price
Pre or postnuptial Agreement (basic)	$299
Nuptial Agreement with complex, custom clauses	$999