About Sandra McCarthy

Sandra M. McCarthy, founder of A People’s Choice, has worked exclusively in the legal field since 1976. She 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 has worked as a freelance paralegal, law office manager and paralegal studies teacher. She has co-authored numerous legal publications and written hundreds of self-help legal articles and is dedicated to the expansion of affordable, low-cost, self-help document preparation.

What Is an LPS Conservatorship?

Illness and injuries can alter the course of our lives. That's why it sometimes comes as a relief to the sick and disabled when a loved one steps up to care for their needs and manage their affairs. In California, there are legal arrangements in which the court appoints such a caregiver. One of these [...]

SLAT Estate Planning: A Great Option for Large Estates

There are many estate planning strategies out there, but which one is best? To be honest, it really depends on your situation. While most real estate strategies are designed to grow and successfully transfer assets, some are meant to look even further ahead to future generations. One of the latter, spousal lifetime access trust (SLAT) [...]

What Is a Conservatorship Bond?

When people have to enter into conservatorship arrangements, they often have some concerns. These fears are very valid because, unfortunately, there have been quite a few instances of the conservatee falling victim to conservatorship mismanagement and fraud. The bad experiences have, however, given rise to solutions, including a conservatorship bond. What is a conservatorship [...]

What Are Letters of Conservatorship in California?

What happens when a person becomes incapacitated in California? Are there laws under the California probate code that state how such individuals can receive special care? Yes, of course! Conservatorship is the answer to anything pertaining to the incapacitation of an individual, and letters of conservatorship are an important part of that arrangement. Personal conservators [...]

How to Fight a Conservatorship in California

Conservators have a key role in ensuring that incapacitated adults lead meaningful lives. At times, however, someone may want to fight a conservatorship. Relatives or close family to the conservatee may not like how the conservator cares for them. Similarly, the conservatee themselves may want to change or remove a conservatorship (see the famous example [...]

Is Conservatorship Valid After Death?

Conservatorships are supposed to help folks who are no longer able to take care of themselves. If you have elderly or incapacitated loved ones, this is likely a subject you've encountered before. But what happens to the conservatorship when the incapacitated individual dies? Is conservatorship valid after death? This is a reasonable question if [...]