California Probate Law: Key Terms & Tips to Navigate the Process By Sandra McCarthy|September 22nd, 2021|California Courts, Probate| Navigating the intricacies of California probate law can be a complex and daunting task. Probate law governs the legal process of transferring property and assets after a person's death, and it includes everything from validating wills to paying off debts and distributing remaining assets to heirs or beneficiaries. In California, this process is guided [...] Read More 0
What Is Probate Estate? By Sandra McCarthy|September 20th, 2021|Estate Planning, Probate| As a popular saying attributed to Japanese writer Haruki Murakami goes, "death is not the opposite of life but a part of it." That brings to mind the fact that although death can stop a person from living, it can’t stop the person’s legacy from thriving. This, is related to the far less poetic, [...] Read More 0
A Simple Explanation of California Corporate Formation Documents By Sandra McCarthy|September 1st, 2021|Business| Starting a business can become challenging, especially if this is your first time doing so. Aside from outlining your business plan, you also have to think about what type of business organization you are going to pursue and what your corporate formation documents will look like. After all, there are quite a few choices! [...] Read More 0
Is a Los Angeles Conservatorship Attorney Necessary? By Sandra McCarthy|August 30th, 2021|Probate| Setting up or maintaining a conservatorship (or any sort of legal care for an adult) isn't easy. If you think that a conservatorship might be needed for a loved one who needs help, you might be wondering if a Los Angeles conservatorship attorney can assist you. After all, they're the experts, right? We've got [...] Read More 0
Start Planning with Our Easy California Estate Planning Questionnaire By Sandra McCarthy|August 25th, 2021|Estate Planning| Everyone needs an estate plan. It doesn’t matter if you have few estate assets, are living your best life in your 20s, or don’t have close ties with your family members. Estate planning allows you to prepare for unexpected events and ensures the right people or organizations inherit your personal property at your time [...] Read More 0
How Can I Have an Amicable Divorce in California? By Sandra McCarthy|August 23rd, 2021|Divorce| Divorce is not fun. Married couples seeking a dissolution of their marriage often must undergo an agonizing and lengthy legal process. However, it does not have to be that way. Luckily, there comes a less painful and complicated alternative—the amicable divorce. Many people wonder how an amicable divorce is even possible. For one, it [...] Read More 0
How to Prepare for a Divorce in California By Sandra McCarthy|August 18th, 2021|Divorce| Going through a divorce or any sort of legal separation is never easy. If you need to file for divorce, you might be wondering what you will need to make sure this process moves quickly including the subdivision of marital property. The good news is that by knowing the steps and understanding how normal [...] Read More 0
Probate Estate Planning: What You Need to Know By Sandra McCarthy|August 16th, 2021|Probate| Losing a loved one is hard. Not only is there sorrow; there’s also the struggle of dealing with the belongings of the person who died. In general, this legal process of administering someone’s estate when they die is called a “probate.” The hassle of going through the probate court is further complicated when [...] Read More 0
Uniform Probate Code: A Helpful Beginner’s Guide By Sandra McCarthy|August 11th, 2021|Probate| Uniform Probate Code: A Helpful Beginner's Guide California isn't a uniform probate code state. However, there are many other states that follow this code, which regulates how probate works. Whether or not you live in a UPC state can affect any probate process you’re tied up in, as well as your own estate planning. [...] Read More 0
What rights does a conservatee have? By Sandra McCarthy|August 6th, 2021|Conservatorships FAQs| In general, conservatees keep the right to: Control their own salary; Make or change their will; Get married; Get mail; Have a lawyer; Ask a judge to change conservators; Ask a judge to end the conservatorship; Vote, unless a judge says they’re not able to; Control personal spending money if a judge says they can [...] Read More 2
How Long Does Probate Take in California? By Sandra McCarthy|August 4th, 2021|Estate Planning, Probate| If you know anyone who has gone through the California probate process, then you may have noticed that it can take some time. The real question is, how long does probate take in California? The answer is, inconveniently, that it depends. The duration of probate is contingent upon several factors, including the estate’s complexity, the [...] Read More 2
What is a Probate Lawyer and Why You Don’t Need One to File Probate By Sandra McCarthy|August 2nd, 2021|Probate| It is very hard to deal with the loss of a loved one. There are many memories and emotions to process right after they are laid to rest. In the midst of all that, the last thing anybody wants is to have to encounter the stress of the probate process. In some cases, a [...] Read More 2
What Are Non-Probate Assets, and How Do They Affect Your Estate Planning? By Sandra McCarthy|July 28th, 2021|Estate Planning, Probate| Probate is no picnic to those who are unfamiliar with the process. For one, if you’ve been chosen as a personal representative for an estate, you’ll need a complete understanding of what a personal representative has to do with both probate and non-probate assets. And, unfortunately, California probate law doesn’t make things easier. [...] Read More 6
Everything About Uncontested Divorce California Wants You to Know By Sandra McCarthy|July 19th, 2021|Divorce| If you’re looking for a divorce in California, it usually goes one of two ways: contested divorce or uncontested divorce. If you’re getting an uncontested divorce California can process it fairly quickly. A contested divorce, on the other hand, can take a long time to move through the system. So, what’s the difference? A [...] Read More 0
Can I Get a Free Divorce Lawyer in California? By Sandra McCarthy|July 12th, 2021|Divorce| The legal process of going through a divorce is never easy, especially when dealing with complicated issues and related expenses. Taking divorce action in California can be a difficult time with all the different types of paperwork to consider, and options to take with the court. This usually raises the question of whether those [...] Read More 22
Understanding Probate Records in California By Sandra McCarthy|July 2nd, 2021|Probate| Probate in California can be a difficult process. It can branch out into various topics that can cause a lot more confusion than clarity. With so many different subsections of probate to process, let’s start one topic and break it down. Probate records. These are used in all states of the country to bring [...] Read More 0
Britney Spears Fights Back Against California Conservatorship By Sandra McCarthy|June 30th, 2021|Probate| The U.S. beloved pop star Britney Spears now speaks out against a California conservatorship that she has considered being abusive and has been an issue for debate for a long time. With claims of emotional trauma and being forced to take prescription psychiatric medication, among others, the pop star revealed in a documentary that [...] Read More 0
8 Steps to Divorce in California [2022] By Sandra McCarthy|June 28th, 2021|Divorce| Filing for divorce in California needs some due diligence and proper planning. To ensure you follow the right steps to divorce in the Golden State, you need to know what the applicable law (divorce law). The divorce process entails some legal procedures (steps) that lead to a default judgment. As a divorcing spouse, you [...] Read More 0
Purchasing Probate Property in California By Sandra McCarthy|June 25th, 2021|Probate| When a property owner dies, what happens to their property? In most cases, their estate must go through probate before the property can be transferred to any heirs. This leaves many surviving relatives wondering how to probate real estate in California. Real estate subject to probate must go through the probate process before it [...] Read More 0
The Top Reasons for Divorce in California By Sandra McCarthy|June 21st, 2021|Divorce| It's no secret that divorce is not a fun process. However, sometimes it's the best course of action. If one or both parties are miserable and marriage isn't working, it can be a relief to file for divorce and move on with your life. There are lots of personal reasons for divorce in California [...] Read More 1