When you are married, you start putting your own interests aside and consider what is best for both you and your spouse. Every time you make a decision, you must consider what is best for you, your spouse and any children you may have. Estate planning greatly impacts your family’s…
Having a basic understanding of estate planning terms can be helpful when working through the process. However, it is easy to get confused. For example, two terms often used (and misunderstood) are “trustees” and “executors.” Both a trustee and an executor are persons selected to hold and manage assets of…
Given the state of the economy, many people are giving loans to their children. While it is very generous of parents to loan money to their children, it can create several problems down the road. Most parents give money to their children but do not expect to ever be paid…
The decision to disinherit a child can be very difficult for some people. Other people just want to give less to one child and more to another. There are usually valid reasons behind the decision and it is not one people take lightly. Most clients I see are reluctant to…
The recent power outage in San Diego left the entire population of the county in the dark. Many people were unprepared and did not have basic resources including food, water and gas. Only after the power went out did people rush to the stores and gas stations only to find…
TMZ has an article which discusses the probate issues with Dennis Hopper. Probate is the process by which a court administers an estate. Dennis Hopper recently died. He was married and filed for a divorce but his divorce was not final when he died. He also had a prenuptial which…
The San Diego Superior Court has a probate court in the North County Branch in Vista. Department N-23 hears probate matters and the only other court in San Diego County is at the Madge Bradley Court House in downtown San Diego. Each probate court has its own policies and procedures…
The San Diego Superior Court website has information about probate and other areas of the law. For probate, each department has its own policies and procedures. This article will focus on some of the procedures and policies for Department 2. For ex parte, or emergency hearings, which are contested are…
In San Diego, the San Diego Superior Court has three probate departments. Each department is different for the policies and procedures. This will be a series of three postings with links to the San Diego Superior Court website page with that probate court policies and procedures. These can change without…
The United States Supreme Court, on June 23, 2011, decided that the order from the Bankruptcy Judge did not have the consitutional authority to “reach” into probate court. In San Diego, there are different courts for different issues. The San Diego Superior Court decides probate cases and the United States…