How to Probate an Estate in California

Julia Nissley, Lisa Fialco

NOLO, Mar 10, 2018 - Law - 464 pages

Handle probate yourself - and save time and money

When you've lost a loved one, the inevitable legal matters can seem difficult and confusing. But in most cases, probate involves little more than routine paperwork to transfer assets to family members and other beneficiaries.

How to Probate an Estate in California explains, step-by-step, how to wrap up a basic estate. Whether you do it yourself or work with a lawyer, you'll save money and time.

With this easy-to-follow guide, you'll learn how to:

• read and understand a will or trust
• determine who inherits if there is no will
• pay bills and taxes
• complete and file all necessary court paperwork
• collect life insurance and other death benefits
• transfer real estate, securities, vehicles, and other assets to heirs and beneficiaries
• transfer some assets without probate
  

Even if you hire a lawyer to do some of the paperwork, this book demystifies the process so that you can make informed decisions and communicate intelligently with the attorney about the estate--and save cash in the process. Why pay a lawyer over $15,000 to probate a $500,000 estate, when you can do much of it on your own?

Every page of this new edition has been reviewed and revised by a practicing probate lawyer. It provides fresh and accurate information about probating an estate in California.

About the author

Julia Nissley was the cherished author of How to Probate an Estate in California. She wrote the book while working as a probate administrator with the Los Angeles law firm of Silverberg, Rosen, Leon & Behr. She later opened her own probate-form preparation service, and for the next 25 years helped hundreds of families probate California estates. During that time, she also kept her book meticulously up-to-date. Julia Nissley passed away in late 2015, after finishing her work on the 23nd edition.

Lisa Fialco has a B.A. from Wesleyan University and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. Prior to joining Kelley & Farren in 2010, Lisa litigated consumer protection and other matters both for the Federal Trade Commission and in the private sector. She also worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Dana Fabe of the Alaska Supreme Court. Lisa presents public seminars on estate planning topics and served as the co-chair of the Marin County Bar Association Probate & Estate Planning Section for 2014 and 2015.

Bibliographic information

• Title: How to Probate an Estate in California
• Authors: Julia Nissley, Lisa Fialco
• Edition: 24
• Publisher: NOLO, 2018
• ISBN: 1413324894, 9781413324891
• Length: 464 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / Personal Finance / Taxation; Law / Estates & Trusts; Law / Reference