Estate Planning and Probate Options for Sand City Residents
The first decision is whether you are planning for your own future, handling a trust after someone’s death, or addressing an estate through probate. Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. has one in-person office in Novato and provides virtual services throughout California.
Start with the situation and the asset records
Planning while you are alive and administering an estate after a death are different tasks. Estate planning can coordinate a will or trust with financial authority and health-care decisions. After a death, whether administration proceeds through a trust or formal probate depends on the governing documents and how assets are owned.
To make the first conversation concrete, gather any existing will or trust, a current list of major assets and how each is titled, and a short description of the question you need to resolve. These records can help identify whether the next step is planning, trust administration, or probate.
If you are planning for your own future
Consider what you want your plan to address: how property should be handled, who may act on financial matters, and who should make or support health-care decisions. These goals may call for coordinated documents, but they do not mean every person needs every planning option.
The available services address different needs: wills and pour-over wills; revocable living trusts; financial powers of attorney; advance health-care directives and living wills; and health-care powers of attorney. Other focused topics include business succession, pet trusts, charitable trusts, gift tax planning, asset protection trusts, irrevocable trusts, and special needs trusts. The relevant questions depend on your circumstances and objectives.
If someone has died: trust administration or probate?
Do not assume that the presence of a will or trust alone settles the process. The documents and asset ownership matter when determining whether a trustee can administer property under a trust or whether formal probate is involved. Reviewing the documents alongside account, property, and ownership records is a practical starting point.
For a matter proceeding in Monterey County, the Probate Division distinguishes wills, trusts, and estates from guardianships and conservatorships. It also publishes probate notes and hearing instructions; check the current case notes and instructions when they apply to the matter.
Choose a focused next step
The service areas include probate administration, trust administration, and executor and trustee services, as well as planning documents and trust options. Their names describe distinct topics, not a checklist that every family must complete. Bring the records you have and identify whether you are planning ahead or responding to a death; that distinction helps focus the discussion on the appropriate path.
Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. serves clients virtually throughout California from its single in-person office in Novato. A useful next step is to organize the relevant documents and write down the decisions or questions you want addressed.
Explore the service you need
- Advance Healthcare Directives and Living Wills
- Ancillary Probate
- Asset Protection Trusts
- Business Succession Planning
- Charitable Trusts
- Executor and Trustee Services
- Financial Power of Attorney
- Gift Tax Planning
- Healthcare Power of Attorney
- Irrevocable Trusts
- Pet Trusts
- Pour-Over Wills
- Probate Administration
- Revocable Living Trusts
- Special Needs Trusts
- Trust Administration
- Wills
Questions to discuss
Does having a will automatically mean the estate avoids probate?
No. Whether formal probate or trust administration applies depends on the documents and asset ownership. A will is one part of an estate plan, and its presence alone does not determine the administration process.
What should I gather before discussing estate planning or administration?
Gather any existing will or trust, records showing how major assets are owned, and a concise list of your goals or current questions. Those materials help clarify whether you are planning for the future or addressing trust administration or probate after a death.
Official resources
- California planning and administration resource
- California planning and administration resource
- Official Monterey County court resource
General information, not an assessment of your documents or circumstances. Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. has one office at 802 Grant Ave, Novato, CA 94945, and offers virtual services across California. A remote consultation does not itself authorize remote signing or a remote court appearance.
