Will Planning for Palo Alto Residents

Start with the decisions you want to discuss

A useful consultation begins with your goals, not a preselected form. Note who you are considering to carry out your instructions as executor, what you want to happen to property covered by your will, and any family circumstances that may affect those decisions.

If you are uncertain about a choice, write down the question rather than treating a first idea as final. You can discuss the practical effect of your proposed instructions and whether they fit with your property arrangements.

• List the people you are considering for executor and any alternate choices you would like to discuss.
• Describe the family circumstances or changes that may affect your wishes.
• Record questions about how a proposed instruction would work in practice.

Make a working inventory of property and ownership

Gather a broad inventory of property you want to discuss, along with any available records showing how each item is titled or owned. Ownership and transfer options matter: a will does not by itself ensure that an estate avoids probate, and it does not establish that every asset passes under its instructions.

You do not need to resolve every ownership question before the meeting. Flag unclear or jointly owned property and bring the information you have so the relationship between your will and your current arrangements can be considered.

• Group property by type and note whose name or names appear on available ownership records.
• Identify property for which you know of a separate transfer arrangement.
• Mark records or ownership details that you cannot confirm.

Bring existing plans and beneficiary information

Collect copies of any existing will or trust documents and make a list of known beneficiary arrangements. These materials help frame a discussion about how your proposed will instructions relate to other ways property may be owned or transferred.

The goal is to identify possible mismatches or unanswered questions, not to assume that one document controls every asset. If you are unsure whether a particular arrangement affects a proposed gift, note the asset and ask about it.

• Bring available copies of existing estate-planning documents.
• List accounts or property for which you know a beneficiary or other transfer arrangement is recorded.
• Note any planned changes and the questions you want answered before making them.

Use the remote meeting to connect instructions with practical consequences

Before the consultation, send or organize the inventory, ownership information, existing documents and a short list of priorities. Keep uncertain details clearly marked as questions rather than filling gaps with assumptions.

Discuss how a will can state your wishes and nominate an executor, and understand that a court appoints the personal representative in a formal probate case. Whether probate is avoided depends on ownership and transfer options as well as the will. That distinction can help you decide what further information to gather and which arrangements need closer attention.

Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. has one in-person office in Novato and provides virtual services throughout California, including for Palo Alto residents.