Estate Planning and Probate Guidance for Lathrop Residents

Start with the decision in front of you

If you are planning during your lifetime, consider whether your documents address property, financial decision-making and health-care choices together. Estate planning can coordinate wills, trusts, financial authority and health-care decisions; the appropriate documents depend on your circumstances and goals.

If someone has died, the next question is not simply whether the family has a will. Trust administration and formal probate depend on the documents in place and how assets are owned. Reviewing those facts helps identify which process may apply.

• Planning for yourself: identify the decisions and authority you want addressed.
• Acting after a death: gather available estate-planning documents and an overview of assets and ownership.
• Unsure which situation applies: focus first on the asset ownership and authority question that could change the next step.

Planning while you are alive

A plan may bring together a will or trust with financial and health-care authority documents. These tools address different parts of planning; having one does not by itself establish that every other issue has been addressed.

• Wills and pour-over wills
• Revocable living trusts and other trust planning
• Financial power of attorney
• Advance health-care directives, living wills and health-care power of attorney

When trust administration or probate may be relevant

After a death, the documents and asset ownership help determine whether trust administration, formal probate, or a combination of processes needs to be considered. A will or trust should therefore be reviewed alongside information about how property is held; the document name alone does not settle the process.

For a San Joaquin County probate case, the court publishes probate notes and tentative rulings through a case-number search. A probate note identifies a procedural or legal issue needing correction or explanation; it is not a final order.

• Probate administration and trust administration
• Executor and trustee services
• Ancillary probate

Explore related planning needs selectively

The related services below address different planning questions. They are options to explore, not a checklist that every person or family must complete. For example, business succession planning concerns a different planning subject from health-care authority, while trust choices may depend on the goals and circumstances being considered.

• Asset protection trusts, irrevocable trusts and charitable trusts
• Business succession planning and gift tax planning
• Pet trusts and special needs trusts

Prepare for a focused conversation

Before discussing next steps, gather any wills, trust documents and authority documents you already have, along with a basic list of assets and how each is owned. Note the question you are trying to resolve: planning for your own future, understanding responsibilities after a death, or determining which process may apply. These are practical preparation steps, not a legal prerequisite.

Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. provides virtual services statewide from its Novato office. A focused discussion can begin with the documents and ownership information relevant to your question.