When someone dies
The paperwork does not wait for you to be ready, and some of it is on a clock.
“Well Rudy, first and foremost, I'm sorry to hear about your dad's passing.”
Shadi Ala’i Shaffer, answering a caller on the radio
What is happening
Somebody has died. There are notices that must go out by law, accounts nobody can touch, a house in one person’s name, and a court process that may or may not be avoidable depending on what was set up years ago.
If there is a trust, the work is administering it, which is a set of duties with real legal exposure for whoever agreed to be trustee. If there is not, the work is probate, which is slower and public.
You do not need to understand any of that before you call.
The work
- Trust administration
- What the person named as trustee actually has to do after a death: the notices, the accounting, the taxes, and the distributions. It is a legal duty with real exposure, and most people are doing it for the first time while grieving.
- California probate
- The court process that handles an estate when there was no trust. It is public, it takes a long time, and the base cost is set by statute rather than by us.
At a time of tremendous stress and grief, Shadi guided me through the entire trust process with compassion and insight. Her ability to translate complex legal concepts into language that is comprehensible to the lay individual is nothing short of a gift!Lisa P., client
The testimonials or endorsements do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.
If somebody has just died and you do not know what you are supposed to do first, start here, and start today. Some of these deadlines are short.