Wills & Trusts

Ensure your estate will be executed according to your wishes

Wills & Trusts in Southern California

Plan For the Future of Your Estate

Wills can either be simple or comprehensive documents, depending on your estate and your wishes for handling it. These documents are written to ensure that, after death, various aspects of handling your estate will be executed according to your wishes. A trust also establishes your wishes for your estate; however, it goes into effect as soon as you create it, and the terms apply while you are still alive.

Both wills and trusts have advantages and disadvantages, and ultimately accomplish different goals. It is important to fully understand the difference between the two to determine which option is right for you and your family. Our Southern California estate planning attorneys can discuss your unique needs and help you find the best solution.

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Sandoval Legacy Group, a division of Holstrom, Block and Parke, a Professional Law Corporation, adds a preeminent Elder Law, Tax Law, and Estate Planning and Probate law practice to our pedigreed Family Law firm. Clients now enjoy a vast range of legal services, resources and end-to-end representation, all under one roof.

Contesting a Will

Most of the time a will goes through probate without a problem. However, if a person feels the will was written incorrectly or that it is not valid, that person can contest the will. When you find yourself in a situation where a will is being contested, you need an expert behind you to guard your interests and make sure you receive the inheritance you are due. Whether you have been wrongfully excluded from a will or you need to defend against someone else’s baseless claims, the key is to be well represented.

  • Common scenarios in which an individual might contest a will include:
  • Individual wasn’t named in will and has grounds to believe he or she should have been
  • Individual has grounds to believe he or she should have received a different inheritance
  • Individual has grounds to believe that a person’s will is not being properly administered

What are the grounds for these contests? An individual must have a legitimate legal reason for his or her contest—simply being upset about the amount of an inheritance is not grounds for contesting an otherwise valid will. Such legitimate reasons to contest a will include fraud, undue influence, mistake or loss of mental capacity.