Estate Planning Process

Janet L. Brewer is licensed in California. If you do not own real estate in California and/or live in California, then we may not be able to assist you. International estate planning issues may be an exception. Our office does not handle estate litigation.

Answer preliminary questions to determine if our office handles your legal concern. Set a date and time for your Right Fit Conversation with our team, or we’ll suggest other ways to proceed if necessary.

You will receive a link to our Decision Vault questionnaire, which covers your basic family and asset information. Please complete it at least 48 hours before your scheduled meeting. Completing your questionnaire in advance allows our team to come prepared and ensures your conversation is focused, efficient, and tailored to your situation. If unable to complete within that window, our team is happy to help reschedule based on your needs.

This 30-minute meeting is designed to help you understand how we work, ask initial questions, and determine whether our firm is the right fit for your needs. Your conversation will be with Rod Cardinale, Janet’s senior paralegal of over 10 years. In cases involving international or complex estate matters, Janet may conduct this meeting directly. We will review the general scope of your situation, walk you through our process, and explain our fee structure. This meeting is a structured, getting-to-know-you conversation to assess whether we are a good mutual fit. Substantive legal guidance is provided during the paid Design Meeting with Janet. The fee for the Right Fit Conversation is $75.

If we determine there is a good mutual fit, you will schedule a Design Meeting with Janet L. Brewer— a paid consultation where we take a deeper look at your specific situation and create your customized estate plan.

Before we meet, you’ll begin thinking through the key decisions, such as beneficiaries, guardians, and trustees, so we can use our time together as effectively as possible.

Each Design Meeting has a flat fee. We will create your estate plan to cover these (and other) questions: Who’s going to be in charge (of your money and your health care) when you can’t be (trustee)? Who’s going to get which of your assets? What if the beneficiaries you choose aren’t alive? Do you want to attach conditions to your bequests? Who will manage the assets in the meantime, and who will confirm that requirements have been met? Who will care for your minor children or disabled adult children? Who will care for their money? If you have a larger estate, we discuss strategies for eliminating or reducing estate taxes. We will also develop strategies to prevent the estate plan from being upset or contravened.

In most cases, we offer flat-rate billing so you know exactly what to expect. Rather than worrying about unexpected fees, you can focus on your estate plan. As soon as we have all the necessary information, we will determine the fee, which won’t change unless you change the estate plan. We will send you the fee agreement. After we receive the signed fee agreement, Janet will draft the plan.

Any missing details can be filled in via phone conversations or email.

Approximately two weeks after we receive the signed fee agreement, we will have the signing meeting. We will review the drafts with you to make sure everything is correct. Simple changes can be made on the spot; otherwise, we may need a couple of days to make necessary changes. Once the documents are complete, you sign them and distribute copies to various people and places for safekeeping.

For a period of 6 weeks after signing, we will make simple changes free of charge. We will get the deed for your residence recorded. It’s your responsibility to ensure your assets are properly titled in the name of your trust. We are available to help with trust administration if roadblocks arise.

It is natural for a person’s circumstances to change over the years, so it’s normal to update your arrangements from time to time. Janet can arrange to follow up and check in with you at specified time periods to assess whether changes are needed and ensure the plan stays current throughout your lifetime. The review is free — you only pay for any changes you decide to make to your estate plan, and that fee is established before you proceed with the alterations.

Contact one of our administrative team members:
Andrea Pine at (650) 325-8295 or Andrea@calprobate.com
Saira Arroyo at (650) 325-8276 or Saira@calprobate.com
Our Team at (650) 405-0711 or Staff@calprobate.com

Like all legal processes, the actions associated with probate have timelines that must be followed. That said, nothing needs to be done so quickly that you can’t take time to grieve.

Janet L. Brewer is licensed in California. If the estate includes California assets, then we may be able to assist you. Our office does not handle probate litigation. Locate the estate planning documents, if possible. Learn who the executor is. If you are not the executor, the executor must agree to retain our law office to handle probate.

Answer preliminary questions to determine if we are the right office to handle the probate, or if another process — such as a Spousal Property Petition or a Small Estate Affidavit — would be a better option. Give you information about the fee structure for probate in California, which is set by law as a percentage of the value of the assets. Set a date and time for your Right Fit Conversation with our team, or we’ll suggest other ways to proceed if necessary.

You will receive a link to our Decision Vault questionnaire, which covers your basic family and asset information. Please complete it at least 48 hours before your scheduled meeting. Please complete it at least 48 hours before your scheduled meeting. Completing your questionnaire in advance allows our team to come prepared and ensures your conversation is focused, efficient, and tailored to your situation. If you’re unable to complete it within that timeframe, our team is happy to help reschedule based on your needs.

This 30-minute meeting is designed to help you understand how we work, ask initial questions, and determine whether our firm is the right fit for your needs. Your conversation will be with Rod Cardinale, Janet’s senior paralegal of over 10 years. In cases involving international or complex estate matters, Janet may conduct this meeting directly. We will review the general scope of your situation, walk you through our process, and explain our fee structure. This meeting is a structured, getting-to-know-you conversation to assess whether we are a good mutual fit. Substantive legal guidance is provided during the paid Design Meeting with Janet. The fee for the Right Fit Conversation is $75.

If we determine there is a good mutual fit, you will schedule a Design Meeting with Janet — a paid consultation where we will take a deeper look at your specific situation and develop a strategy for your probate matter. Following the meeting, we will send you the fee agreement for signature and begin the probate process, including filing the petition with the court.

Our law office will send the Notice of Probate Hearing and the Petition of Probate to beneficiaries, trustees, and all parties who are not named but who may have rights of inheritance. Creditors will also be notified. A court-appointed appraiser will appraise all the estate’s assets.

You will need to open an estate account at a bank. Statements and assets that were in the deceased’s name will be liquidated and sold, if necessary. Proceeds obtained from the sale of property are kept in the estate account and are later distributed. All debts must be resolved prior to any distributions to the heirs. Note that life insurance policies and retirement savings are distributed to heirs despite the debts owed, as they transfer by beneficiary designation outside of the will and probate. You will need to prepare a final income tax return for the estate. If the estate is subject to estate tax, then you will also need to file an estate tax return.

After the final inventory, we will formally ask the court to distribute all remaining assets according to the terms of the will or intestate succession. The petition for distribution shows all payments to creditors and proposed distributions to heirs and beneficiaries.

You will make payments to heirs and beneficiaries based on the approved distribution proposal. Once all the heirs are paid, we will formally ask the court to discharge you from your duties as executor.

Contact one of our administrative team members:
Andrea Pine at (650) 325-8295 or Andrea@calprobate.com
Saira Arroyo at (650) 325-8276 or Saira@calprobate.com
Our Team at (650) 405-0711 or Staff@calprobate.com

Like all legal processes, the actions associated with trust administration have timelines that must be followed. That said, nothing needs to be done so quickly that you can’t take time to grieve.

Janet L. Brewer is licensed in California. If the trust estate includes California assets, then we may be able to assist you. Our office does not handle trust litigation. Locate the trust documents and other estate planning records, if possible. Learn who the trustee is, because only that person has the right to retain our law office to administer the trust.

Ask preliminary questions to determine if we are the right office to handle the trust administration. Set a date and time for your Right Fit Conversation with our team, or we’ll suggest other ways to proceed if necessary.

You will receive a link to our Decision Vault questionnaire, which covers basic information about the trust and the rest of the estate plan. Please complete it at least 48 hours before your scheduled meeting. Please complete it at least 48 hours before your scheduled meeting. Completing your questionnaire in advance allows our team to come prepared and ensures your conversation is focused, efficient, and tailored to your situation. If you’re unable to complete it within that timeframe, our team is happy to help reschedule based on your needs.

This 30-minute meeting is designed to help you understand how we work, ask initial questions, and determine whether our firm is the right fit for your needs. Your conversation will be with Rod Cardinale, Janet’s senior paralegal of over 10 years. In cases involving international or complex estate matters, Janet may conduct this meeting directly. We will review the general scope of your situation, walk you through our process, and explain our fee structure. This meeting is a structured, getting-to-know-you conversation to assess whether we are a good mutual fit. Substantive legal guidance is provided during the paid Design Meeting with Janet. The fee for the Right Fit Conversation is $75.

If we determine there is a good mutual fit, the next step is a Design Meeting with Janet — a paid consultation where we will take a deeper look at your situation and develop a strategy tailored to your trust administration matter.

Following that meeting, if you decide to retain our office, we will send you the fee agreement for your signature and return. Then, we will assist with the trustee responsibilities, including compiling a complete list of assets, obtaining appraisals if necessary, confirming that assets are titled in the name of the trust, sending notices to beneficiaries, preparing the distribution plan, and managing the distributions to beneficiaries.

Contact one of our administrative team members:
Andrea Pine at (650) 325-8295 or Andrea@calprobate.com
Saira Arroyo at (650) 325-8276 or Saira@calprobate.com
Our Team at (650) 405-0711 or Staff@calprobate.com