Estate Planning Helping You Plan Your Legacy
Is one of the most important things you can do to help your loved ones and your favorite charities after you are gone. With a well-crafted estate plan, you will provide a legacy for your heirs and beneficiaries and spare them a lot of frustration and headaches.
At Marissa Sirota Law PLC in Davis, California, we help people create such estate planning documents as:
-
Testamentary trusts
-
Living trusts
-
Living wills
-
Advance health care directives
Estate Planning Is for Everyone
One common misconception is that estate planning is only for the very wealthy or those with complex requirements. In fact, all kinds of families can benefit from an estate plan.
An estate plan makes clear your intentions and wishes for how your assets will be distributed. This is important for you, of course, but also for your loved ones. A well-crafted estate plan can avoid confusion or arguments over how to distribute property.
Estate planning can often help a family avoid many of the headaches and much of the expense of the probate process. When done well, estate planning can save huge amounts of time, money, and stress.
At Marissa Sirota Law PLC, we will tailor your estate plan to your exact situation and your wishes. Your plan can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be.
Get Started
For the help of a lawyer skilled in estate planning, call Marissa Sirota Law PLC today at (530) 231-5853. You can also contact us by email.
We represent individuals and families in Davis, California, and throughout Yolo, Sacramento, and Solano Counties.
Probate Matters
Experienced Help With Probate Issues
When a person passes away in California, a court has to approve the transfer of that person’s property to the intended heirs and beneficiaries. This legal process is known as probate, and depending upon such factors as whether the deceased left a valid estate plan, it can be relatively straightforward or fiendishly complicated.
Either way, if you need help with probate, it can be crucial to enlist an attorney with experience in this area of the law.
Representing Executors, Trustees, and More
At Marissa Sirota Law PLC in Davis, we help people move estates through both the administration and probate in a way that protects their loved ones’ wishes, preserves their assets, and spares everyone involved a lot of headaches, worries, time, and money.
We represent executors, trustees, and others in a variety of trust administration and probate matters, including estate administration, trust administration, and more.
Helping You Through Tough Times
Often, people come to us after they have hit a wall. They can’t access the assets of a deceased spouse or can’t obtain the title to the house they live in. For people who are already coping with the loss of a loved one, these obstacles can be extremely frustrating and can take an emotional toll.
We help you understand the process and how to jump through all its hoops. We take the lead, take care of the work, and help you protect your loved one’s legacy.
Administering a Trust
A trust is an important legal tool meant to protect assets and transfer them appropriately. But if you’ve been named as a trustee by a family member or other loved one, it is all too easy to feel overwhelmed. What are your duties? What authority do you have? Who can you turn to for help and guidance?
At Marissa Sirota Law in Davis, we understand these questions, and we have answers. Our firm’s attorney, Marissa Sirota, is experienced in and highly knowledgeable about all aspects of estate law. One of the many services we offer is guiding trustees as they fulfill their important responsibilities.
Education and Guidance for Trustees
Administering a trust can be a complicated matter. There are numerous duties to fulfill and steps to take. Ms. Sirota is ready to work with you to:
-
Help you understand the terms of the trust
-
Become familiar with your specific powers and responsibilities
-
Assist with paperwork
-
Help you understand the administrative timeline and meet important deadlines
-
Help you feel comfortable in the role you have taken on
Fostering Communication and Resolving Disputes
Trust administration also requires strong, effective communication between the trustee and the trust beneficiaries. A good lawyer can serve as a liaison between these two parties, minimizing miscommunication and resolving any disputes so that litigation does not become necessary.
Marissa Sirota can also put you in contact with certified public accountants, realtors and any other professionals you may need to fulfill your duties.
Legal Advocacy and Representation
Finally, Ms. Sirota can assist you in clarifying aspects of the trust that may be vague or confusing. If the terms of the trust are silent on a given matter, she can petition the court on your behalf in order to seek approval for a certain interpretation.
As just one example, consider a situation in which no named trustees wish to serve in the role (including you). The trust may be silent on the issue of how to appoint an acting trustee. In such a situation, attorney Sirota would petition the court on your behalf so that a new trustee could be appointed and you would be allowed to resign.