Practice Areas

• Medi-Cal Asset Preservation. You must meet restrictive income and asset limits to qualify for Medi-Cal. However, you do not necessarily need to part with your hard-earned assets by “spending down” in order to become eligible. We can work with you to implement numerous types of tools, including irrevocable trusts, that protect your assets and facilitate benefit eligibility.
• Medi-Cal (Medicaid) Planning. Our attorneys have decades of experience successfully helping Californians qualify for Medi-Cal benefits. We can leverage strategic transfers and retitling of assets to avoid spend downs and secure the financial resources you need to afford long-term care.
• Proposition 19. This recent legislative change in California significantly impacts property taxes and may require an adjustment to your existing estate plan. Homeowners that are at least 55 years old and/or disabled can now more easily move to a pricier property without forfeiting tax advantages. However, children who inherit real estate from their parents will now have to pay higher property taxes if they do not use the inherited property as a primary residence. Prop 13 protections are lost, without proper planning. Our team can evaluate how Proposition 19 may affect your plan and recommend any necessary changes, potentially saving your family hundreds of thousands of dollars in future property tax increases.
• Revocable Living Trusts and Wills. We emphatically urge our clients to consider incorporating a revocable living trust into their estate plan. This tool allows you to name beneficiaries to your assets while maintaining privacy and avoiding the bulk of probate. A last will and testament is typically a less efficient way to distribute assets, but the document also allows you to name a personal representative to oversee your estate and a guardian for your minor children.
• Special Needs Planning. If you have a loved one with special needs, you may understandably worry about their financial security once you are gone. Though public benefits offer some resources, they are often not enough to live on. By creating and funding a special needs trust, you can safely provide for your disabled family member without endangering their eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medi-Cal. We are trailblazers in this area and can offer knowledgeable assistance. We’ve authored a book on this subject, available on Amazon.
• Trust Administration and Probate. When someone passes away, their assets must be distributed and their estate must be closed, or “settled.” If someone passes away without a trust, their estate will go through court-supervised probate, and the last will and testament guides asset distribution. If a living trust is in place, the trustee will distribute assets in accordance with the deceased’s wishes. All valid debts must be paid as part of any estate settlement process. Our team can assist personal representatives and trustees with the probate and trust administration processes, respectively.
• Trust and Will Contests. If you have reason to believe a loved one’s will or trust is illegitimate or otherwise not enforceable as a result of undue influence or some other factor, you have the right as an interested party to contest the will or trust. Conversely, you may need to defend against will or trust contests if you are serving as the deceased’s personal representative or trustee. We are extensively familiar with how to advance and defend against these challenges and can assist you throughout the adjudication process.

Learn more about how our services can work to protect your legacy by contacting us online or calling (650) 683-9200.