I’ll take care of it tomorrow. How many times have you said this in the past year? It seems innocuous enough, especially when something is as trivial as mailing a letter or taking out the garbage. But there are some things, such as going to the doctor or planning your retirement, that could have major effects on your life if…[...]

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Tags: common-law, couples, death, intestacy, intestate, joint tenancy, leaglly married, living together, Marriage, Probate, tenants-in-common, trust, unwed, Wills
Posted in Estate Planning - Wills, Trusts, and Probate | No Comments »

Who’s gone to the DMV only to have to wait for your number to be called? It’s frustrating, having to sit there for hours on end just to turn in a form or get a new picture taken. It’s even more frustrating when you have an appointment and still have to wait for hours. But what would you think if…[...]

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Tags: asylum, border, hardships, immigration, immigration law, laws, port of entry, refugee, refugee treaty, refugees, turnback policy, waitlist
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We’ve all heard or seen stories of someone obtaining a restraining order because they have been abused in some way and wish to keep someone from coming within a certain distance out of fear for their safety. What we don’t often hear, but is just as prevalent, is elder abuse. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, one to…[...]

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Tags: abandonment, abduction, abuse, attorney-in-fact, conservator, elder, elder abuse, financial, guardian ad Litem, isolation, mental, move-out, neglect, personal conduct, physical, restraining order, restraining orders, stay away, Trustee
Posted in Family Law, Legal Documents | No Comments »

In 1987, your mother purchased her home for $85,000. It’s now 2018 and the home is worth over $500,000. Better yet, it’s about to become yours. The caveat: the transfer of this property will immediately trigger reassessment of the property tax, which means you could end up paying a great deal more than what your mother currently pays. The good…[...]

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Tags: Estate Planning, exemption, inheritence, prop 13, prop 193, prop 58, property, property tax, proposition 13, proposition 193, propostition 58, reassessment, tax, transfer
Posted in Estate Planning - Wills, Trusts, and Probate, Legal Codes, Legal Documents | No Comments »

  Years ago, the mantra for actors was wanting to direct. In the last couple of decades, though, that mantra seems to have transformed into, “I want to produce!” Directing a film is one thing; running a successful business is quite another. Like any business, whether it’s started because of a need in the marketplace, a desire to have independent…[...]

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Tags: actor, actors, Business, finance, financing, funding, happy madison, icon productions, ownership, partners, partnerships, plan b, producing, production, production studios, rights, running a business
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No matter what happens, no one can bring anything with them when they die. The most we can do to prepare for the inevitable is draft a will or trust, which guarantees that the assets left behind (the decedent’s estate) are transferred to the correct heirs. It seems easy enough, but the process of transferring the estate includes dozens of…[...]

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Tags: California, California Legal Codes, California Penal Codes, California Probate, California Probate Codes, Legal Codes, Penal Codes, Probate, Probate Code, Trusts, Wills
Posted in Estate Planning - Wills, Trusts, and Probate, Legal Codes, Legal Documents, Probate Code | No Comments »

We all love to believe that when we meet that perfect someone, we’ll walk with them into the sunset of life. The truth is, people and relationships often change, tearing down a marriage just as fast as building it up. Divorce is hard no matter the circumstances, but if kids are involved, couples must consider their feelings and sensibilities over…[...]

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Tags: Child, Child Custody, Child Custody Mediation, Children, Custody, Divorce, divorce proceedings, Family, Family Law, Mediation, Mediator, Mediators, private
Posted in Child Custody, Family Law | No Comments »

Richard Pryor and John Candy in Brewster's Millions A lot of movies in the marketplace are titled Inheritance (or some variation of that). These films tend to take a dramatic, morose look at inheritances and can be relatable or therapeutic if you’ve recently lost a loved one. But they also focus more on character relationships than with the inheritance itself.…[...]

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Tags: brewsters millions, conditional bequest, creative, creative wills, easy money, Estate Planning, inherit, inheritance, movies, the bachelor, will, Wills
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No matter how much planning one does to prepare for the future, no one knows exactly when they’re going to die. In the matter of probate, this can cause various issues, especially when dealing with assets and property in multiple states. The probate process can be time-consuming and expensive when someone dies with all of their property centralized in their…[...]

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Tags: ancillary, ancillary probate, Estate, Estate Planning, Probate, process, residency
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Though it was announced in December 2017 that Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in a massive $52.4 billion deal, it’s still too soon to know what that means for properties such as The X-Men or The Simpsons because the deal itself must first go through a regulatory review to make sure the sale is legal and doesn’t violate any antitrust…[...]

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Tags: 20th Century Fox, acquisitions, Business, buying, Disney, Federal law, M&A, mergers, mergers & acquisitions, merging, regulations, regulatory process, selling, State law
Posted in Business, Mergers & Acquisitions | No Comments »