Protect Your Family, Your Assets & the Legacy You’ve Built

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Estate planning is about more than preparing legal documents. It is about deciding who will protect your family, manage your affairs, and carry out your wishes when you are no longer able to do so yourself.

LaVelle Law Offices helps individuals and families throughout the Bay Area create personalized California estate plans built around their families, property, businesses, and long-term goals.

Typically, a BASIC estate plan will include:

  • A valid and legally enforceable will that names your heirs
  • A revocable living trust, which enables your family to avoid probate as well as guides asset management and decision-making if you become incapacitated during your lifetime
  • Powers of attorney for financial management and health care decision-making in case you are unable to handle these yourself at some point
  • Nomination of guardians for minor children

What is Estate Planning?

What is Estate Planning?

Estate planning helps you take control of your financial future and make sure your wishes are carried out. It’s the foundation for protecting your assets and caring for the people who matter most.

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Do I Need A Will?

Do I Need A Will?

A will is one of the simplest yet most important documents in any estate plan. It ensures your property and belongings are distributed according to your intentions, not state law.

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Living Trusts

Living Trusts

A living trust gives you flexibility and control over how your assets are managed during your lifetime and transferred afterward. It’s often used to avoid probate and maintain privacy for your estate.

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Probate Attorney

Probate Attorney

Navigating probate can be time-consuming and confusing without professional guidance. A probate attorney helps streamline the process, ensuring your loved one’s estate is handled correctly and efficiently.

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Durable Power of Attorney

Durable Power of Attorney

Life can be unpredictable, and a durable power of attorney provides peace of mind when you can’t act on your own behalf. It designates someone you trust to handle your financial and legal matters when needed.

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Healthcare Directive

Healthcare Directive

A healthcare directive ensures your medical preferences are respected, even if you can’t communicate them yourself. It also gives loved ones clarity and confidence when making important healthcare decisions.

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What Is Estate Planning in California?

Estate planning is the process of creating legally enforceable instructions for how your property, finances, healthcare decisions and family responsibilities should be handled during your lifetime and after your death. A California estate plan commonly includes a will, revocable living trust, durable power of attorney and advance healthcare directive.

Wills

A will allows you to state how certain property should be distributed, nominate an executor and address important family considerations such as guardianship of minor children. For many families, a will and a living trust work together as part of the same estate plan.

Comprehensive Estate Planning Services

No two California families have exactly the same estate planning needs. LaVelle Law Offices helps clients build coordinated plans in which each document serves a specific purpose and works together with the rest of the estate plan.

Revocable Living Trusts

A revocable living trust can allow you to maintain control of your assets during your lifetime while establishing how those assets should be managed and distributed in the future. Properly structured and funded trusts can also help many California families avoid probate.

FREE Wills vs Trusts PDF