Wills

A will is a legal document that lets you lay out how you want your estate to be handled after you pass. There are a few types of will, but most of the time, a will can be fairly simple, and should be fairly simple. For example, if you have a house and a bank account with assets in it, a simple will could say something like, the house goes to my son, and the money goes to my daughter. Having simple directions makes it much, much easier to ensure that the assets will go where you want them, and will spare your heirs a long and expensive probate period. Many people pass without wills, and as a result, the probate courts are very slow. In California, a probate that closes within a year of filing is considered fast, but you can get much better results by providing a legal will ahead of time. Wills do not need to be filed with the court, but you should ensure that there are multiple copies kept in identifiable places. Verbeck Law keeps signed copies of will for our clients, of course, and we can tell you who else should probably have a copy.

Full will services are generally the best bet. When we prepare a will, we’ll talk over your estate with you, make suggestions, draft a document, and handle any revisions. We’ll also keep a legal copy of the will for you, handle discussion and any needed education with your executor, and we can show you how to best hold assets ahead of the will coming into effect. We can also coordinate notary services, and deal with financial institutions that are implicated in the will, if any. To get a quote for full will services, please fill out our contact form for full-service wills.

Verbeck Law can also advise you on drafting your own will, which can be a very affordable option. Legal advice on wills is generally sold as a block of two hours of attorney time, in which we spend an hour going over your estate, and an hour talking to you about the sorts of things you’ll want to make sure are in your will to make it both legal and effective. You can also purchase follow-up time, if needed, or a larger block of attorney time, if you have in-depth questions. Options for legal advice on wills are below.