Estate Planning and Probate
At the Law Offices of Ryutaro Hirota, we assist clients with planning for the management of their estates and with administering estates through the probate process. We understand the difficulties that clients may have in managing the affairs of their loved ones or considering their own plans for their future estates, and we work to ensure that clients are able to work through these processes as smoothly as possible.
Estate Planning
Estate planning is an important part of preparing for the future. People often don’t want to think about estate planning because the disposition of their estate at and after they’ve passed away can be a difficult topic. However, it is an important issue to manage before it becomes a problem because it allows people to reduce or eliminate the uncertainties that may arise if they become incapacitated or pass away. At the Law Offices of Ryutaro Hirota, we understand that clients have individual and specific goals that need to be met, and these goals can mean the difference between simple and complex estate plans.
Probate
Probate is the name given to the judicial process where a will, if one exists, is “proved” and where a person’s estate is distributed. In California, any estate valued over $150,000 must be probated and administered according to the court’s rules. If an estate is less than $150,000, then a “Small Estate” affidavit may be used to distribute the estate. At the Law Offices of Ryutaro Hirota, we work to ensure that clients are able to properly handle their loved ones’ estates as smoothly as possible.