Blog

Stay ahead of legal news, firm updates, and other insights from our San Jose estate planning attorneys. Our blog covers California trust administration, probate, estate planning strategy, asset protection, and high-profile trust cases that illustrate common pitfalls and best practices.

Featured topics on the Trust Law Legacy blog

Most of our posts fall into one of these four themes. Use the links below to jump to category archives, or scroll down for the latest articles.

Trust administration and management

How long trust administration takes, the steps a successor trustee must follow, California Probate Code §16061.7 notice requirements, trust accounting, and Form 706 estate-tax reporting. If you’ve been named a successor trustee — or you’re updating an existing revocable trust — start here.

Probate and estate settlement

California probate timelines, Santa Clara County Superior Court procedures, when probate is required vs. when it can be avoided with a trust, and what executors should expect during the year-or-more probate process.

Estate planning strategies and tax reduction

How trusts reduce estate taxes, advanced estate planning for tech families (RSU vesting, founder equity, ISO exercise timing), incapacity planning, and special-needs planning for families with disabled beneficiaries.

Celebrity trust cases and lessons learned

What the Jimmy Buffett trust dispute, Lisa Marie Presley’s California trust case, and other high-profile estates teach about no-contest clauses, trustee selection, and the cost of underspecifying beneficiary designations. Real cases beat hypothetical examples every time.