PRACTICE AREAS
Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Administration
DuCharme Law helps individuals and families throughout California put thoughtful estate plans in place and works alongside executors and trustees when it’s time to carry out those plans.
Estate Planning
Estate planning gives you the opportunity to decide what will happen to your property when you die, who will make decisions for you if you become incapacitated, and how the people you love will be provided for.
Depending on your circumstances, your plan may include a revocable living trust, a will, financial powers of attorney and health care directives, along with additional provisions for children, beneficiaries with special needs, tax considerations or other family and financial concerns.
DuCharme Law also helps clients put their plans in place, including preparing the deeds and other legal documents needed to transfer assets into their trusts and guiding them through the remaining funding process.
Probate
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling an estate when assets must pass through probate rather than through a trust or another means of transfer.
If you’ve been appointed personal representative, we’d be happy to represent you throughout the California probate process, from the initial court filings through final distribution. We handle the legal work and court procedure, while guiding you in carrying out the responsibilities that remain yours.
Trust Administration
If you’ve been named successor trustee, you may become responsible for managing a loved one’s trust when that person dies or becomes unable to manage their own affairs.
We work alongside you as trustee, handling the legal work and explaining what the trust and California law require of you. We can assist with the initial administration following death or incapacity, as well as the ongoing management of trusts that continue for many years.
Our Estate Planning Process
We take our estate planning clients through a clear, six-step process, from the first conversation through a completed estate plan.
01. Initial Consultation
We'll start with a complimentary phone consultation to discuss your goals, explore your options and determine whether you need a trust, or whether other options may be better suited.
02. Design Meeting
The Design Meeting is where we talk through your family, assets and wishes, make the important planning decisions together, and design your estate plan.
03. Information Confirmation
You'll review your information and Estate Plan Summary to confirm that everything is complete, accurate and reflects the decisions we've made—so we get your documents right the first time.
04. Review & Signing
At the Review & Signing Meeting, we review your completed documents together, explain how everything works and answer all your questions before you sign.
05. Funding
We'll prepare the necessary deeds, help you coordinate your assets with your trust and guide you through account funding. Or, if you prefer, we can handle the trust funding for you.
06. Wrap-Up Meeting
We'll present your completed estate plan and talk about keeping it current as your life changes. Then we'll congratulate you—you've done something important for yourself and the people you love.
Not Sure What You Need?
You don’t need to figure that out before you call. We’ll start by talking about your situation and how we may be able to help.