Estate planning protects your assets, care preferences, and family priorities. At the Law Offices of Robert P. Bergman, serving Alamo and the surrounding Contra Costa County communities, we help individuals and families create clear plans tailored to their goals. Whether you are creating a revocable living trust, a last will and testament, powers of attorney, or health care directives, having documents that reflect your wishes can reduce family stress and avoid unnecessary delays. This introduction explains core planning components and the benefits of arranging affairs now rather than waiting until later when decisions become harder.
Estate planning is about more than distributing assets; it ensures health care wishes, financial management, and guardianship preferences are known and actionable. Many clients come seeking a straightforward path to protect loved ones, provide for dependents, or maintain control over how property is managed during incapacity. We discuss common tools such as revocable living trusts, pour-over wills, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives so you can make informed decisions. Clear estate planning reduces uncertainty, streamlines administration, and preserves privacy compared with probate proceedings when plans are missing or incomplete.
Proper estate planning provides peace of mind by documenting your intentions for asset distribution, decision-making during incapacity, and care for dependents. For homeowners in Alamo, planning can help avoid public probate, minimize administrative delays, and protect retirement accounts and life insurance proceeds for their intended beneficiaries. A well-structured plan clarifies who will manage finances if you cannot, designates health care preferences, and names guardians for minors or dependents. Beyond legal forms, planning reduces family conflict by making your wishes explicit, offers continuity for business interests or real property, and supports long-term tax and financial strategies.
The Law Offices of Robert P. Bergman serves clients across California with clear, personalized estate planning guidance. Our approach focuses on listening to your family circumstances and drafting durable documents that put your priorities first. We assist with trusts, wills, powers of attorney, health care directives, and trust administration matters, always emphasizing practical solutions that are enforceable under California law. Clients appreciate straightforward communication, careful drafting, and an emphasis on plans that are easy for family members and fiduciaries to implement when needed. We guide clients through each step from initial planning to final implementation.
Estate planning combines legal documents and instructions to protect your assets and wishes during life and after death. Core documents often include a revocable living trust to manage property privately, a last will and testament to direct distribution and name guardians, a financial power of attorney to authorize decision-making about money, and an advance health care directive to state medical preferences. Additional instruments like pour-over wills, trust certifications, and assignment documents can streamline trust-funded transfers. The planning process evaluates family needs, asset types, and potential tax or incapacity issues, producing practical documents that work for everyday life and future transitions.
When creating an estate plan, it is important to review how property is titled and where accounts are held so the chosen documents accomplish intended goals. Trusts can help avoid probate, while wills remain a necessary backup for assets outside a trust. Powers of attorney ensure someone you trust can manage financial affairs if you are incapacitated, and health care directives communicate your medical wishes and decision-maker. For families with unique needs, options like irrevocable life insurance trusts, special needs trusts, retirement plan trusts, and pet trusts provide targeted protections and peace of mind for long-term plans.
Key estate planning terms describe roles and documents that determine how decisions are made and assets are managed. A trustee manages trust assets according to the trust document, while a beneficiary receives distributions. A pour-over will complements a trust by directing any assets not already in the trust to be moved into it at death. A financial power of attorney grants another person authority to handle banking, investments, and bills when you are unable. Understanding these terms helps you choose the right people to carry out your intentions and ensures documents operate as you expect when they are needed.
Estate planning typically begins with an inventory of assets, beneficiaries, and family dynamics, followed by a discussion of objectives such as avoiding probate, minimizing estate administration time, or providing for a child with special needs. Key elements include drafting trusts and wills, naming fiduciaries, preparing powers of attorney, and recording health care preferences. The process often includes funding a trust by retitling assets, coordinating beneficiary designations on accounts, and preparing supporting documents like trust certifications. Regular reviews ensure plans remain aligned with life changes like marriage, divorce, new children, or changes in asset values.
This glossary summarizes common terms you will encounter when planning an estate in California. Familiarity with these definitions helps you make informed decisions about whom to appoint as fiduciaries, how to structure asset transfers, and which document combinations achieve your objectives. The definitions below cover trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and other instruments that control asset management during life and distribution after passing. Clear terms reduce confusion for family members and fiduciaries and make implementation more straightforward when trust administration or probate becomes necessary.
A revocable living trust is a flexible planning tool that holds title to assets while you are alive and directs distribution at death. Because it is revocable, you retain the ability to change or revoke its terms during your lifetime. Trusts help avoid probate for assets properly transferred into the trust, offer privacy for distributions, and permit management of assets in the event of incapacity through a successor trustee. Funding the trust by retitling assets and updating beneficiary designations where appropriate is an important step to ensure the trust accomplishes its goals.
A financial power of attorney is a legal document that authorizes another person to manage your financial affairs if you become unable to do so. This may include paying bills, accessing bank accounts, managing investments, and handling real estate transactions. Choosing a trustworthy agent and clearly describing their authority in the document helps prevent misuse and ensures seamless financial management. The power can be durable, remaining effective if you become incapacitated, and can be limited by scope or timing to reflect your preferences for when and how authority is exercised.
A last will and testament states how assets not already in a trust should be distributed, names an executor to manage the estate, and can appoint guardians for minor children. Wills must go through probate to transfer title to property that is solely in the decedent’s name without beneficiary designations or trust ownership. While a will provides essential backup protections, combining a will with a properly funded trust often reduces probate exposure and simplifies the process for loved ones handling final arrangements and asset transfers.
An advance health care directive documents your medical treatment preferences and names an agent to make health decisions on your behalf if you cannot communicate. The document can address life-sustaining treatment, organ donation, and comfort care, and it ensures health care providers follow your values while giving family clear guidance. Combining this directive with a HIPAA authorization facilitates access to medical information by your appointed decision-maker. Regularly reviewing and updating these documents ensures your expressed wishes reflect current preferences and medical realities.
Choosing between a limited approach and a comprehensive estate plan depends on family circumstances, asset complexity, and long-term goals. A limited approach may rely primarily on simple wills and basic powers of attorney, which can be appropriate for smaller estates or very straightforward situations. A comprehensive plan typically includes a revocable living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney, health care directives, and coordinated beneficiary designations to address incapacity and minimize probate. Evaluating the potential cost of probate, family dynamics, and the need for ongoing asset management helps determine the right path.
A limited plan can serve individuals with few assets, no dependents, or uncomplicated beneficiary situations where probate proceedings would be brief and not overly burdensome. For those whose property is largely held in accounts with designated beneficiaries, or whose primary goal is naming guardians for minor children, a focused set of documents may suffice. It is still important to prepare powers of attorney and a health care directive to address incapacity. Periodic review is recommended because simple circumstances can change with time through marriage, inheritance, or acquisition of real estate.
Cost concerns and the desire for a quick planning solution often lead people toward limited documents rather than a full trust-based plan. When immediate protection is needed and assets are modest, creating essential documents can provide vital legal authority without extensive drafting or funding steps. However, clients should weigh the potential long-term costs and administrative burdens that probate can impose on survivors. Even when choosing a limited path, proper coordination of beneficiary designations and clear instructions helps prevent disputes and simplifies post-death administration.
A comprehensive plan that includes a revocable living trust can help families avoid the public probate process and move assets to beneficiaries more privately and efficiently. For owners of real estate, business interests, or accounts without payable-on-death designations, a trust-based solution reduces the time and expense that probate often brings. Privacy benefits are meaningful when clients wish to keep financial details out of public court records. Planning ahead also allows continuity for asset management should incapacity occur, since successor trustees step in according to the trust instructions.
Comprehensive plans are particularly valuable for families with minors, beneficiaries with special needs, or those holding complex assets like closely held businesses or retirement accounts. Trusts can provide tailored distribution rules, protect inheritances from creditors, and preserve government benefits where needed. Instruments such as special needs trusts and retirement plan trusts offer mechanisms to manage distributions without jeopardizing benefits. Thoughtfully structured plans help reduce the administrative burden on successors and provide clear instructions for handling a range of asset types and family situations.
A comprehensive estate plan aligns legal documents to meet multiple objectives: asset management during incapacity, privacy, streamlined transfer at death, and tailored care for dependents. By coordinating trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives, the plan reduces the risk of conflicting instructions and avoids gaps that can complicate administration. For homeowners and business owners in Alamo, a comprehensive approach can facilitate succession planning, protect real property, and ensure that retirement accounts and life insurance proceeds are distributed according to your wishes.
In addition to practical administration benefits, a coordinated plan often reduces stress on family members who must carry out your wishes. Clear documents name fiduciaries, define their responsibilities, and provide instructions to follow under predictable contingencies. This foresight can prevent disputes that arise when intentions are unclear and helps maintain family relationships during difficult times. Periodic reviews of a comprehensive plan ensure it stays current with changes in laws, assets, and family circumstances, preserving its effectiveness over the years.
One principal benefit of a comprehensive plan is the privacy it affords through trust administration rather than public probate proceedings. Trust-funded transfers allow beneficiaries to receive assets with less delay and with fewer court filings. For families who value discretion, reducing public exposure of estate details is a key consideration. Efficient asset transfer also helps maintain continuity for properties and businesses, enabling successors to access and manage assets as needed without lengthy court supervision or additional legal hurdles.
Comprehensive planning enables tailored protections such as trusts for minors, special needs trusts to preserve public benefits, or life insurance trusts to provide liquidity for estate needs. These customized provisions can control timing and conditions of distributions, protect inheritances from creditors, and support long-term care for dependent beneficiaries. By setting clear terms and naming reliable fiduciaries, a detailed plan minimizes ambiguity and helps ensure that family priorities and care preferences are implemented over time according to your intentions.
Start by creating a thorough inventory of your assets, including real estate, bank accounts, retirement accounts, life insurance policies, business interests, and personal property. Note account numbers, titles, beneficiary designations, and where deeds or policy documents are stored. This inventory makes it easier to determine what should be placed into a trust, what requires beneficiary updates, and which documents need attention. Sharing a clear inventory with your appointed fiduciary, along with instructions about access, helps prevent delays during an incapacity or at death and reduces stress for family members who must act.
Estate plans should be reviewed after major life events such as marriage, divorce, births, deaths, significant changes in assets, or changes in state law. Regular reviews ensure beneficiaries are current, trustees remain appropriate, and account titling aligns with plan goals. Updating documents when circumstances change prevents unintended consequences and keeps your plan effective. Scheduling periodic check-ins every few years provides an opportunity to confirm that powers of attorney and health care directives reflect current preferences and that any trust funding steps remain complete.
There are many reasons to create or update an estate plan, including ensuring your property transfers as you intend, protecting minor children, preparing for potential incapacity, and reducing the burden of probate on loved ones. For Alamo homeowners, transferring real estate with minimal court involvement often relies on trust funding and proper titling. Additionally, planning can preserve eligibility for public benefits in families with members who need long-term care or rely on means-tested programs. Addressing these issues proactively provides clarity and preserves family harmony at a difficult time.
Estate planning also supports business continuity for entrepreneurs and small business owners by naming successors and providing instructions for management or sale. Life changes such as remarriage, inheritance, or the acquisition of investment property can create unexpected conflicts if not addressed in legal documents. Creating powers of attorney and health care directives ensures someone you trust can act on your behalf if you cannot. Thoughtful planning balances practical day-to-day needs with long-term goals so your wishes are carried out with minimal disruption and maximum clarity.
Typical circumstances that prompt estate planning include purchasing real estate, starting a family, caring for a child with special needs, approaching retirement, or experiencing a significant change in wealth. Each situation creates choices about guardianship, asset protection, and distribution timing that are best addressed with clear legal documents. Planning is also appropriate when health changes raise concerns about future incapacity, or when business owners seek continuity for their companies. Identifying your family’s specific needs guides the selection of tools that protect relationships and financial stability.
When you acquire real estate, it is important to consider how property ownership should be handled during incapacity and distributed at death. Adding property to a trust can avoid probate and simplify transfers for heirs, while failing to fund a trust can leave assets subject to a probate process. Homeowners should coordinate deeds, mortgage considerations, and beneficiary designations with an overall estate plan. Doing so reduces administrative delays and assures that the family’s housing and real estate interests are preserved according to the owner’s wishes.
Parents need to name guardians for minor children and provide for their financial needs in the event of an unexpected death. Trusts and wills can create managed distributions for children at staged ages, provide funds for education and care, and appoint guardians who will raise children according to stated preferences. Clear Instructions and financial provisions help avoid disputes and ensure that children receive consistent support even if parents cannot provide it themselves. Regular updates reflect changes in family circumstances or guardian availability.
Families with members who rely on government benefits or have ongoing care needs benefit from trusts tailored to preserve eligibility and provide supplemental support. Special needs trusts hold assets for a beneficiary without disqualifying them from public programs, while careful coordination of beneficiary designations and trustee instructions ensures continued care. Planning for long-term needs includes naming trustees who will manage funds responsibly and provide structured distributions that enhance quality of life without interrupting benefits essential to ongoing care.
The Law Offices of Robert P. Bergman provides approachable legal assistance to Alamo residents seeking to organize estate plans that reflect their values and priorities. Our team guides clients through choosing the right documents, funding trusts, preparing powers of attorney, and documenting health care directives. We focus on clear explanations and practical solutions so families understand how their plans will function in real life. Whether you are drafting a new plan, updating existing documents, or addressing trust administration, we provide the information and support needed to move forward confidently.
Clients select our firm for comprehensive attention to detail and a client-centered approach to drafting estate planning documents. We prioritize listening to your family’s priorities and translating them into durable, practical legal instruments. From revocable living trusts and pour-over wills to powers of attorney and health care directives, we prepare paperwork designed to operate smoothly under California law. Clear communication throughout the process helps ensure that you and your loved ones understand responsibilities, timelines, and steps to keep documents current over time.
Our practice includes assistance with trust funding, transfer documents, and petitions that may be needed during trust administration or modification. We help with common supplementary instruments such as certifications of trust, general assignments to trust, HIPAA authorizations, and guardianship nominations for parents planning for minors. This broad service offering helps clients address multiple planning goals in one coordinated plan, reducing the risk of overlooked items and making administration by successors less burdensome when it becomes necessary.
We also assist families facing changes in circumstances who need modifications or trust petitions, including Heggstad petitions and trust modification filings when appropriate. Our goal is to provide planning that anticipates future needs and incorporates practical mechanisms for handling common transitions such as retirement distributions, life insurance proceeds, and special care provisions. Clients benefit from a steady, informed approach to completing and maintaining documents that reflect their wishes and provide clear guidance to those charged with carrying them out.
Our process begins with an initial consultation to review family circumstances, assets, and planning objectives. We gather necessary financial information, discuss fiduciary appointments, and recommend a document package aligned with your goals. After drafting, we review documents with you, make any refinements, and explain steps for funding trusts and signing formalities. We also prepare supporting documents such as HIPAA authorizations and guardianship nominations as needed. Finally, we advise on keeping documents current and provide follow-up for future updates or trust administration assistance.
During the initial meeting, we listen to your goals and collect details about assets, family dynamics, and any special considerations such as beneficiaries with disabilities. We explain the options available under California law and outline recommended documents. This conversation helps determine whether a trust-based plan, simple will, or other combination of instruments best meets your needs. We also identify immediate tasks, such as beneficiary updates or deed changes, that will help align existing accounts with your chosen plan.
We ask about family relationships, caregiving worries, the need to protect beneficiaries, and preferences for asset distribution timing. Understanding these priorities allows us to tailor documents that manage income flows, preserve eligibility for benefits, and set conditions for distributions. We also identify fiduciaries who are capable and willing to serve, and recommend alternates. These early discussions reduce ambiguity and help ensure that the final plan reflects real-world concerns and long-term objectives rather than generic templates.
A careful inventory of real property, bank accounts, investment holdings, retirement plans, and insurance policies identifies where changes may be needed to implement a chosen plan. We review current account titling, beneficiary designations, and deed status to determine what must be retitled or updated to fund a trust. Addressing these issues early prevents gaps between intended and actual transfers and avoids unintended probate exposure for assets left outside the trust. Clear next steps are provided to complete necessary retitling and beneficiary changes.
After confirming the plan, we draft trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives tailored to your choices and California statutory requirements. We also prepare trust certificates, general assignment forms, and any pet trust or special needs documents your situation requires. The draft review stage gives you an opportunity to ask questions, request revisions, and ensure that beneficiaries, fiduciaries, and distribution schedules match your intentions. We explain administrative responsibilities and provide guidance for maintaining documents after signing.
Trust and will drafting addresses ownership, distribution timing, trustee powers, and alternate arrangements for unforeseen events. Drafting includes provisions for successor trustees, trustee compensation, and management instructions during incapacity. Wills function as pour-over mechanisms to capture any assets not previously transferred into the trust. Carefully drafted language helps minimize ambiguity and supports efficient administration by fiduciaries. Clients receive clear explanations of each clause so they can make informed decisions before execution.
Powers of attorney and advance health care directives are prepared to ensure someone you trust can handle finances and medical decisions if needed. These documents include HIPAA authorizations so appointed agents can obtain medical information and act promptly. We discuss durable versus limited powers and provide language that reflects your desired scope of authority. Ensuring these documents are properly executed and shared with appropriate institutions reduces delays in obtaining care or managing assets during an incapacity.
The final step includes signing documents according to legal formalities, funding trusts by retitling assets, and updating beneficiary designations. We guide clients through notarization and witness requirements, transfer deeds when needed, and advising financial institutions on trust acceptance. After execution, we provide instructions for maintaining and reviewing the plan, including when to update documents. Ongoing maintenance ensures the plan continues to reflect changing family circumstances, asset growth, and legal developments that could affect administration or distribution.
Execution requires adherence to California signing rules, including notarization and witness requirements where applicable. After documents are signed, funding the trust involves retitling real estate, changing account ownership, and designating the trust as beneficiary where appropriate. Proper funding is essential to realize benefits such as avoiding probate. We assist with the necessary forms, deed preparation, and institution communication to ensure the trust holds the assets intended and functions as described in the trust document for successor trustees and beneficiaries.
Following execution, we supply clients with clear guidance about storing documents, sharing critical information with fiduciaries, and periodic reviews. Changes in family or financial circumstances may necessitate amendments or restatements. We recommend scheduled check-ins to confirm beneficiaries and trustee selections remain appropriate, and to address life events such as marriage, divorce, births, or new assets. Providing successors with an organizational plan and documentation helps ensure smooth administration when the time comes.
A revocable living trust and a will both express how you want assets handled, but they operate differently and serve distinct roles in estate administration. A trust holds assets during life and at death under the terms you set, allowing successor trustees to manage and distribute property without court probate for assets properly transferred into the trust. A will governs distribution of assets that remain in your name at death and must generally go through probate to transfer title. Trusts can offer privacy and continuity of management in the event of incapacity, while wills are essential for naming guardians for minor children and dealing with assets not placed in a trust. Because each tool addresses different needs, many people use both together: a trust for estate administration and a pour-over will to capture any remaining assets not assigned to the trust. Reviewing how property is titled and coordinating beneficiary designations with a chosen plan is important. This coordination helps ensure that assets pass according to your intentions and reduces the chance that property will be subject to probate despite your wishes.
Choosing a trustee or agent involves balancing trustworthiness, availability, and ability to manage financial or personal matters responsibly. Trusted family members or close friends may understand your values and family dynamics, while a professional fiduciary can provide continuity and administrative experience. Consider whether the person can handle recordkeeping, investment decisions, tax issues, and potential conflicts with beneficiaries. Naming alternates provides backup if your first choice cannot serve when needed. It is also helpful to discuss the role with the person you intend to appoint so they understand the commitment and expectations. Clear written guidance in the trust or a separate memorandum can outline your goals and provide practical instructions, reducing uncertainty for those who will act on your behalf. Periodic review of your appointments ensures the named individuals remain appropriate as circumstances change over time.
A trust by itself does not automatically eliminate estate taxes; tax consequences depend on the size of the estate and applicable federal or state thresholds. Revocable trusts are typically included in the grantor’s taxable estate for estate tax purposes because the grantor retains control during life. For larger estates that may be subject to federal or state estate taxes, additional planning strategies such as irrevocable trusts or life insurance trusts are often used to manage potential tax exposure. For many families, estate taxes are not an immediate concern due to current exemptions, but tax laws can change. Planning should consider both present tax rules and likely future needs, particularly where business interests, significant retirement accounts, or large investment portfolios exist. A considered plan can incorporate measures to minimize tax impact while achieving other goals like asset protection and distribution flexibility.
Reviewing and updating your estate plan is recommended after major life events such as marriage, divorce, births, deaths, significant changes in assets, or relocation between states. Even absent life events, periodic reviews every few years help ensure documents reflect current wishes and legal developments. Regular review ensures beneficiary designations, guardian selections, and fiduciary appointments remain appropriate and that account titling continues to align with your plan’s structure. Updating documents prevents unintended outcomes that arise when plans become outdated. For example, new assets acquired after drafting might not be included in a trust if not retitled, and changes in family relationships may require different distribution priorities. Scheduling reviews and keeping an up-to-date asset inventory reduces future complications for those tasked with implementing your wishes.
Without a financial power of attorney, the court may need to appoint a conservator to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated. That process can be time-consuming, public, and costly, and it gives decision-making authority to a court-appointed person rather than someone you would have selected. The absence of clear authority can delay bill payments, mortgage management, and other financial actions needed for family stability during incapacity. Having a durable financial power of attorney in place allows a trusted individual to step in quickly to handle banking, bill payments, tax matters, and other financial duties, reducing the risk of missed obligations. Complementing this with a health care directive ensures medical wishes are known and a designated decision-maker can communicate with providers, helping preserve continuity of care and honoring your preferences.
Yes, trusts that are revocable can be changed or revoked by the person who created them during their lifetime, allowing the document to be updated as circumstances evolve. Amendments or restatements provide mechanisms to adjust distributions, trustees, or provisions without drafting an entirely new document. For irrevocable trusts, changes are more limited and may require court approval or consent from beneficiaries under certain conditions, so the initial design should consider long-term goals carefully. When revising any trust, it is important to maintain proper execution formalities and to coordinate changes with other estate documents. Reviewing beneficiary designations, retitling assets, and confirming that the updated trust is funded correctly will help ensure that the revisions take effect as intended and that no gaps are created between documents that could lead to unintended probate or administrative issues.
For a beneficiary who relies on means-tested benefits, a dedicated trust designed for those circumstances can provide support without disqualifying them from essential programs. A special needs trust can hold assets for supplemental care, paying for items and services that enhance quality of life while preserving eligibility for Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income. Proper drafting ensures distributions are discretionary and tailored to the beneficiary’s needs, avoiding direct support that could affect benefits eligibility. Careful coordination with existing public benefit rules and financial planning is essential to avoid unintended consequences. Trustees must understand how to administer funds in a way that supports the beneficiary while preserving their benefits. In some cases, family members combine testamentary provisions and funded trusts to provide transitional and long-term support based on the beneficiary’s circumstances and needs.
Funding a trust involves transferring ownership of assets into the trust’s name so the trust can control those assets during life and direct their distribution at death. This often means executing a deed to transfer real estate, changing account registration for bank or brokerage accounts, and assigning ownership of personal property where appropriate. Retirement accounts and certain financial instruments may require beneficiary designation changes rather than retitling, so coordination is important to achieve intended results. Funding is necessary because a trust only controls assets that are properly titled in its name. Without funding, assets may remain subject to probate despite the existence of a trust document. Completing the funding steps, following institutional requirements, and retaining records of transfers helps ensure the trust operates as planned and reduces surprises for successor trustees and beneficiaries during administration.
A pour-over will operates as a safety net to move any assets that were not transferred into your trust during life into the trust at death. While a properly funded trust should hold most assets, a pour-over will captures any remaining items, ensuring they are eventually administered under the trust’s terms. The will still typically goes through probate to transfer title to the trust, so the pour-over is most useful as a backup rather than a substitute for funding the trust while living. Including a pour-over will provides assurance that unintended gaps in funding will still result in assets being distributed as intended. It also simplifies estate administration by consolidating distributions under the trust terms, reducing the risk that assets outside the trust are treated differently or distributed inconsistently with your overall plan. Review of account titling reduces reliance on the pour-over by encouraging proper funding beforehand.
To provide for pets, clients can create a pet trust or include pet care provisions in their estate planning documents to designate caretakers and allocate funds for ongoing care. A pet trust holds assets for the animal’s benefit and defines how and when funds should be used, who will act as caretaker, and secondary arrangements if the named caregiver cannot continue. Including clear instructions and caretaker compensation provisions ensures pets receive consistent care according to the owner’s wishes after passing. Naming caregivers in advance and discussing responsibilities with them reduces uncertainty and improves the likelihood that pets will be cared for as intended. Providing access to funds and updating documents if circumstances change helps prevent gaps in care. A combination of clear legal provisions and practical arrangements with trusted individuals creates reliable ongoing support for beloved animals.
Criminal Defense
Homicide Defense
Manslaughter
Assault and Battery
Assault with a Deadly Weapon
Battery Causing Great Bodily Injury
Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence Protection Orders
Domestic Violence Restraining Order
Arson Defense
Weapons Charges
Illegal Firearm Possessions
Civil Harassment
Civil Harassment Restraining Orders
School Violence Restraining Orders
Violent Crimes Defense
Estate Planning Practice Areas