The RegistryCounty Record · California

Estate Planning Lawyers in Del Norte County, California

Searching for a estate planning attorney in Del Norte County? Counsel for wills, trusts, and probate: the paperwork that outlives you, done right. This page indexes the county's estate planning coverage from the State Bar of California's official roll, with identity-verification markers where available.

California's far northwestern corner, on the Oregon border amid the redwoods; the courthouse in Crescent City serves a small coastal population, and Pelican Bay State Prison shapes part of the criminal docket. The court of record is the Superior Court of California, County of Del Norte · counsel who appear there regularly read the local calendar better than any brochure.

The law also keeps time: 120 days to contest a trust after the trustee's statutory notice under Cal. Prob. Code § 16061.8. A trustee's notification under Prob. Code § 16061.7 starts a 120-day contest window. Creditor claims in probate are generally barred one year after death (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 366.2). The plaque below carries the citation; the roster that follows carries the rest.

This page is the Del Norte County chapter of the registry's statewide record · Estate Planning Attorneys in California collects all 58 counties.

The clock & the court

Statute of limitations

120 days to contest a trust after the trustee's statutory notice.

Cal. Prob. Code § 16061.8

A trustee's notification under Prob. Code § 16061.7 starts a 120-day contest window. Creditor claims in probate are generally barred one year after death (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 366.2).

Court of record

Superior Court of California, County of Del Norte.

County seat: Crescent City

Official court information, locations, and filing rules: www.delnorte.courts.ca.gov

Estate Planning · Del Norte County roster

4 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list estate planning among their practice areas with an address of record in Del Norte County.

Admission years on this roster run from 1985 to 2020.

Cathie A. Childs

Business Law · Crescent City

Bar #150729 · Admitted 1990

Official record

Christine A. Doehle

Estate Planning · Crescent City

Bar #154179 · Admitted 1991

Official record

Helen M. Hoopes

Civil Rights · Crescent City

Bar #332361 · Admitted 2020

Official record

Teresa Jenkins

Estate Planning · Crescent City

Bar #121192 · Admitted 1985

Official record

Estate Planning counsel in the counties bordering Del Norte County

4 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list estate planning among their practice areas with an active licence and an address of record in Del Norte County.

The counties that share a border with Del Norte County hold 56 attorneys with estate planning among their practice areas, counted by the county of their address of record:

Estate Planning matters in Del Norte County

The matters this field covers, as Californians search for them. Each attorney's own profile states which of these they take.

  • wills and living trusts
  • probate administration
  • trust administration
  • will and trust contests
  • powers of attorney and health care directives
  • conservatorships
  • estate tax planning
  • special needs trusts
  • small estate procedures
  • trustee and executor disputes

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In the last 30 days attorneys have read 1 filed matter on the registry.

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Legal information, not legal advice · The AI reception identifies itself

Estate Planning questions, cited

What makes a will valid in California?

A formal will must be in writing, signed by the testator, and witnessed by two people present at the same time who understand it is a will (Cal. Prob. Code § 6110). A holographic will, with the signature and material terms in the testator's own handwriting, needs no witnesses (Cal. Prob. Code § 6111). California also offers a fill-in statutory will form (Prob. Code § 6240).

Does a living trust avoid probate in California?

Assets properly titled in a revocable living trust pass under the trust's terms without probate administration, the successor trustee distributes them per Cal. Prob. Code §§ 16000 et seq. The trust only works for assets actually transferred into it; property left outside may still require probate unless it fits the small-estate procedures or passes by beneficiary designation.

When is probate required in California, and can a small estate skip it?

Probate is generally required when the qualifying gross value of a decedent's California property exceeds the small-estate threshold of Cal. Prob. Code § 13100: $208,850 for deaths on or after April 1, 2025 ($184,500 for deaths from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2025), adjusted every three years under § 890. Below it, successors can collect assets by affidavit 40 days after death. Real property has separate procedures: a petition for the decedent's primary residence worth up to $750,000 (Prob. Code § 13151) and an affidavit for real property of small value (§ 13200).

How long do I have to contest a trust or a will in California?

For a trust, 120 days after the trustee serves the notification required by Cal. Prob. Code § 16061.7 (or 60 days after receiving the trust terms on request, if later), Prob. Code § 16061.8. A will contest is filed before admission to probate or, after admission, within 120 days (Cal. Prob. Code § 8270). Missing these windows usually ends the challenge.

What happens if I die without a will in California?

Your estate passes by intestate succession under Cal. Prob. Code §§ 6400 et seq. Community property goes to the surviving spouse; separate property is divided among spouse, children, parents, or siblings by statutory formula. The court chooses the administrator and heirs are fixed by statute rather than by your wishes, the situation an estate plan exists to prevent.

Legal information, not legal advice.

From the answer files

Related counsel in Del Norte County

Estate Planning in nearby counties

Source: Cal. Prob. Code § 16061.8 · State Bar of California licensee records · Checked: · Maintained by the California Attorney Registry from official State Bar of California records. Legal information, not legal advice.

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