The RegistryCounty Record · California

Estate Planning Attorneys in El Dorado County, California

Looking for a estate planning attorney near you in El Dorado County? Explore the county record for estate planning attorneys on the State Bar of California's official roll and review each profile for yourself.

A Sierra county split by Echo Summit: courthouses in Placerville and South Lake Tahoe serve the foothills and the lake basin respectively. Venue for most estate planning matters arising in the county lies with the Superior Court of California, County of El Dorado, seated at Placerville.

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 El Dorado County chapter of the registry's statewide record · Estate Planning Lawyers 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 El Dorado.

County seat: Placerville

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

Estate Planning · El Dorado County roster

71 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list estate planning among their practice areas with an address of record in El Dorado County.

68 of them hold an active licence; the remainder are recorded as inactive and are not currently eligible to practise.

The roster concentrates in El Dorado Hills (28), S Lake Tahoe (11), Placerville (10) and Cameron Park (9).

9 hold a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist designation, a certification issued by the State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization, and not a rating or a ranking.

Admission years on this roster run from 1971 to 2025.

The employers most represented here are Clark Allison LLP (4).

Peter P Vlautin III

Criminal Defense · El Dorado Hills

Bar #54733 · Admitted 1972

Official record

Michelle L. Ward

Elder Law · Placerville

Bar #262497 · Admitted 2009

Official record

Amber L. White

Estate Planning · El Dorado Hills

Bar #289807 · Admitted 2013

Official record

Matthew G. Williams

Estate Planning · El Dorado Hills

Bar #273001 · Admitted 2010

Official record

Jared L. Willis

Business Law · S Lake Tahoe

Bar #291534 · Admitted 2013

Official record

Tracy S. Work

Business Law · Coloma

Bar #199687 · Admitted 1998

Official record

Clara Yang

Estate Planning · Placerville

Bar #225076 · Admitted 2003

Official record

Nicholas D. Yonano

Estate Planning · El Dorado Hills

Bar #157277 · Admitted 1991

Official record

Estate Planning matters in El Dorado 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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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

Estate Planning by city in El Dorado County

Related counsel in El Dorado 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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