The RegistryLos Angeles · California
Estate Planning Lawyers in Santa Monica, California
Every estate planning attorney and estate planning lawyer listing on this page traces back to the State Bar of California's official roll, filtered to estate planning matters in Santa Monica. Verification describes profile identity, not quality or outcomes.
Santa Monica is a city of roughly 91,000, and its estate planning matters are heard at the Los Angeles County Superior Court: Santa Monica Courthouse. Westside civil matters are heard at the Santa Monica Courthouse on Main Street; the city administers its own rent control charter amendment, one of the strictest in California, which drives a distinctive landlord–tenant docket.
Before comparing counsel, note the clock. Under Cal. Prob. Code § 16061.8, the governing period is 120 days to contest a trust after the trustee's statutory notice. 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).
This page is the Santa Monica chapter of the registry's statewide record · Estate Planning Lawyers in California collects every county and city.
The clock & the craft
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).
Reading the roster in Santa Monica
For planning, look for attorneys who practice estate law day in and day out; ask whether the fee is flat, what the package includes (trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney, health care directive, deed work to fund the trust), and how updates are handled after marriages, births, or moves. For probate or trust administration, ask about experience in the county's probate department, statutory fees under Prob. Code § 10810, and expected timelines.
Estate Planning · Los Angeles County roster
Estate Planning matters in Santa Monica
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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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.
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