Remote Representation
We represent clients throughout California
From San Diego to the North Coast, most of our clients never set foot in our Walnut Creek office. The documents, the strategy, and the attention are the same in every county.
- Phone
- Video
You do not have to live near Walnut Creek to work with us. We represent clients throughout the State of California, and most of our clients never set foot in our office.
Over the years we have refined a remote process that lets us prepare, review, and finalize a complete estate plan, probate, or trust administration with clients in San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno, Los Angeles, the North Coast, or anywhere else in the state. Everything is handled by phone, video conference, email, and mail. The result is the same carefully drafted plan you would receive if you sat across the desk from us.
What we handle remotely
We represent clients statewide in the following areas:
Estate planning
Revocable living trusts, wills, financial durable powers of attorney, and advance health care directives designed to keep your family out of probate court.
Estate planning with asset protection
Plans that go beyond the basic living trust to protect your home and savings from long-term care costs and other risks.
Medi-Cal planning
Legally protecting your assets while qualifying for Medi-Cal to pay for nursing home and long-term care, including planning for a spouse who remains at home.
Estate planning for Alzheimer’s and dementia
Planning for a loved one who has received a diagnosis, while they still have the capacity to sign, so the family has the legal authority and the asset protection they will need in the years ahead.
Probate
When a loved one has died without a trust, we handle the court-supervised probate from the initial petition through the final distribution to the heirs. Court filings are submitted electronically, and most hearings can be attended remotely, so the family does not need to travel to the county where the estate is being probated.
Trust administration
When a trustee takes over after a death, we guide the successor trustee through every required step: notices to beneficiaries and heirs, gathering and valuing assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing the trust estate. We handle new trust administrations and new probates; we do not take over matters that are already in litigation between family members.
California law is the same in every county. Whether you live in Contra Costa County or 400 miles away, the documents, the strategy, and the attention you receive are identical.
How remote representation works
The process is simple, and we walk you through each step.
Complete the questionnaire.
Prospective clients start by filling out the questionnaire on this website. It gives us the information we need about your family, your assets, and your goals before we speak.
We meet by phone or video.
We review your situation together, answer your questions, and decide on the plan that fits your needs. If you choose to move forward, we represent you from that point on.
We prepare your drafts.
We draft your documents under our representation and email the drafts to you for review. We go over them together and make any changes you want.
You receive the final documents.
You can print the final documents at home, or we will send you hard copies.
You sign before a notary.
Your documents are signed and notarized. Many clients use a traveling notary who comes to their home, so there is no need to go anywhere. We can help you arrange this.
Deeds are recorded.
If your plan includes transferring real estate into your trust, you send the signed deeds back to us and we have them recorded with the county recorder in the county where the property is located.
From the first call to the recorded deed, you never have to leave your home.
Getting started from your own home
If you live anywhere in California and need estate planning, asset protection, Medi-Cal planning, planning for a family member with Alzheimer’s or dementia, a probate, or help administering a trust after a death, the first step is to fill out the questionnaire on this website. Once we receive it, we will contact you to schedule a time to talk.
Attorney Michael J. Young has practiced elder law and estate planning for more than 30 years. Distance should never stand between you and the protection your family needs.