Estate Planning in Fresno, CA
The Fresno estate planning attorneys at Mayfield & Leath assist clients with estate planning, probate administration, and trust and estate litigation. We understand that every client has different needs and concerns, and we invest a significant amount of time in carefully crafting the best estate plan for every client. In addition to preparing wills and trusts, we assist our clients with planning for incapacity by implementing documents including durable financial powers of attorney and advance health care directives.
Our estate planning law firm designs comprehensive estate plans that meet our clients' goals while minimizing potential transfer taxes, including estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax. Intervivos gifts, or gifts made while a person is alive, are a common tool that we encourage our clients to utilize when appropriate. These gifts avoid probate, allow the beneficiary to enjoy the benefits of owning the property immediately, and decrease the taxable estate.
Retirement and Benefit Planning in Fresno California
In addition to drafting estate planning documents, we also provide our clients with retirement and benefit planning assistance. We carefully coordinate beneficiary designations on retirement benefit plans to ensure our clients' estate planning goals are met, while planning to prevent accelerated distributions from qualified retirement plans and IRAs.
Probate
In probate, a deceased person's assets are transferred to the beneficiaries listed in his or her will, and any remaining debts and taxes are paid. In situations where a person dies intestate, or without a will, probate may also be required. In these cases, the California Probate Code mandates how the decedent's estate should be distributed to his or her heirs. We represent clients in both simple and complex probate administration matters.
Business Succession Planning
Our business clients frequently seek our advice when a business is being sold or when a family member is retiring from the business and is interested in business succession planning options. We help our clients by formulating tax savings strategies for the sale of a business.
Trust Administration and Probate, Trust and Estate Litigation
Our attorneys in Fresno offer experienced representation in trust administration matters. We also provide aggressive and effective representation in trust, estate and probate litigation matters. Disputes often arise during probate administration proceedings. Individuals often appear claiming to be a beneficiary or that the decedent's will and/or trust is invalid. Disputes also arise if someone believes the executor, trustor, administrator of a trust or estate, guardian, or conservator has violated a fiduciary duty or the legal obligation of trust and confidence.
Conservatorships and Guardianships
We assist clients with both guardianship and conservatorship matters. In a guardianship proceeding, a judge grants custody to a non-parent of a minor child, the child's estate, or both. Guardianships arise when the parents have died or become incapacitated and did not name a guardian in the will or other estate planning documents.
In a conservatorship proceeding, a judge appoints someone to care for an adult's person, finances, or both. Conservatorships can be temporary or permanent, and typically arise when a person's health has deteriorated or if a person has become incapacitated.
Contact Mayfield & Leath for Experienced Legal Representation
In addition to our extensive legal expertise, we provide the personal attention and individualized legal representation that is essential in estate planning and probate matters. To schedule a consultation to discuss your estate planning, probate, or trust and estate litigation needs, contact an attorney in Fresno at the Mayfield & Leath, Attorneys at Law today.
