2890 N. Main Street, Suite 206 • Walnut Creek, CA 94597
She called on a Tuesday afternoon. Her father had been diagnosed with dementia six weeks earlier, his decline had been faster than the family expected, and she was beginning to look at what came next. He still lived in the home he had owned for forty years in Lafayette. He had savings. He had a small pension. He had two…
If you own a home in the East Bay, you’ve raised a family here, or you’ve spent a lifetime building up savings, it’s natural to assume those assets will simply pass to the people you love. I wish it were that simple. In more than 20 years as an estate planning attorney here in Walnut Creek, I’ve sat with too…
Probate in Contra Costa County: What Walnut Creek Families Need to Know in 2026 When a Walnut Creek family walks into my office after losing a loved one, probate is usually the word they’re hoping not to hear. And I understand why. Probate has a reputation — and much of it is deserved. It can be slow, expensive, and public…
A friend and colleague recently brought to my attention an aspect of our estate planning that neither of us had understood before and which had profoundly affected the family of a dear friend of hers. I am sharing this now to help spread awareness. As with many of the issues we must address in our estate planning, there is no…
