Estate Planning

Mr. D’Angelo has many years of experience handling a variety of estate planning matters, including assisting prospective clients with creating an all-encompassing estate plan specifically designed to avoid the lengthy and costly probate process and to assist loved ones as their family members begin to age.

If your family member has recently passed away and left assets which must be distributed to heirs, Mr. D’Angelo has experience handling probate matters and trust administrations in San Joaquin County and the surrounding community.

Whether you need help creating a plan for yourself or your loved ones or carrying one out now that someone has passed, Mr. D’Angelo is ready to assist you and provide peace of mind during a difficult time.

Standard Estate Plan

As part of the estate planning process, Mr. D’Angelo and his staff prepare an estate plan designed to address both end of life and post-death needs. At the center of this plan is a revocable living trust. This instrument is one of the most efficient available avenues to avoid the costly and time-consuming process of probating an estate while still providing clients the option to revise their plan as their family dynamics change. It also provides clients an opportunity to be detailed in their planning, while ensuring those who are left to carry out their wishes have as few obstacles as possible.

Since 2002, Mr. D’Angelo has assisted his clients in drafting numerous revocable living trusts. No matter your family situation or the complexity of your estate, Mr. D’Angelo can assist you in drafting the appropriate trust to care for your loved ones after your death and to provide the requisite financial resources to help your beneficiaries carry on the next generation and beyond for your family.

If you already have an existing estate plan and need to make revisions, updates and changes, Mr. D’Angelo also has assisted numerous clients in making changes to plans as their lives change. He is ready to assist you in updating your plan to conform to your wishes.

Conservatorships and Special Needs Trusts

Conservatorships and Special Needs Trusts (SNTs) are methods to assist individuals who are unable to care for themselves and allow caregivers to protect them and the individual’s assets. Conservatorships are advisable in primarily two instances: The first instance is an aging family member needs special attention which is best resolved by filing the appropriate paperwork to appoint the conservator to protect the conservatee. The second is via a limited conservatorship, which generally involves appointing a conservator to protect and assist a special needs or permanently disabled person, as the conservatee, over the age of 18. Mr. D’Angelo and his staff have successfully assisted multiple clients through the conservatorship process for a variety of ages.

Special Needs Trusts are court supervised trusts which allow individuals who receive state assistance as the result of a disabling condition to have their assets, inherited or otherwise, and used for their benefit without jeopardizing their public assistance. Both SNTs and conservatorships have court mandated oversight and continual accounting requirements. Conservatorships have a lengthy and complex application process. SNTs require precise language in their drafting. Mr. D’Angelo and his staff have experience from the initial creation stages through the oversight and eventual termination stages with both conservatorships and SNTs. He works diligently to ensure that the conservatees are protected while assisting families through an arduous process.

Trust Administration

When someone with a revocable living trust passes away, Mr. D’Angelo can assist the successor trustee in navigating through the detailed process of trust administration. Since 2002, Mr. D’Angelo has participated in the trust administration process for numerous clients who have passed away, regardless of whether he was involved in the drafting process. There are multiple layers to this process, the most important of which is to provide the requisite notice under California Probate Code Section 16061.7. The notice requirement begins the formal trust administration process and lays out the foundation to distribute the trust assets to the designated beneficiaries in a timely manner. Mr. D’Angelo prides himself on his excellent communication skills and his professional demeanor in handling this process. He has the necessary compassion and experience to help these matters be administered smoothly and peacefully.

Many trust administrations also involve preparing trust accounting reports, marshaling assets, and liquidating assets. Mr. D’Angelo and his staff have extensive experience with each of these and work diligently to ensure the Successor Trustee is successful in preparing the trust estate for distribution and keeping beneficiaries informed throughout the process.

Probate Process

There are times when a loved one passes without having completed any estate plan or failed to take advantage of any probate avoidance mechanisms. When this occurs, the matter must be resolved in the probate division of the county where the decedent resided. Depending on the time and amount of assets involved in a loved one’s estate, there may be avenues to simplify the process which are not commonly known. Mr. D’Angelo has experience with everything from simple Small Probate Estate Affidavits, Petitions for Succession to Real Property, or Spousal Property Petitions, all the way through to full estate probates.

Mr. D’Angelo and his staff have assisted with numerous probate filings from various stages through to their completion. He has the experience to guide you through the complicated California Courts form process, so your probate matter may be resolved in a reasonable amount of time.

The probate process can be time-consuming and emotionally taxing. The experience Mr. D’Angelo offers can help you avoid common pitfalls which can cause additional delays and stress. Mr. D’Angelo has successfully handled probate matters in San Joaquin County, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Stanislaus County, Amador County, Lake County, Madera County, Sacramento County, and San Mateo County.