Will Preparation in Emeryville, California

Find the right Will Preparation attorney in Emeryville, CA

In Emeryville, California, many of the issues that sometimes come with a will, such as would-be beneficiaries challenging its validity, or devises which don't make it clear who gets what (resulting in costly and time-consuming litigation) can be avoided if the will is well-drafted in the first place.

Drafting a will doesn't need to be a complicated or particularly expensive process. If you have a small to moderate amount of assets (limited to a home, a car, and a few bank/investment accounts), and don't need to set up trusts or anything similar, you can probably have a will written in just a couple days, for a relatively small fee.

But even with "simple" wills, some easily-avoidable problems come up more often than they need to. A good Emeryville, California attorney can help you avoid these problems with careful will preparation.

With most wills, certain formalities have to be followed in the drafting process or will preparation, or else the will might not be valid. In general, these formalities exist with the goal of making fraud more difficult. The requirements for a will to be valid are pretty simple, but it's still possible to make mistakes in attempting to follow them. Most importantly, you should know that a will must contain a provision stating that the person making it is of sound mind, and actually intends the document to be a will. Also, the laws of most states require that wills be witnessed and signed by at least 2 neutral parties.

Holographic Wills in Emeryville, California

If you need to make a will quickly, some states allow you to write a "holographic will." This is simply a will which the testator hand-writes. These types of wills don't need to be witnessed.

Assuming that a holographic will is valid in your state, a court will probably interpret it very liberally, acknowledging the fact that it probably wasn't written by a lawyer. This is to make it much easier to actually give your wishes effect.

But you should be aware that not all states allow holographic wills. In these states, you are still allowed to hand write your will if you so desire, but they must be accompanied by all the formalities required by the law of that state.

If they are allowed in your states, a holographic will can be a good option, in some cases. If you do not have a large amount of money and property that you want to pass on, and your devises are going to be very simple (regular gifts to just a few people), a holographic will can suffice. However, you should seek the advice of a lawyer beforehand, and know that it is almost always a better option to have a will accompanied by all the required formalities.

How Can A Emeryville, California Lawyer Help?

Because of the formalities required in drafting wills, it's never a bad idea to have a good Emeryville, California attorney help in making your will. Even if your will is quite simple, and you have all the formalities figured out, it's still easy to make mistakes without a good once-over by a professional.

Talk to a Wills, Trusts & Estates Law Attorney now!

Life in Emeryville

Emeryville, California is a city in Alameda County, California. It is directly adjacent to the city of Oakland, which is one of the largest cities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population is about 10,000 people.

Human habitation of the area now known as Emeryville dates back thousands of years. The first European settlers to the area were the Spanish, who arrived in 1776 and established a military an missionary presence.

Modernly, Emeryville, California is known for being the home of some of the few remaining salt marshes and undisturbed mud flats in North America, which provide an important habitat for migratory birds and other valuable wildlife. Many local Emeryville, California environmental lawyers were responsible for helping to establish these nature reserves.

If you live in Emeryville, California and find yourself needing legal services, you should speak with a competent and experienced Emeryville, California attorney as soon as possible.

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