Below are some of the most important ways wills are challenged, resulting in testamentary disputes and probate disputes. If you have concerns about your inheritance or the validity of a will in a California estate, call me NOW for a free consultation with The Probate Guy`s attorney. Although Riverside Legal Aid has closed its offices, clinics and workshops due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus, we are available to all clients in our areas of expertise by phone, online and other services that are not performed in person. These include insolvency and federal court cases, family law, eviction defense, conservatories, guardianship and estate, and consumer and other civil matters. For pro bono lawyers, it offers the opportunity to participate in a virtual all-you-can-eat legal advice clinic, which provides meaningful advice to marginalized people seeking legal help for their issues. As subject matter experts review the answers, new and more experienced lawyers can expand their legal knowledge and experience. The State Bar Association funds legal aid organizations across the state that provide legal services to low- and middle-income Californians. These organizations focus on your issues, from custody and family law to disability rights and veterans` benefits. “It`s difficult to provide an accurate measure of the typical time it takes to answer a question. Our pool of active volunteers fluctuates and the amount of research, writing and expert review required for a given response depends on the complexity of the legal issues and facts. Our agreement with the ABA requires us to close unanswered questions within 35 days. Some questions will be answered in a few days.
Unfortunately, not all questions are answered. If no answer can be given, we try to make targeted recommendations. Users are advised from the outset to continue looking for a lawyer while waiting for a volunteer to answer their legal question. It is not uncommon for a person in their later years to be in the care of a family member or professional caregiver who is very close to the person. It can also be when the person creates or amends a will in a way that favours that family member or caregiver. It makes sense for the person to want to acknowledge the care and companionship someone has provided in their final days, but if the gift in the will is particularly generous and diminishes the inheritance to others, it is possible that the family member or caregiver has exerted undue influence or pressure on the person. to get them to change their will in a way that was truly against their will. This can be a difficult question, but it is a major cause of estate disputes. If you believe someone else has exerted undue influence to gain an advantage in the estate, I can help you challenge and possibly cancel the will. Without a valid will, you will receive your inheritance under California laws known as the “intestate estate,” which divides the estate equally among the children. “It works as a point of contact or a legal hotline, but in some ways more convenient because it is not so limited in time and place. A client can ask a question early in the morning before work and a pro bono lawyer can answer the question between calls the next afternoon.
This is a question-and-answer program where clients ask questions about specific legal issues and volunteer lawyers working on a fixed-term contract provide free legal advice and information whenever possible. All communications between lawyer and client take place within the platform. Customer eligibility is verified, creates a secure FLA account, signs a limited scope agreement, and publishes their question. It is based on ABA`s Free Legal Answers platform™ and is designed to ensure client privacy. The information that customers post remains confidential and subject to strict restrictions. This is made possible through funding and support from the California Lawyers` Association, California Lawyers Foundation, Legal Access Alameda, Disaster Legal Assistance Collaborative (DLAC) and others.
