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2024

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Best Estate Planning Lawyers in Bakersfield, CA

Our Recommended Top 7

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Our goal is to connect people with the best local professionals. We scored Bakersfield Estate Planning Lawyers on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best.

85Reviewed

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7Top Picks

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Providers

featured provider = Featured Provider

Bakersfield, CA 93309

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

LeBeau-Thelen, LLP is a Californian civil practice firm that specializes in business litigation, construction, real estate, insurance defense, casualty, professional liability, labor and employment law, and agriculture. It also handles oil and gas law, water law, environmental law, taxation, business planning, probate, corporations, partnerships, receiverships, conservatorships, trusts, and estate planning. It takes a results-oriented approach, aiming to deliver creative and practical legal solutions for its clients. The firm has practiced in California for more than 30 years, and it is well-known for its commitment to quality. The lawyers here have decades of combined experience, which they use to help individuals and start-up businesses, as well as corporate, institutional, and governmental clients. LeBeau-Thelen provides professional services in Kern, Kings, Tulare, Fresno, San Luis Obispo Counties, as well as in northern Los Angeles County and the rest of the state of California.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Bernard Lebeau - Managing PartnerActive46 yrs

Bakersfield, CA 93309

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Why choose this provider?

Insight Wealth Strategies is a financial planning firm that offers a full range of services to its clients -- including retirement planning, wealth management, 401K rollover, tax reduction strategies, long-term care, annuities, and life insurance services. The firm creates customized financial plans for individuals, couples, and families, and it offers a free, no-obligation, 90-minute meeting to anyone who wants to learn more. Insight Wealth Strategies has several offices in California (San Ramon, Livermore, Point Richmond, Bakersfield, and Irvine), as well as an office in Houston, Texas.

Bakersfield, CA 93301

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Review Sources

Google
4.5 (12)
Yelp
3.0 (4)

Why choose this provider?

The Wright Law Office provides elder law, estate planning, and medical planning for clients in Bakersfield, where it has practiced for more than a quarter of a century. It is a family firm with particular experience helping older and disabled people to protect their assets.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Larry Wright - PrincipalActive33 yrs

Bakersfield, CA 93312

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Why choose this provider?

Michael Burger & Associates is an appraisal specialist that has served the local area for more than a quarter of a century. It helps clients with residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural real estate appraisals, as well as offering right of way and condemnation appraisal services for property owners and government entities. The appraisers here draw upon decades of experience, and they are fully qualified to deliver valuation services for estate planning, tax planning, and divorce purposes. Michael Burger & Associates is based in Bakersfield and serves clients throughout Kern County. It also provides some services in Tulare, Fresno, and Los Angeles.

5601 Truxtun Ave Ste 195, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Avvo
5.0 (3)
Google
5.0 (2)
Yelp
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Bynum & Wells, LLP is a Kern County firm that provides friendly and personalized legal representation and advice in the areas of real estate law, estate planning, probate, trust administration, corporate law, and divorce mediation. The firm has earned a name for professionalism and efficiency, and local people are grateful for the helpful and personable approach that it takes.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Anna Wells - PartnerActive13 yrs
David Bynum - PartnerActive16 yrs
Anna Wells - PartnerActive13 yrs

1601 F St, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Avvo
5.0 (15)

Why choose this provider?

Wall Wall & Peake is a California legal firm with a focus on efficiency and personal service. It specializes in estate planning, probate representation, business law, real estate law, construction law, landlord representation, eviction services, public agency law, and municipality law. The attorneys at the firm each have more than 25 years of experience in their profession, and the firm itself has a history in Bakersfield and Kern County that dates back more than 60 years. Clients who engage the firm for estate planning and probate services can expect to be assisted by attorney and partner John Wall, a Bakersfield native who has almost 40 years of legal expertise. Mr. Wall has been admitted to practice law in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and he has considerable experience in matters concerning wills and trust administration. His firm helps individuals, families, and businesses in Bakersfield and the surrounding areas, offering advice and representation at a reasonable price.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
John Wall - PartnerActive46 yrs

Santa Clarita, CA 91351

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Facebook
4.6 (5)

Why choose this provider?

The Werner Law Firm is a Southern Californian legal firm that has served its clients for more than 40 years. The company has won numerous awards, including Attorney of the Year from the SCV Bar Association and a Reader's Choice Award for Best Attorney from the Daily News. It offers a free initial consultation for anyone who wants to learn more.

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
L. Rob Werner - Founding AttorneyActive49 yrs

Compare our Top Estate Planning Lawyers

NameExpertise RatingAddressPromotionsLearn more
LeBeau-Thelen, LLP
Bakersfield, CA 93309
Insight Wealth Strategies
Bakersfield, CA 93309
The Wright Law Office
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Michael Burger & Associates
Bakersfield, CA 93312
Bynum & Wells, LLP
5601 Truxtun Ave Ste 195, Bakersfield, CA 93309
Wall Wall & Peake
1601 F St, Bakersfield, CA 93301
The Werner Law Firm
Santa Clarita, CA 91351

Disclaimer:  Consumers utilizing Expertise.com are free to communicate and contract with any lawyer they choose. Expertise.com is not involved in the confidential attorney-client relationship. Featured lawyers pay a reasonable advertising cost to market their legal services with Expertise.com and must meet similar selection criteria as other lawyers. All cases are different. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

FAQs

  • What does an estate planning attorney do?

    An estate consists of the total assets that form an individual’s net worth, no matter how large or small. Estate planning attorneys use their in-depth knowledge of state and federal laws to help people best manage what will happen with their estates after they die or become incapacitated. Estate planning attorneys can prepare wills, form trusts, reduce estate tax burdens, and decrease or eliminate the need for probate court.

  • What are valuable estate planning services an attorney can provide?

    With the many intricacies of assets, taxes, and state and federal laws that can affect a person’s estate, an estate planning lawyer can be a valuable professional asset, no matter how large or small a person’s estate may be. An estate planning attorney can:

    • Create a comprehensive plan to protect a client's legacy, that includes a will, power of attorney, trusts, life insurance, and advanced medical directives
    • Optimize an estate plan as tax laws, life events, assets, and goals change over time
    • Protect a client’s loved ones by preventing assets from entering probate
    • Help clients designate a person to make important health decisions for them if they become incapacitated

  • Can estate planning attorneys help create trusts/wills?

    Estate planning attorneys can create trusts and wills. Through a will, an attorney can help a client designate their estate’s beneficiaries and assign an executor to represent the will in probate court. These attorneys can also create trusts, allowing a client to assign a trustee to oversee the estate, potentially avoiding probate court and holding assets to be distributed over time.

  • Is estate planning the same as drafting a will?

    While both estate plans and wills officially document how their owners wish to allocate certain assets after their death, there are key differences. In estate planning, a will is often just one of several documents that form a comprehensive plan. In a will, people must designate a person responsible for executing their will after their death. The will can include guardians for their children when they die and beneficiaries to receive an inheritance of money, property, and other assets.

  • What are the steps involved in estate planning?

    To create a thorough and effective estate plan, individuals should follow these steps:

    • Prepare a will that designates an estate executor; indicate who will receive what assets, and assign a trust and guardians for any children. Consider using an attorney if the will is in any way complex.
    • To avoid probate, have an attorney create a revocable living trust.
    • Assign beneficiaries to other assets, such as life insurance policies, retirement plans, and securities.
    • Use an attorney to prepare a living will, name a health care proxy, and create a HIPAA release form.
    • Update the plan every five years.

  • How long does the estate planning process last?

    The length of the process can vary greatly depending on the size and complexity of the estate, the specific law office, and whether there’s an emergency or urgent need. If you’re using an attorney, you can generally expect it to take one to five weeks. You may be able to speed up the process by immediately providing your attorney with any bank statements or other documents they need.

  • What is a trust?

    A trust is an agreement between a grantor, a trustee, and a beneficiary. In this agreement, the grantor allocates funds or real property assets to the trustee to be held either until the grantor passes away or until a specific, agreed-upon date. At that point, it's the responsibility of the trustee to distribute funds or property to the beneficiary or beneficiaries. While there are similarities between a will and a trust, a will is a more comprehensive document that typically requires probate court, while a trust allows assets to pass to the beneficiary without probate.