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Best Probate Lawyers in Lancaster, CA

Our Recommended Top 5

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

39Reviewed

25Curated

5Top Picks

Learn about our selection process.

Providers

featured provider = Featured Provider

963 West Avenue J, Lancaster, CA 93534

Expertise.com Rating

Why choose this provider?

Thompson VonTungeln Trust & Estate Lawyers has been serving clients for more than four decades. This team of probate attorneys in Lancaster is dedicated to helping clients execute wills that require probate. Administrative services include filing paperwork with the court, tracking estate inventory, communicating with beneficiaries, and settling debts. The attorneys at Thompson VonTungeln are board-certified estate planning specialists. Other services include estate planning, trust administration, Medi-Cal planning, and estate tax planning.

  • Estate Planning

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Mark Thompson - Founder/Partner-RETIREDActive47 yrs

27240 Turnberry Lane, Santa Clarita, CA 91355

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
4.0 (22)
Facebook
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Kaiden Elder Law Group, PC is a law firm that assists clients with legal concerns in Lancaster. Randall F. Kaiden, this firm's principal lawyer, specializes in probate-related cases, such as estate planning and elder law. For more than two decades, Kaiden has helped clients ensure that their assets are protected, living family members will have access to public benefits, and fewer tax charges after the bequeathal of their properties. This firm caters to Russian-speaking clients as well.

  • Estate Planning

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Randall Kaiden - Founding AttorneyActive28 yrs

44901 10th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Yelp
5.0 (7)
Facebook
4.4 (6)

Why choose this provider?

Yeager Law APC is the law practice of estate planning and probate attorney Michael Yeager, serving the Lancaster area since 2014. Yeager Law deals with legal issues that occur when estates pass through probate courts, assisting families with gathering, managing, and distributing assets after death. To minimize problems or avoid probate, the firm assists with comprehensive estate planning, including creation of properly funded trusts, conservatorships, beneficiary designations, and joint ownership of assets prior to death. Yeager Law also handles estate planning issues that involve wills, living trusts, and trusts for children or other heirs with special needs.

  • Trusts
  • Wills
  • Estate Planning

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Michael Yeager - Principal Attorney and FounderActive11 yrs

41240 11th St W Ste A, Palmdale, CA 93551

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Yelp
3.5 (22)
Facebook
5.0 (13)

Why choose this provider?

Founded in 2006, Derryberry & Associates LLP is a full-service law firm with a team of probate attorneys in Lancaster. Its attorneys deal with legal processes involving the distribution of estates of deceased individuals, including filing documents, authenticating trusts and wills, appointing executors, locating assets, valuation of assets, identifying and notifying creditors, paying debts, preparing and filing taxes, and distributing assets. The firm also assists with estate planning, business and employment law, evictions, and real estate law. Attorney Steven Derryberry is admitted to the State Bar of California and was selected to Rising Stars for 2019.

  • Wills
  • Estate Planning

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Robert Derryberry - PrincipalActive18 yrs

44349 Lowtree Ave Ste 113, Lancaster, CA 93534

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Yelp
4.0 (4)
Google
5.0 (1)
Avvo
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Robert L. Plunkett, Attorney at Law, is the law firm of a probate attorney in Lancaster. The firm drafts wills and manages estates to move assets smoothly through probate court after the client's death. It also offers representation in probate court, handling contested wills or other legal issues during the proceedings. Plus, Mr. Plunkett offers estate planning services, helping clients put plans in place to save loved ones financial stress in the future.

  • Trusts
  • Wills
  • Estate Planning

Attorney Information

Attorney NameBar StatusExperience
Robert Plunkett - PrincipalActive47 yrs

Compare our Top Probate Lawyers

NameExpertise RatingAddressPromotionsLearn more
Thompson VonTungeln Trust & Estate Lawyers
963 West Avenue J, Lancaster, CA 93534
Kaiden Elder Law Group, PC
27240 Turnberry Lane, Santa Clarita, CA 91355
Yeager Law, APC
44901 10th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534
Derryberry & Associates LLP
41240 11th St W Ste A, Palmdale, CA 93551
Robert L. Plunkett, Attorney at Law
44349 Lowtree Ave Ste 113, Lancaster, CA 93534

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 is the non-emergency contact number for the local police station in Lancaster, California?

    The non-emergency contact number for Lancaster Sheriff's Station is 661-948-8466.

  • What is a probate referee in Lancaster?

    The California State Controller is responsible for appointing a probate referee. As a probate referee in Lancaster, his or her job is to perform reliable, prompt, and low-cost appraisals of all types of estate assets. They are required for the court's resolution of an estate. Probate referees also coordinate with an estate’s executor to appraise the value of all non-monetary assets within the estate and fill out Form DE-160. They can also be tasked with valuing the assets of an estate outside of probate, like the contents of a trust.

  • Will your entire estate go through probate in Lancaster?

    No. In Lancaster, some assets and property are distributed immediately upon death and do not need to go through probate. Assets that need to go through probate are any personal property or real estate that the decedent owned in their name before passing. This can include a home, car, furniture, or household goods. Intangible assets, like stocks or savings accounts, can also be considered probate assets. Assets that a decedent did not own individually, such as jointly owned property, are not subject to probate.

  • What happens when someone dies without a will in Lancaster?

    If someone dies without a will in Lancaster, the probate court will distribute the individual's assets in accordance with California’s intestate succession law. The state will decide who inherits a decedent’s property when the decedent dies without a will, following California Probate Code sections 6400–6455. The court will then proceed by appointing an administrator to oversee the decedent’s intestate estate, usually the surviving spouse or a public administrator if there are no known heirs.

  • Who gets paid first in a probate in Lancaster?

    A personal representative or someone administering the estate in Lancaster must first pay the decedent's debts; expenses of administration; obligations secured by a mortgage, deed of trust or another lien; unpaid expenses; and general debts. Once all of these were settled, the beneficiaries would then be paid their distributions from the estate according to California law.

  • What are the tax obligations involved in probate in Lancaster?

    The personal representative of the estate handles tax obligations before distributing assets from the estate to beneficiaries in Lancaster. The executor will need to pay estate taxes if the estates of those who died in California exceed the exemption threshold. Federal estate taxes apply to assets with an overall value of $12,060,000 and above. The executor will also need to file a final income tax return on behalf of the deceased party to resolve any existing income tax obligations. The estate itself may be subject to income tax requirements if the estate plan requires an estate sale for the liquidation of certain assets and the estate earns more than $600 in revenue from the sale.

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