AV Preeminent Peer Rated Attorneys
Modesto Residents, consider several factors when selecting a lawyer including their experience, expertise, and reputation. AV Rated Attorneys represent a distinguished group of lawyers who have received top ratings from their peers for their exceptional ethical standards and an A grade (4.5 or higher).
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AV Preeminent Peer Rated Attorneys
Modesto Residents, consider several factors when selecting a lawyer ... Learn More
AV Preeminent Peer Rated Attorneys
Modesto Residents, consider several factors when selecting a lawyer including their experience, expertise, and reputation. AV Rated Attorneys represent a distinguished group of lawyers who have received top ratings from their peers for their exceptional ethical standards and an A grade (4.5 or higher).

Curry and Curry

4.6
11 Reviews

  • Serving Modesto, CA

  • Law Firm with 2 lawyers2 awards

  • Personal injury and estate planning attorney serving Central and Northern California since 1991

  • Estate Planning LawyersEstate And Gift Taxation, Living Trusts, and 17 more

Thomas M. Curry
Estate Planning Lawyer
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Curry and Curry

4.6
11 Reviews

  • Serving Modesto, CA and Stanislaus County, California

  • Law Firm with 2 lawyers2 awards

  • Personal injury and estate planning attorney serving Central and Northern California since 1991

  • Estate Planning LawyersEstate And Gift Taxation, Living Trusts, and 17 more

Thomas M. Curry
Estate Planning Lawyer
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Berliner Cohen

4.7
27 Reviews

  • 1601 I Street, Suite 150, Modesto, CA 95354+2 locations

  • Law Firm with 21 lawyers2 awards

  • For over forty-five years, Berliner Cohen, founded and headquartered in San Jose, California, has been one of the most highly-respected full-service business law firms in the... Read More

  • Estate Planning LawyersCorporate Law, Real Estate Transactions, and 24 more

Christian Simon
Estate Planning Lawyer
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Curtis D. Colaw

4.6
42 Reviews

  • 1317 Oakdale Rd., Suite 330, Modesto, CA 95355

  • Law Firm with 1 lawyer2 awards

  • Family Law, Bankruptcy, Estate Planning & Personal Injury

  • Estate Planning LawyersBusiness Litigation, Commercial Collections, and 7 more

Curtis Colaw
Estate Planning Lawyer
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Brunn & Flynn Attorneys

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  • 928 12th Street, Suite 200, Modesto, CA 95354

  • Law Firm with 3 lawyers1 award

  • "DEDICATED TO EXCELLENCE IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW"

  • Estate Planning LawyersArbitration & Mediation, Civil Litigation, and 79 more

Gerald Emmett Brunn
Senior Partner
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Borton Petrini, LLP

4.3
47 Reviews

  • 201 Needham Street, Modesto, CA 95354+9 locations

  • Law Firm with 39 lawyers2 awards

  • Since 1899, Borton Petrini, LLP has offered high quality legal services in all of the practice areas described above through its California network of ten regional offices. The... Read More

  • Estate Planning LawyersAgricultural Law, Appellate Practice, and 25 more

Tamie Cummins
Partner
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Brunn & Flynn Attorneys

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  • Serving Modesto, CA and Stanislaus County, California

  • Law Firm with 3 lawyers1 award

  • "DEDICATED TO EXCELLENCE IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW"

  • Estate Planning LawyersArbitration & Mediation, Civil Litigation, and 79 more

Gerald Emmett Brunn
Senior Partner
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King & King

4.7
4 Reviews

  • Serving Modesto, CA and Stanislaus County, California

  • Law Firm with 2 lawyers2 awards

  • Estate Planning, Gift Tax Planning, Elder Law, Wealth Preservation, Probate, Wills, Medical Planning, Real Estate & Business Law

  • Estate Planning LawyersTrust Law, Probate, and 36 more

  • Free Consultation

Lawrence C. King
Estate Planning Lawyer
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McKinley, Conger, Jolley & Galarneau, LLP

4.4
39 Reviews

  • Serving Modesto, CA and Stanislaus County, California

  • Law Firm with 5 lawyers2 awards

  • Trusted Across Generations, For Delivering Results

  • Estate Planning LawyersCivil Litigation, Commercial Litigation, and 80 more

John H. McKinley
Partner
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Drobny Rosenthal Law Offices, PC

5.0
794 Reviews

  • 801 Tenth Street, Modesto, CA 95354+4 locations

  • Law Firm with 5 lawyers2 awards

  • DROBNY LAW OFFICES, INC., concentrates its practice exclusively in the areas of Estate Planning, Estate Administration, Business and Taxation. DROBNY LAW OFFICES, INC. was formed... Read More

  • Estate Planning LawyersEstate, Estate Administration, and 26 more

Mark S. Drobny
Estate Planning Lawyer
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Sodhi Law Group

4.1
19 Reviews

  • 1301 K St., Ste. F, Modesto, CA 95354

  • Law Firm with 2 lawyers1 award

  • A law firm practicing estate planning law.

Ameet Birring
Estate Planning Lawyer
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Law Office of Gordon Hollingsworth

  • 1423 - K Street, Modesto, CA 95354-1006

Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP

  • 1500 J Street, Modesto, CA 95354

Gianelli & Associates

  • 1014 16th St., Modesto, CA 95354

Lawyers At This Firm

Lamb & Michael, APC

  • 1314 G St., Modesto, CA 95354-2422

Tagre Law Office A Professional Corporation

  • 1500 Standiford Avenue, Building C, Modesto, CA 95350

Moorad, Clark & Stewart

  • 1020 15th St., Ste. 22, Modesto, CA 95354

Lawyers At This Firm

Russell A. Newman A Professional Law Corporation

  • 1020 Tenth Street, 3rd Floor, Modesto, CA 95354-2303

The Struck Firm

  • 125 McHenry Ave., Modesto, CA 95354

Lawyers At This Firm

Bains Law, Inc.

  • 801 10th St., 5th Fl., Modesto, CA 95354

Mark A. Kanai A Professional Corporation

  • 1101 15th Street, Modesto, CA 95354

Fores Macko Johnston A Professional Law Corporation

  • 1600 G Street, Suite 103, Modesto, CA 95354

Lawyers At This Firm

Swingle, Van Egmond & Heitlinger

  • 1207 I Street, Modesto, CA 95354

Lawyers At This Firm

Law Office of Paul E. Echols

  • 619 13th St., Ste. I, Modesto, CA 95354-2455

Law Office of Kelly Finley Nebiolini

  • 615 B 13th St., Ste. 1, Modesto, CA 95354

Law Office of Ernest Thomas Elledge

  • 1124 11th Street, Modesto, CA 95354-0842

Damrell, Nelson, Schrimp, Pallios, Pacher & Silva A Professional Corporation

  • 1601 I Street, Fifth Floor, Modesto, CA 95354

Lawyers At This Firm

Grathwohl Law

  • 900 Dale Rd., Ste. 209, Modesto, CA 95357-6709

Law Office of Robin L. Reno

  • 1315 "I" Street, Modesto, CA 95354

Law Office of Chad Bion Yates

  • 1301 L St., Ste. 1, Modesto, CA 95354

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Additional Resources

Looking for Estate Planning Lawyers in Modesto?

Estate planning attorneys help individuals prepare for the management and distribution of their assets after death or incapacitation. They create legal documents such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. Their work ensures a client’s wishes are honored, minimizes potential taxes, and simplifies the process for their loved ones.

About our Estate Planning Lawyers Ratings

The average lawyer rating is created by peers based on legal expertise, ethical standards, quality of service, and relationship skills. Recommendations are made by real clients.

CLIENT RECOMMENDED
62 %

634 Client Reviews

PEER REVIEWS
4.2

337 Peer Reviews

User Resources

Lawyer Resources

Commonly Asked Estate Planning Questions From Users Near You

This information is not legal advice and is not guaranteed to be correct, complete or up-to-date. It is provided for general informational purposes only. If you need legal advice you should consult a licensed attorney in your area.

My elderly father passed away . He is married to a woman who is not our mother. They have a revocable trust. Can we get a copy of the will?

Terry Lynn Garrett
Answered by attorney Terry Lynn Garrett
Estate Planning lawyer at The Garrett Law Firm, PLLC
If your father had a revocable living trust, his Will will only be submitted to probate and become a public document (which you can see online or via the local probate court clerk) if there was property outside the trust which passed not to designated beneficiaries but under the Will. If your father had a revocable living trust, it became irrevocable on his death.  If you were a named beneficiary of that trust and are over a certain age (say, 25), most states would require that you be provided with an annual accounting but not with the trust instrument itself. Please note that most of the time, particularly if there is a long marriage, a revocable living trust provides that everything passes to the surviving spouse.  Sometimes, when there are a lot of assets, the revocable living trust provides that principal or that whatever is left passes to the children on the death of the surviving spouse.  Occasionally, something is also given to the children on the death of the first spouse, perhaps so that they will not be "beneficairies in waiting" for the surviving spouse to die. 
If your father had a revocable living trust, his Will will only be submitted to probate and become a public document (which you can see online or via the local probate court clerk) if there was property outside the trust which passed not to designated beneficiaries but under the Will. If your father had a revocable living trust, it became irrevocable on his death.  If you were a named beneficiary of that trust and are over a certain age (say, 25), most states would require that you be provided with an annual accounting but not with the trust instrument itself. Please note that most of the time, particularly if there is a long marriage, a revocable living trust provides that everything passes to the surviving spouse.  Sometimes, when there are a lot of assets, the revocable living trust provides that principal or that whatever is left passes to the children on the death of the surviving spouse.  Occasionally, something is also given to the children on the death of the first spouse, perhaps so that they will not be "beneficairies in waiting" for the surviving spouse to die. 
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What am I entitled to if my Dad didn't leave a Will?

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Answered by attorney Jayne L. Sebby (Unclaimed Profile)
Estate Planning lawyer at Jayne L. Sebby
Although estate law varies from state to state, usually when a person dies intestate with surviving spouse and child(ren), at least some portion of the assets are split between the two. However, a decedents assets must first be applied to any debts and taxes he owed at the time of his death and only then would anything left would be distributed to the heirs. Since you were a minor at the time, your inheritance (if any) was probably put into a trust with your step-mother (or perhaps your mother if she was still living) as trustee. Those funds should have been used to cover the cost of your upbringing (food, shelter, clothing, medical and dental care, education, etc.) until you reached the age of majority. If there were any funds left, that money should have been transferred to you.
Although estate law varies from state to state, usually when a person dies intestate with surviving spouse and child(ren), at least some portion of the assets are split between the two. However, a decedents assets must first be applied to any debts and taxes he owed at the time of his death and only then would anything left would be distributed to the heirs. Since you were a minor at the time, your inheritance (if any) was probably put into a trust with your step-mother (or perhaps your mother if she was still living) as trustee. Those funds should have been used to cover the cost of your upbringing (food, shelter, clothing, medical and dental care, education, etc.) until you reached the age of majority. If there were any funds left, that money should have been transferred to you.
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If someone wants to make another family executor of their estate while they are still living, is it possible and what documentation is needed?

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Answered by attorney Edward L. Armstrong (Unclaimed Profile)
Estate Planning lawyer at Edward L. Armstrong, P.C.
The term "executor" is now called "personal representative." An individual designates his or her personal representative in his or her last will and testament. If no will has been prepared than the individual must have an attorney prepare a will for him naming and executor/personal representative. If the individual already has a will and wants to change the person who had been designated as executor/personal representative the person must have a lawyer prepare a, codicil to the previously signed will. The codicil must be prepared and signed with the same formality as a will.
The term "executor" is now called "personal representative." An individual designates his or her personal representative in his or her last will and testament. If no will has been prepared than the individual must have an attorney prepare a will for him naming and executor/personal representative. If the individual already has a will and wants to change the person who had been designated as executor/personal representative the person must have a lawyer prepare a, codicil to the previously signed will. The codicil must be prepared and signed with the same formality as a will.
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