Sonoma Estate Administration Attorney
Sonoma Estate Administration Attorney: Eric Gullotta
Losing a loved one is never easy – a Sonoma estate administration attorney at the Gullotta Law Group is well aware of your family’s need for compassionate, caring, and professional legal representation at this time. Though we understand your need to heal and recover after your loss, you will need to also carefully consider how to transfer, inherit, or administer the property left behind by your loved one.
Estate Administration
While losing a loved one is never easy, the compassionate attorneys at the Gullotta Law Group understand the need for caring, professional legal representation during this difficult time. At a time when you may want nothing more than to heal and recover from your loss, you are being asked to make decisions on transferring, inheriting or administering property left behind by your loved one. A Sonoma estate administration attorney at the Gullotta Law Group will work hard to ensure your family’s estate administration process is treated with privacy and discretion. Some issues may be able to be resolved outside of a courtroom, while others could need to go through the probate process.
Stories That Speak
Trusted by Our Community, Proven Through Results
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Eric Gullotta and his team exceeded expectations, providing thorough, compassionate, and efficient support in revising trust documents. Highly recommended!- Beverly H.
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Eric has made estate planning easy and comfortable for our family, providing invaluable advice on complex situations. The best decision we ever made!- Barbara H.
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Eric and the GLG team provided empathetic, step-by-step guidance during a difficult time, helping me navigate administering my mother’s trust with care.- Harper D.
What is Estate Administration?
Estate administration is the process of distributing the estate of a deceased person to the appropriate beneficiaries. These beneficiaries could be named in the decedent’s will or trust, or, if the decedent left no will or trust, California state probate laws will dictate the administration of the decedent’s assets.
Estate administration is typically supervised by courts when there is a discrepancy in the will, the will is disputed by a beneficiary, or when there is no will. In any of these cases, an estate administrator will be named by the court who will distribute the estate according to California estate laws. Because court-supervised estate administration can be time consuming and expensive, it can be beneficial to have a properly constructed will or trust which largely avoids the probate costs, and California courts.
Another type of estate administration is known as independent estate administration. This is a situation where an appointed estate executor is responsible for managing the estate, paying the debts, filing taxes and court documents, and distributing assets belonging to the decedent. This type of estate administration occurs when the decedent has named an executor who will be responsible for property distribution according to the wishes of the decedent as set forth in a will, trust, or other estate planning document.
View some of the common questions we receive at the firm to learn more.
Rooted in Community, Driven by Integrity
Our Commitment to You
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Committed to Giving BackAs active and involved members of the Sonoma community, we are dedicated to making a positive impact, both professionally and personally, for the people we serve.
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Always Available for ClientsWe believe in making ourselves accessible to clients when they need us most. We are committed to providing responsive support throughout the entire probate process.
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Deep Roots in the CommunityBorn and raised in Sonoma, we are deeply familiar with the local community and its values, allowing us to provide a personalized, compassionate approach to every case.
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Expertise in Complex CasesWe have the knowledge and experience to handle even the most complex probate and estate matters, providing expert solutions tailored to your unique situation.
Debts After Death
Many people wonder about the status of debts following the death of a loved one. Must credit card debt of the decedent be repaid? What about student loans, mortgages, or other financial obligations. While creditors certainly want you to believe it is your obligation to repay these debts, this is not always the entire truth. Credit card debts belong to the holder of the account. This means relatives are not legally obligated to repay these credit card debts from the estate of the deceased unless the relative was a co-signer.
That being said, in community property states where assets acquired during a marriage are considered to be jointly owned, a surviving spouse could possibly be liable for credit card and other types of debt belonging to the deceased. Generally speaking, however, repaying credit card debt belonging to the decedent is voluntary rather than legally required. If the house which has a mortgage on it is going to continue to be lived in or is going to be sold and the proceeds distributed, then the mortgage must be paid monthly following a death of the borrower. Life insurance proceeds go directly to the named beneficiary without going through probate or any other legal avenue.
How the Gullotta Law Group Can Help an Estate Administration
As you can imagine, estate administration can be extremely complex, and can definitely benefit from having an experienced estate administration attorney from the Gullotta Law Group involved. You are not alone during this difficult time; if you are currently creating a will or estate plan, we can help you through the drafting process, ensuring your wishes will be carried out. If you are a beneficiary, we will assist you in receiving the benefits left to you. Contact the Gullotta Law Group today for information regarding estate administration and we will help you through the process in the most efficient, affordable manner possible.