Search Site
Menu
Estate Planning

Accomplished South San Francisco Lawyer Advocates for Clients’ Rights

Skillful attorney assists with injury, family, estate and criminal matters

You’ve worked hard all your life — carefully saving, investing and sacrificing so that your family will be secure financially after you’re gone. After these efforts, you don’t want to surrender control over the distribution of your assets. At the Law Offices of K.J. Petsas, PC in South San Francisco, we help ensure that your wishes are fulfilled by establishing a secure estate plan. We have the experience necessary to accurately analyze your estate, complete and file all required paperwork, and create a comprehensive plan for you that addresses your long-term goals. By drafting authoritative wills, trusts and medical directives, we form a thorough program to achieve your goals. After someone has died, we also provide effective assistance to ensure that probate matters run smoothly.

Accomplished counselor develops personalized wills and trusts

Our firm drafts a full range of estate planning devices to allocate your property efficiently, avoid taxes whenever possible, and create the legacy that you want. We assist with legal instruments such as:

  • Wills — An effective will is crucial for anyone who owns property or has minor children. Attorney K.J. Petsas helps clients develop documents that satisfy legal requirements and allocate assets in a clear manner. Even if you have already executed a will, we can conduct a detailed review to determine if changes are necessary to meet your current needs.
  • Trusts — Placing assets in a trust can serve many purposes, including tax reduction. One popular option is a living trust that enables you to maintain access to your property and have it transferred to your beneficiaries upon your death without going through probate.
  • Family wealth transfers — Depending on your circumstances, shifting assets to intended heirs during your lifetime might have substantial benefits. Our firm can explain how this process may help achieve your objectives.

In a free consultation, we will learn about your objectives and outline the estate planning options that are available to you.

Firm creates medical directives so you can control your own care

Thorough estate planning involves more than dispersing property upon death. We help clients issue effective healthcare instructions in the event that they become incapacitated due to illness or injury. By preparing a living will and a durable power of attorney document, you can instruct medical providers regarding the types of treatment that you want and appoint a trusted agent to enforce your directions.

Effective adviser manages a full range of probate tasks

Probate, the court process by which a will is validated, occurs during an already difficult time. Moreover, most people who are appointed as executors or administrators have little knowledge of the tasks necessary to close an estate. While the probate process may not be simple, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you are responsible for enforcing the terms of a will, we explain each aspect of the process and help you carry out duties such as:

  • Filing the will with the appropriate California probate court
  • Paying debts, taxes and other outstanding expenses
  • Notifying banks and government agencies of your loved one’s death
  • Locating beneficiaries and dispersing the estate accordingly

Occasionally people choose to contest the terms of a will because they feel it does not accurately reflect the decedent’s intentions. When this happens, we vigorously work toward squelching hostility and defending your rights as a beneficiary, through litigation if need be.

Contact a knowledgeable California estate planning attorney for a free initial consultation

The Law Offices of K.J. Petsas, PC assists clients throughout the Bay Area with a wide range of estate planning and probate issues. Please call 650-540-1170 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation at our office in South San Francisco.

Contact us

Please fill out the form below and one of our attorneys will contact you.

Quick Contact Form

Our office
  • South San Francisco Office
    1475 Huntington Avenue
    Suite 205
    South San Francisco, California 94080
    Phone: 650-624-8181
    Fax: 650-737-7964
Honor / Recognition