Estate PlanninG
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Our Areas of Focus

Areas of Practice

California Estate Planning Attorney San Ramon, Danville, Dublin & Contra Costa County

At Santaella Legal Group, APC, we are dedicated to providing every client with detailed and attentive representation to assist them with their unique legal needs. With proficiency and a combined experience, you can trust that our firm possesses the legal knowledge and skill needed to guide you through your estate planning or elder law related concern.

Our proven San Ramon estate planning, and elder law attorneys can represent your rights and interests in the following practice areas:

  • Special Needs Trust – Caring for a special needs family member is made even more challenging by public benefit laws and administration that can be difficult to navigate. We are well-versed in the benefits available to you and how to best structure supplements to those benefits. We help families like yours establish a Special Needs Trust to ensure that your loved one’s needs will be covered.

  • Elder Law - Elder law encompasses the legal needs of the elderly and can include estate planning, medical costs, and retirement planning. Our firm can help you prepare for your future and assist you with financial planning, powers of attorney, Medi-Cal planning, wills and trusts, and more.
  • Estate Planning and Administration - Estate planning enables you to prepare for your future and provide for the people you love. Through the creation of wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, living wills, and other valuable estate planning documents, we can protect you, your family, and your assets as you see fit.
  • Medi-Cal/Long Term Care Planning - Medi-Cal provide qualifying seniors with financial assistance to cover their medical costs, but there are certain regulations that control who can receive this support. We can help you plan your estate accordingly so that you are able to obtain the benefits of or Medi-Cal in the future.
  • Trust Administration- Probate is the court process of determining the validity of a deceased person's will, using their assets to repay any debts they owed, and then transferring the remainder of the estate to the designated heirs or beneficiaries. Our attorneys can help administer the estate according to the law and the decedent's wishes.
  • Wills & Trusts - Wills and trusts are two of the main estate planning documents, and we can help you choose the right option for your situation. Wills enable you to decide how you would like your estate to be distributed after your death, provide for your funeral and burial arrangements, and appoint guardians for your minor children. If you establish a trust, your assets will be put into it and administered for your benefit during your lifetime, and after you have passed away, the assets will be transferred to your beneficiaries.
  • Guardianship - When a minor or his/her property needs care that the parents can’t provide, another adult in the child’s life can seek to be appointed guardian. Whether the plan is contested or all parties agree, legal hurdles need to be cleared before the guardian can make decisions on the child’s behalf. We work to represent the guardian and make the process as smooth as possible for all involved.
  • Conservatorships - When an adult can no longer care for themselves, whether due to a developmental disability, neurocognitive disease, or other circumstance, a conservatorship might be necessary. If you're concerned about needing to initiate conservatorship proceedings, our law office can help.

Enlist Proven Legal Guidance in Contra Costa County

At Santaella Legal Group, APC, we are committed to providing our clients with the best possible service, no matter their legal needs. Our firm takes the time to get to know our clients by listening to their situations and by having them fill out questionnaires; this is an invaluable part of the process, as it helps us understand our clients' backgrounds, concerns, and wishes. Our San Ramon estate planning and elder lawyers also take the time to answer questions and educate our clients about the process, so that they can better understand their cases and choose the most fitting options. Our bilingual firm believes clients deserve comprehensive representation, and we employ a number of resources to make sure all aspects of their cases are effectively handled.

Santaella Legal Group, APC is proud to announce that it is a member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners [“ASNP”]. ASNP consists of special needs planning professionals such as attorneys, financial planners and trust officers that provide the highest quality service and advice to persons with special needs and to their families. The Academy provides its members with the latest information on legal developments nationwide and a forum for exchanging best practices in providing service to persons with special needs. It also provides special needs professionals the tools and education to improve their understanding of the unique challenges that arise during special needs planning. The Academy also provides direct information to persons with disabilities through a consumer web site and a monthly e-mail newsletter.

If you would like to learn how our experienced team could guide you through a legal issue involving estate planning, elder law or another area of the law, contact our firm today!

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