Estate Planning Attorney in Los Angeles
Deciding who will care for your children, your home, and your savings is one of the most loving things you can do while the choice is still yours. At the Law Office of Rodney Gould, we help families across Los Angeles put that decision in writing, in a form California courts will honor. Sitting down with an estate planning attorney in Los Angeles turns a long list of worries into a clear, signed plan.
Most people put this off because it feels heavy, not because they do not care. From our Sherman Oaks office just off Ventura Boulevard, attorney Rodney Gould has offered effective guidance and support through the estate planning and probate processes since 2008.
Call 818-981-1760 to schedule a free consultation, and let us take the next step with you.
What Does an Estate Plan in California Include?
A California estate plan is a set of documents naming who receives your property, who manages it, and who speaks for you if you cannot speak for yourself. Very few families are served by a single document, so most plans we build combine several tools.
Revocable living trust: holds your assets during your life, then passes them to the people you name without a court case.
Pour-over will: catches anything left outside the trust and names a guardian for minor children.
Durable power of attorney: lets someone you trust manage your finances if you become unable to.
Advance health care directive: records your medical wishes and names who will voice them.
Beneficiary designations: bring retirement accounts and life insurance in line with the plan.
Which of these you need depends on what you own and who depends on you, so that is the first thing we sort out together. We will tell you plainly if a simpler plan will do the job.
Why Waiting Costs Los Angeles Families More Than They Expect
Without a plan, California law decides who inherits your property, and the formula rarely matches what you would have chosen. The rules of intestate succession under California Probate Code section 6401 divide assets by fixed shares, without regard to family history, promises made, or need.
A blended family, a longtime partner you never married, or a child who needs extra protection can all be left out by that formula. Property values across Los Angeles County also push many estates past the simplified transfer limits, so what looks modest on paper often becomes a full court proceeding.
We would much rather help you write the plan than help your family sort out its absence.
How Does an Estate Plan Help Your Family Avoid Probate?
A living trust that has actually been funded keeps your assets out of probate, so your family can settle your affairs privately rather than on a court calendar. Probate matters here run through the Los Angeles Superior Court probate division, largely at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown, and even a straightforward case commonly takes a year or more.
Smaller estates have shorter paths. For deaths on or after April 1, 2025, personal property worth $208,850 or less may transfer by small estate affidavit under Probate Code sections 13100 to 13101, a figure the Judicial Council adjusts every three years.
A separate petition can transfer a decedent’s primary residence when its value falls at or below $750,000, a limit raised by Assembly Bill 2016 in 2025 and published in the California Courts self-help guide. Estates above those figures generally head to formal probate, and families in that position usually need a probate lawyer in Los Angeles to open the case and carry it through the court process.
Our Estate Planning Services for Los Angeles Clients
We handle the full range of planning work, from a first simple plan to a rewrite after a major life change.
Wills, revocable living trusts, and pour-over wills
Trust funding, deed preparation, and title transfers
Durable powers of attorney and advance health care directives
Trust amendments and restatements after a divorce, remarriage, or birth
Planning for a child or sibling who receives needs-based benefits
Guidance for executors, trustees, and beneficiaries after a death
If your situation touches several of these, we keep it under one roof. After a death, a successor trustee still carries real duties, and a trust administration attorney in Los Angeles can handle the notices, accountings, and transfers California law requires.
What Should You Bring to Your First Estate Planning Meeting?
Bring a rough picture of what you own, what you owe, and who you want to receive it. Nothing has to be formal, and a handwritten list is a fine place to start.
Addresses or deeds for any real property you own
Recent statements for bank, brokerage, and retirement accounts
Life insurance policies and the beneficiaries named on them
Names of the people you would trust as executor, trustee, or health care agent
If some of that is missing, we still meet, and we build the list together. The consultation is free, with no obligation to move forward that day.
Why Choose the Law Office of Rodney Gould?
We pair nearly three decades of California legal work with the attention of a small firm, where you speak with the attorney handling your matter. Attentive support, trusted experience, and reliable counsel are how this office runs.
Rodney Gould began his career as a civil prosecutor for the United States Postal Service and later served as a special assistant U.S. attorney with the Department of Justice. He went on to serve companies including Starbucks, USAA, and Bank of America before opening this firm.
Real courtroom history: he has litigated probate matters in Superior Courts across California, plus appeals in several districts of the California Courts of Appeal.
Direct access: you work with your attorney, not a rotating case manager.
Depth of practice: practicing law since 1991, with his own firm since 2008.
Documents built to hold: plans drafted with an eye toward how they hold up if a relative later disputes them.
That litigation background changes how we draft, because we have watched which documents survive a challenge and which come apart. The questions worth asking when choosing a probate attorney in Los Angeles apply just as well to the person who writes your plan. Call 818-981-1760 to schedule your free consultation.
FAQs about Los Angeles Estate Planning Attorneys
Below are answers to the questions Los Angeles families ask us most often when they are starting a plan.
How much does an estate plan cost in Los Angeles?
Most planning work is quoted as a flat fee, so you know the number before we begin. The figure depends on whether you need a trust and how many properties are involved. We go over pricing during the free consultation.
Do I still need a trust if I already have a will?
A will alone does not keep an estate out of probate, it simply tells the court how to distribute what is there. For many Los Angeles homeowners, a funded revocable trust is what shortens the process for their family. We review your assets and tell you honestly whether a trust adds enough value.
Can I change my living trust after I sign it?
Yes. A revocable trust can be amended or restated during your lifetime as long as you have capacity. Marriage, divorce, a new child, or a property sale are all common reasons clients come back for an update.
Who should I name as my successor trustee?
The right person is organized, financially steady, and able to stay calm with relatives who may disagree. Geographic closeness helps but matters less than reliability. Some families name a professional fiduciary instead.
Does a revocable living trust protect my assets from creditors?
No. Because you keep control of a revocable trust, its assets remain reachable by your creditors during your lifetime. Creditor protection calls for different tools, and we can walk you through what is realistic in your situation.
How often should I review my estate plan?
A review every three to five years keeps a plan current for most families. Major events deserve a look sooner, including a marriage, a death in the family, a new property, or a change in your health. Beneficiary designations drift out of date more often than any other piece.
Talk With a Los Angeles Estate Planning Lawyer Today
You do not need answers before you call. Most of our clients arrive with a rough idea and a lot of questions, and we work through both together.
We serve families in Los Angeles and nearby communities, including Sherman Oaks, Studio City, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and across the San Fernando Valley. Whether you are building a first plan or updating one written years ago, we are here to listen and then to draft.
Call the Law Office of Rodney Gould at 818-981-1760 to schedule your free consultation, and give your family the clarity they will one day be grateful for.