Boutique Uptown Oakland practice serving Alameda County executors and successor trustees. Settles a decedent's estate whether or not a court proceeding is required, advises beneficiaries of estates and trusts, and represents fiduciaries appointed to administer estates, trusts, and conservatorships. The practice traces to a firm founded in Oakland in 1948.
Pleasanton is in Alameda County.
More Estate Law Firms in Alameda County
Napa estate planning and elder law practice led by Anthony Celaya, with offices across California from Santa Rosa and Sacramento to Los Angeles and San Diego. Handles probate and estate administration and Medi-Cal planning alongside trusts, wills, and incapacity planning. Clients are served in person or through virtual consultations, and the initial consultation is free.
Serves Marin County from San Rafael, with offices across Northern and Southern California and statewide service by phone and video. Handles probate, trust administration, and Medi-Cal and elder law matters alongside estate and tax planning. Founder Jim Cunningham heads the San Rafael office and is a State Bar certified specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.
Serves executors, heirs, and trustees in Oakland and across Alameda County from Harrison Street downtown. A boutique built around the probate process and trust administration, with estate planning, Medi-Cal planning, and first-party special needs trusts alongside. Founder Mike Broad has practiced in the East Bay since 1986.
East Bay probate firm with offices in Dublin and Berkeley, serving Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco counties. It works only on uncontested probate: Heggstad petitions for assets left out of a trust, spousal property petitions, and trust administration for successor trustees. Founder Grant A. Toeppen has practiced in the region since 2012.
Sacramento probate attorney whose personal practice is 100% probate court work, serving all counties of California since 1994 and Of Counsel with CunninghamLegal. John Palley is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law and has completed over 2,000 California probate estates. Free consultation, with Zoom and phone meetings statewide.
Probate in Alameda County
Probate Court Record
Alameda County Superior Court - Probate Division
Alameda County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Thursday 8:30 AM-3:00 PM; Friday 8:30 AM-2:00 PM
Office
2120 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Alameda County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Alameda County? →Settling an estate in Alameda County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in California
Free California forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for California.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Last Will and Testament
In California, a will is signed before 2Cal. Prob. Code § 6110Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavitCal. Prob. Code § 6110Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
California allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2Cal. Prob. Code § 4701Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
California requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityCal. Prob. Code §§ 56, 4053, 4120, 4121, 4122, 4123, 4124, 4127, 4128, 4129, 4130, 4150, 4152, 4200, 4230, 4264, 4300, 4401, 4402, 4450, 4451, 4452, 4453, 4455, 4456, 4457, 4459, 4461, 4462, 4463, 4464, 4465; Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1095, 1189, 1556, 2356, 2933; Cal. Fam. Code § 6500; AB 2199 (Stats. 2026, ch. 47) §§ 4401, 4466 eff. 2027-01-01 per Cal. Const. art. IV § 8(c)(1); verified against leginfo.legislature.ca.gov 2026-07-14, re-verified 2026-09-18; Cal. Prob. Code §§ 3, 872, 879.1, 879.2, 4054, 4409 and Stats. 2024, ch. 799 (SB 1458) read 2026-10-11Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2Cal. Prob. Code §§ 56, 4053, 4120, 4121, 4122, 4123, 4124, 4127, 4128, 4129, 4130, 4150, 4152, 4200, 4230, 4264, 4300, 4401, 4402, 4450, 4451, 4452, 4453, 4455, 4456, 4457, 4459, 4461, 4462, 4463, 4464, 4465; Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1095, 1189, 1556, 2356, 2933; Cal. Fam. Code § 6500; AB 2199 (Stats. 2026, ch. 47) §§ 4401, 4466 eff. 2027-01-01 per Cal. Const. art. IV § 8(c)(1); verified against leginfo.legislature.ca.gov 2026-07-14, re-verified 2026-09-18; Cal. Prob. Code §§ 3, 872, 879.1, 879.2, 4054, 4409 and Stats. 2024, ch. 799 (SB 1458) read 2026-10-11Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
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Free
Pour-Over Will
In California, a pour-over will is signed before 2Cal. Prob. Code § 6110Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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Free
Transfer on Death Deed
In California, a revocable transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryCal. Prob. Code 5600-5698Verified Oct 18, 2026View source and 2Cal. Prob. Code 5600-5698Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathCal. Prob. Code 5600-5698Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, within 60 daysCal. Prob. Code 5600-5698Verified Oct 18, 2026View source of notarization. California does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in California
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in California: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for California.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In California, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees set by statute as a percentage of the gross estateCal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in California takes 9 months to 12 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees set by statute as a percentage of the gross estateCal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
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How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in California costs an estimated $27,235Cal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees are statutory (set by law)Cal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in California costs an estimated $27,235Cal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 9 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees set by statute as a percentage of the gross estateCal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Estates under $208,850Cal. Prob. Code § 13100Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
Check the Rules
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in California: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 120 daysCal. Prob. Code §§ 8800-8804, 8900-8903Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsCal. Prob. Code §§ 9050-9054, 9100-9104, 9150, 9153, 9256, 9353, 11420; CCP § 366.2Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 9 months to 12 months.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in California runs $4,320Estimate: 10 hours at $432, Clio's California Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,480Estimate: 15 hours at $432, Clio's California Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,329Estimate: 3 hours at $443, Clio's California Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,658Estimate: 6 hours at $443, Clio's California Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
Calculate Costs
