Estate planning, probate, and trust administration firm with offices in Murrieta and San Diego, serving Temecula, Menifee, Hemet, Lake Elsinore, Moreno Valley, Palm Springs, Perris, Riverside, Poway, and Rancho Bernardo. Consultations are not charged for and can be held remotely by video or phone.
Carlsbad is in San Diego County.
More Estate Planning Firms in San Diego County
Santa Rosa trusts, estates, and elder law practice serving Sonoma County, with offices in Huntington Beach and San Diego. Handles probate, trust administration, and disputed estate and trust matters, including family conflict after a death. Barry Adams is a State Bar certified specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law and founded the Elder Law Clinic at Empire Law School.
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 San Diego County and Southern California from Newport Avenue in San Diego, centered on probate and trust disputes. Handles probate and trust administration, contested wills and accountings, trustee removal, and breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims, plus elder law and Medi-Cal planning. Vincent M. Casiano is a State Bar certified specialist; the first 30-minute consultation is free.
San Diego estate, trust, and probate firm in Bankers Hill, with clients throughout California. Guides executors and administrators through probate — identifying assets and debts, paying creditors, distributing to beneficiaries — and handles trust administration, beneficiary representation, fiduciary duty disputes, and conservatorships and guardianships.
San Diego County firm on Hotel Circle North that has focused on probate, trusts, and estates for more than 30 years. Represents personal representatives and trustees through probate and trust administration, prepares estate tax returns and trust accountings, and litigates contested probate and trust matters. Also handles conservatorships and guardianships.
Probate in San Diego County
Probate Court Record
San Diego County Superior Court - Probate Division
San Diego County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:00 PM
Office
1100 Union Street, 3rd Floor, San Diego, CA 92101
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in San Diego County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in San Diego County? →Settling an estate in San Diego 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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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
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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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
California automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceCal. Prob. Code § 5040Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
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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.
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