Estate Planning Library
Our best resources to help you understand and manage your estate plan.
Getting Started
New to estate planning? Start here.
Estate Planning 101
Learn the basics of planning your estate.
Without a trust, your estate goes through probate court — typically $25,000+ and 12–18 months. With a trust, most clients finish in just 2 meetings over 3 weeks.
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Key Decisions
The choices that shape your estate plan — who's in charge, and what happens when things change.
How to Pick a Trustee
Who, What & Why.
Your trustee distributes your estate without court approval — so picking the right one matters. Look for someone organized and personally invested; a professional fiduciary is a solid backup when no family member fits.
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Trust Options & Protections
Different trust structures serve different families — find what fits yours.
Why Our Trusts Are Better
We do it differently.
Most trusts follow a standard template — ours don't. We include features like plain-English summaries, future-proof trustee transitions, and built-in special needs provisions that most firms simply leave out.
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Trust Protections for Children
Protecting your child's inheritance.
Read →Protecting Inheritance From a Future Spouse
Protecting your child's inheritance from a future spouse.
Read →Special Needs Trusts
Included in every Summerall Law estate plan at no extra cost.
Read →Will an Inheritance Affect SSI or Medi-Cal?
What counts against benefits, what does not, and how CalABLE accounts and special needs trusts fit together.
Read →Bypass Trusts
Do I need a bypass trust?
Read →Can I Use a Trust to Protect My Assets from Creditors?
How California law treats self-settled trusts, DAPTs, SLATs, and LLCs for asset protection.
Read →Property & Assets
How your property and privacy fit into your estate plan.
LLCs and Asset Protection
Can I use a trust to protect my assets from creditors?
An LLC protects rental properties from lawsuits tied to the property. But putting your home in one is usually a mistake: you lose your tax exemption, capital gains exclusion, and homestead protection.
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Working With Us
What it's actually like to work with Summerall Law.
Why Summerall Law
We build "easy" into everything that we do.
Our most common feedback: "That was way easier than I expected." Most clients finish in 3 hours total, sign their plan within 3 weeks, and pay around $1,000 less than at most firms.
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Client Reviews
Every review we have, in one place, with links to read them yourself.
Read →Legal Insurance
Makes it even easier to serve your loved ones when it matters most.
Read →Advice Calls
We are just a phone call away.
Read →International Family Estate Planning
Estate planning when family or assets are outside the United States.
Read →🌈 LGBTQ+ Estate Planning in California
Durable plans for same-sex couples, transgender clients, and LGBTQ+ families — even if laws change.
Read →After You Sign
Guides for clients who have already signed — funding your trust, informing your trustee, and staying organized over time.
Trust Maintenance Guide
Fund your trust, inform your trustee, and keep key contacts organized after signing.
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