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About Probate Direct Attorneys' fees can have a significant effect on what the beneficiaries of an estate receive. This is an important consumer issue for California residents, especially those who intend to leave as much property as possible to their children or other close ones. In California, attorneys are allowed to charge a percentage based on the gross value of the estate property. Although it is not a mandatory fee, most attorneys treat the statutory fee as the minimum charge to which they are entitled and they rarely take less, regardless of how much time they actually spend working on the estate. Moreover, the fee is calculated on the gross market value of the property, rather than on the net value the beneficiaries may actually receive. In many cases this amounts to a huge windfall for attorneys in California where the value of real estate has skyrocketed. In addition attorneys can charge extra for certain services, such as selling property during probate, preparing tax returns, or transferring assets outside of probate. Since these fees are deducted from the estate before any property is transferred, the higher the fees the less there is for the beneficiaries. Probate Direct is well-positioned to serve the growing needs of estate beneficiaries for low-cost legal assistance. Our company is one of the leaders in the probate field and is headed by Julia Nissley, a 1975 honors graduate of the Attorney Assistant Training Program in Probate Administration given by the UCLA School of Law, and a registered and bonded Legal Document Assistant in Los Angeles County, LDA No. 0063. Julia has over 30 years of experience in probate matters and is the author of the best-seller "How to Probate and Estate in California," published by Nolo Press and now in its 17th printing.
Julia Nissley |
Now in it's 17th printing "How to Probate an Estate in California", is written by Julia Nissley and published by Nolo Press. 
