procedural guides

California Codes of Civil Procedure Made Easier

There are few things harder to keep updated on than the California Codes of Civil Procedure. With the tens of thousands of pages of content, both statewide and extending into individual jurisdictions, knowing your deadlines and timing can be difficult. If you need to know the deadline for filing a response to a petition in … Read Article

Planning for Old Age – Beyond Retirement

  Are you prepared to be elderly?   Planning for the future doesn’t stop with retirement accounts and estate management. You may be perfectly happy to live until old age of 80 – but what if you live until you are 90? Or longer? In some instances, adult parents outlive their children.  Aside from the aging process, … Read Article

Tips for Avoiding Foreclosure

    No one wants to lose their home – but many people become overwhelmed with letters, liens, and notices from lenders and assume they have no choice. You do have a choice – you can defend your home and your family with a foreclosure defense lawsuit. The laws surrounding foreclosure have been continually changing, … Read Article

Guardianships, Elder Law, and Planning for the Future

  Guardianship (also known as conservatorship) is a legal process wherein the court determines that a person (known as a ward) does not have the ability to make or to communicate sound and safe decisions regarding his or her property, due to either lack of capacity or a susceptibility to fraud or undue influence. The … Read Article

Estate Planning and Special Needs

    Who will take care of your loved one with special needs after you die?   Many people initially assume that they can provide for their loved one with special needs, be it a child, spouse, or relative, by leaving them an inheritance. The reality is that leaving your legacy to a loved one … Read Article

Ins and Outs of Bankruptcy

  Whether you are an individual who has become overwhelmed with personal debt, or a business owner unable to surpass the financial challenges imposed by the recession, filing for bankruptcy may be an option for you. However, filing for bankruptcy can be a daunting process that nearly always requires professional legal assistance to achieve the … Read Article

The Top Five Differences Between Wills and Trusts

    A trust will enable your heirs to avoid the probate court process, which can be a significant advantage.   Assets placed in a trust are immediately accessible to the trustee whereas assets left to beneficiaries of wills cannot be formally distributed until the probate process has been completed. Probate is a court-supervised legal … Read Article

Personal Injury Lawsuits

We all hope to avoid being involved with accidents, however, as playwright George Bernard Shaw wisely said, “the unexpected always happens”. Even in the best of circumstances, for instance, a friend is injured in your home and you don’t anticipate a lawsuit, it is always advisable to obtain the opinion of a qualified attorney who … Read Article

Legal Malpractice

From financial consequences to a ruined professional reputation, legal malpractice suits always have serious ramifications. What can engender a legal malpractice suit? Sometimes simply a missed deadline – highlighting the importance of a solid calendaring system as well a means to easily keep track of local rules; this is where a product such as SmartRules.com … Read Article